Hop ON, Hop OFF, DUCK!

On Day 2, we did what any tourist in a big city does...the infamous hop on, hop off, double decker bus tour. The company we chose had 3 different routes which made it very easy to see the entire city. We started off our morning at Clarke Quay where we took a short riverboat cruise along the Singapore River out to the Marina Bay. 

The views from the water were incredible especially since many of the main tourist sites are along the river and marina including Merlion Park, Boat Quay, the Esplanade (Opera House), the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the city's business/financial district. 


Back on the bus, we noticed there was a lot of construction of stands and barricades and premium street lighting and a pretty killer sound system (which they were testing, our very own Singapore city soundtrack!).We later found out that this is all in preparation for the Formula 1 races later this month, the only one held at night. 

For lunch we stopped at a mall food stand and had "modern" satay (meat on a stick) but unlike the traditional satay we're accustomed to in Bali and Thailand, the preparation at this place was perfected - they had a premium satay maker machine which basically automated the entire process - cooking, broiling and dipping each individual skewer - I need to get one of these for our kitchen! My favorite one was surprisingly one that I have never tried before (or seen for that matter) - bacon wrapped asparagus. It was awesome. I'll definitely be trying to make this one myself at home. Melissa's "something new and different" - chicken balls did not fare quite as well. This one up close did not pass the look test so we never actually made it to the taste test. 

Asparagus wrapped bacon

After lunch we headed to Chinatown which was like Hong Kong but much better. It was clean(!!) Remember, this is Singapore and there are fines for spitting, chewing gum or littering. Chinatown was decorated for the upcoming Mid Autumn Festival. Melissa's colleagues have explained that this is kind of like a Chinese Thanksgiving. 


After China, we headed over to Little India which was best viewed...from the top of the bus. Hop not?

What the duck!

While on the river earlier in the day, Melissa saw this weird looking boat painted like a duck. Later we found out it was a "unique land & sea amphibious vehicle" used during the Vietnam War. So basically this vehicle is capable of literally driving right into the water and then navigating the waters just like a boat.  

Of course, after seeing the DUCK in action both in the water and on the road, Melissa added the DUCK to our "to do" list so later in the afternoon we headed out on the DUCK. For the first half of the tour, the DUCK went into the Singapore River and subsequently navigated around the Marina along a somewhat similar path as our morning riverboat tour. Then the DUCK drove right back onto land and we drove around the city taking in some more of the tourist sites. 

As we had a very early morning flight, we decided to head back over to Le Pac Sat for an early dinner. This time we sat outside and enjoyed some satay - this time, not so modern - traditional style cooked over a coal fire. We also tried some seafood noodle dishes - the Singapore noodles and the Hong Kong noodles. Both were good but the Singapore ones were a little spicy for Melissa's taste.  

Overall, we had a really great weekend and enjoyed a much needed break from Hong Kong. I am sure we will be back here soon. Melissa already has 2 more trips scheduled here in the next 6 weeks!