Way back in the late 1800's, the Singapore river, on the southeast side of the island, was the epicenter of trade and commerce. Over the next hundred years or so it became heavily polluted. Starting in 1977, the Singapore Government began a 10 year plan to clean it up.
The government even went to the extreme measure of relocating the port, moving the hawkers into "hawker centers" and banning industries from dumping into the river.
Once the river was cleaned up developers flooded in to build condos, office space, restaurants, etc.
The river has now been dammed up - it no longer empties into the ocean. It's been turned into a freshwater reservoir. These shots are from a section if the river called Clark Quay and Robertson Quay. I noticed a lot of expats here, some jogging, others sitting at cafes. I think it was the first time I saw a white person in a week. Puff said the area is very popular with expats, given its proximity to the financial district.
Puff and I had a nice breakfast at an empty cafe. She noted that on a usual weekend morning the place would have been packed - a sure sign of the recession being felt here.
I really like the giant umbrellas that cover some of the streets. They're 30-40 feet high, extend all the way over the rooftops and provide a welcomed respite from the sun and rain.
Tomorrow I will be back with more photos from the river mouth itself, where the tall skyscrapers live.
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