9 August is Singapore’s 51st Birthday, Singapore National Day, a time to celebrate, reflect on our past and look forward to our future.
Singapore River has played a significant role contributing to the success of Singapore and I am bringing you for a morning walk along the Singapore River through the photos I captured using my iPhone 6 during my morning walks. For a brief history on Singapore River, check out my earlier on Singapore River – A Story about Change.
This is where we will start our morning walk. The canal you are looking at (refer to photo above) is the Alexandra Canal connecting to the Singapore River that starts at Kim Seng Road. On the left is the Zion Road Food Centre that serves lots of yummy local food like fried kway teow, fried carrot cake, braised duck rice, fried hokkien noodle and lots more.
Robertson Quay
After walking past the last stretch of the Alexandra Canal, we are at Kim Seng Park. This park is named after Mr Tan Kim Seng (1805-1864), a prominent Peranakan merchant and philanthropist in Singapore in the 19th Century. Tan built a road in River Valley which still carries his name – Kim Seng Road, the starting point of the Singapore River. Connecting River Valley Road to Havelock Road is Jiak Kim Bridge that is named after Mr Tan Jiak Kim, the grandson of Mr Tan Kim Seng.
Clark Quay
Next stop is Clarke Quay, the whole place feels very different in the morning. In the morning, the area is quiet except for tourists who are here to take the River Taxi for a tour of Singapore River. In the evening, this place turns vibrant where you will see the whole area filled with diners and clubbers. Definitely a place to check out in the evening.
Read Bridge (refer to picture below) is a beam-structured bridge located at Clarke Quay linking to Swissotel Merchant Court. The bridge was built in 1881 and completed in 1889, opened to pedestrians and bicycles. It is a wide pedestrian bridge. A place to be at for a nice view of the river bank in the evening.
Across the road from Clarke Quay is the Old Hill Street Police Station. It was erected in 1934 to house the Hill Street Police Station and Barracks. The building was the largest government building and regarded as a modern skyscraper at the time of its completion. It was gazetted as a national monument in 1998 and currently houses the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth and the Ministry of Communications & Information. The building has 927 windows and they are painted in the colours of the rainbow. The main courtyard, the former police parade ground, has been converted into an air-conditioned atrium for art activities.
We have walked more than 2 kilometers, look out for my next post where we will enter the Central Business District.
Thank you for stopping by, happy Living for Experiences!
Enjoyed what you read? Support me by following my blog, my Facebook page @livingforexperiences and Instagram @livingforexperiences. Share the post that you like. Every like, comment and share counts! 🙂
Living for Experiences 