Monday, August 15, 2011

Singapore - Clarke Quay

Clarke Quay is located along the bank of Singapore river. It is dotted with bars, restaurants and clubs. The place becomes alive at sunset. Hence, if you want a taste of Singapore's night life then you should not miss visiting Clarke Quay.

You can go to Clarke Quay by MTR. Alight at Clarke Quay MTR station which is connected also to Central Mall. It is at the opposite bank of the Clarke Quay area. If you are in Chinatown you can walk up to Clarke Quay for around 10 to 15 minutes.

Clarke Quay during daytime



Lovers along the Singapore river. By the way, riverside point is also nearby.


Along Clarke Quay bank were few old boats converted into floating restaurants.


There is also a river cruise terminal along Clarke Quay. You can ride on one of these boats to see touristy places located along the Singapore river such as Merlion park, Marina Bay Sands, etc. If my recollection serves me right, it will cost you around 20 S$ for 30 minutes ride.

River Cruise Terminal

Clarke Quay at night






At the center of Clarke Quay is a multi-colored water fountain.


At the farthest end of Clarke Quay is the G-MAX reverse bungee and extreme swing. As the word implies, reverse bungee is like a sling shot. Two cranes will pull both flexible cords/cables attached to both ends of the locked cage until they reach the maximum expanded length then the lock will be released; the cage will be catapulted at tremendous speed then bounce back to land. This cycle will continue for several times. Three persons can be accommodated inside the cage. Be aware though that there is a camera installed inside the cage so all your facial expressions, shouting, salivation and other commotions will be recorded and watched from the monitors by all bystanders, lol. The cost is 45 S$ each.


For extreme swing, 5 people can be accommodated inside a cage and it will be pulled-up high by a third crane; when it reaches the maximum height, the cage will be released. The picture below will show the maximum height that the cage will reach before it will be released.



Within the steel crane area, Marina Bay sands is visible




There are two famous bars at Clarke Quay. The first one is the world renown Hooters. The female servers here are wearing skimpy shorts. I was not able to take pictures because my wife was with me during that time.













The second bar I think has a local theme, The IndoChine


However, there were several bars and pubs having their own gimmicks to attract customers. Some bars were showing sports channel while I saw one pub with live band/singers whereas another bar has a belly dancer attraction.

Though all the pubs and bars are having their own set of menus, I still prefer Chinatown and other local hawkers when it comes to food tripping. One time, during birthday celebration of my colleague, we spent good amount of money for a very spicy and oily foods at Clarke Quay. We paid high for the ambiance.

There are many westerners loitering around until early morning along the bridge connecting both Central Mall and Clarke Quay.

Finally, if you want to avail of cheap beers at Clarke Quay the happy hour normally stops at 8 pm.

At Bayang's bar. The staff are all Filipinos. They gave us free crackers while we left some tips.


 

It is best to come here after sunset to appreciate the place.


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