Today, I tagged along with my sister-in-law in support of her cousin participating in the Dragon Boat Race at the Singapore River, in front of UOB Plaza. Event started at 10.30am with various teams from corporate companies, polytechnics and various sectors from the government and statutory boards. It rained intermittently and we had to rushed for cover each time a heavy downpour started.
Pictures from the event.
Singapore River in Metallic Gold
A detour now to the city and a tourist attraction in Singapore.
It is fun to take a bumboat ride along the Singapore River and watch the scene goes by. When I was a young kid, our family used to visit Clifford Pier and watched the boats cruising by. The landscape has changed so much over the years.
That white bridge in the picture is named the Elgin Bridge. Take a look at this map for the many bridges along the Singapore River : Map of Singapore River
Plenty of historic places along this route. Best done by exploring by foot.
This afternoon, I rushed for a bit of photography at the Singapore River because I wanted to recee the place one more time. Very hot during mid afternoon. The lights structure along the street for the National Day Parade celebration had not been dismantled. No way to cross the road even without traffic because of the barricades. At high noon, some pictures turned out alright, others so-so.
For today, just this picture because I like the contrast of the white clouds in the background.
See you tomorrow!
Singapore River
It is a black and white landscapes week. Another view of the Marina Bay area in black and white, HDR version.
Marina Bay, Singapore River
When I was very little, our family used to visit the Fullerton One and Collyer Quay area regularly. My father worked as a helper in one of these bumboats. We only get to see him once in a long, long while. Jobs were hard to come by. There was no Marina Bay then and it was pretty much open sea after exiting from the Singapore River. So these places hold plenty of memories for me and family. So many changes as time goes by.
I prefer the black and white version rather than color. Just brings back the nostalgia.
The past two posts show photos of the Singapore River and the skyscrapers along the river and Marina Bay. So I thought this picture is appropriate and ties in with the theme.
Here are a few interesting facts about the Merlion. In Singapore, there are only 5 Merlions recognised by the STB :
The first 3 Merlions I have seen and photograph, the other two I have yet to see them. Shame. Who knows there are that many?
Other interesting history
The Merlion in the above picture was struck by lightning on 28 February 2009 at about 4.26pm. This happened as there was no lightning protection.
Source : Wikipedia
Related Post
Marina Bay in Singapore
Marina Bay Photos in HDR
Perspective : Back View of Merlion
Architecture of Modern Buildings in Singapore
Dig up more of the archive photos and see a few things I did not see before. It turns out some of the photos have the solar halo in them. It was a super, super hot and bright day on that Sunday in January 2011.
Taken along the Singapore River and Marina Bay area. Some of the buildings are still under construction in Marina Bay. One of these days, I will come back with the tripod, telephoto lens and photograph the dawn hours. Not so crowded then. These were taken at high noon – very high contrast lighting. I did the best I could at photo editing. Love those glass buildings and architecture.
Bum Boats along Singapore River
Black and White Singapore Landscape
This picture was not converted from a color photo. It was snapped as it is – in black and white.
When seeing historical places in black and white, a kind of nostalgia sets in. This was taken during high noon. I wouldn’t really recommend taking pictures during these timings. Light is rather harsh. The saving grace was the passing clouds that somehow diffuse and illuminate the scenery.
At this scene, the actual color of the river was a murky and muddy clay water. Not that attractive. Much better to photograph the water scenery at the Merlion Park. More color there – sort of greenish grey, just a tad improvement.
Will add more black and white pictures as time goes by. Plenty to go around.
Catch you on the next post. Have a great weekend!
HASAYANG'S TRAVEL AND PHOTOS 