Walk About

Fed and caffeinated, we took a walk around town.  We stopped by the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and then trekked up Ann Siang Hill behind our hotel and were impressed by the sheer volume of air conditioning units visible on the rear of tall buildings -- make no mistake, Singapore is on the equator and it's hot!  

We wandered into Boat Quay and into the first of a few unexpected and pleasant surprises on this trip.  There were people milling everywhere in athletic and swimming gear sitting on every square inch of available surface in UOB Plaza.  We had stumbled upon the 2009 Singapore River Regatta.  Teams competed four at a time in a race down the river.  Rowers timed their stroke to the beat hammered out on a large drum by the coxswain.  It was amazing and entertaining to watch.  Scott and I both tried to adopt various teams and cheer them on to victory as we watched along the water's edge.

After this unexpected diversion, we continued our walk.  Shopping is a major pasttime in Singapore so we decided to check out some of the local malls including the Funden IT mall and the Raffles City Center mall.

We stopped for a quick pick-me-up at BreadTalk and then made our way to the famous Raffles Hotel and then on to the Suntec Center which boasts a large convention center.

There was an Anime convention going on which meant the Suntec City Shopping Centre and associated Food Republic was completely mobbed.  We made the mistake of ordering some food (chicken and rice) before locating a place to sit.  In Singapore, locals leave a packet of tissues on the table to indicate that the table is taken.  We carried our trays and weaved in and out of the crowd for about 10 minutes before finally finding an open place to sit that wasn't earmarked by a telltale pack of tissues.

The local Duck Tour leaves from the Suntec Centre and we thought this would be a fun and easy way to see some of the City.  Perhaps we'd even experience a comforting breeze as the amphibious vehicle splashed down into the river.  The breeze never materialized but we did see some beautiful skyline, a merlion (the half lion half fish symbol of Singapore), some colonial buildings, and the famous concert hall affectionately known as the Armadillo.

After the Duck Tour, we sought out the Fountain of Wealth.  We learned that walking around the fountain's base is a symbol of good luck.  

This is where we stumbled upon another unexpected event -- A Crime Prevention Fair.  We heard the sound of a drum band playing and walked over to check it out.  There were vendors set up everywhere promoting crime prevention.  "Low Crime Does Not Equal No Crime" was the motto.

Donuts seem to be a big deal in Singapore.  On our way back to the subway, we found an awesome donut shop and decided to try a few unusual varieties to refuel before moving on.  They were colorful and very, very delicious.