PodAsia Travel Podcast

094 - Visit Singapore! Bars, Clubs & Wild Nightlife. By Matthew Holden.

PodAsia reviews Boat Quay, Riverside Point and Clarke Quay for “after dark” action.
This PodAsia podcast also gives you the thrills and the spills of the Clarke Quay reverse bungy, drinks, dancing and where-to-be-seen.

Bonus video included!

Clarke Quay Today. Owned and renovated by the giant, publicly listed company CapitaLand, Clarke Quay lies near the mouth of the Singapore River, the site of Clarke Quay was the centre of commerce during the late 19th century. Today, Clarke Quay is still buzzing with life and activity. The waterfront now plays host to a colourful kaleidoscope of restaurants, wine bars, entertainment spots and retail shops. The bustling market atmosphere of bygone days comes alive amidst the rows of charming shophouses, pushcarts, and five-foot-way merchants.

Clarke Quay is an eclectic mix of modern and traditional. A reminder of its rich heritage is reflected in the vibrantly orchestrated concept. Their vision - an innovative approach which boldly reflects the heritage Clarke Quay.

IF you are after some thrills and spills, check out GMAX REVERSE BUNGY!! PodAsia takes a test of the Reverse Bungy and it was awesome. Great way to start your night at Clarke Quay.

PodAsia rode the GMAX. We strapped into the GMAX and, as it was a rather calm day, the operators gave us some extra time. Then it was 3, 2, 1 and WHOOSH! Before you know it, you are hurtling up at 200kmh and it feels fantastic! You are held in securely by a harness system and, to date, there have been over tens of thousands of launches. It all looks a little concerning to start but hey, you only live once!

If we had our time over, stay in your seat and take the extra second ride for S$15 - this time you will flail your arms and legs around and really get the feel of what a GMAX reverse bungy is about.

GMAX now have a new ride called GMAX 5. The GX-5 promises to give all tourists to Singapore a fantastic experience and a whole new perspective on Clarke Quay.

Open
Monday to Thursday: 1pm until 1am
Friday: 1pm until 2am.
Saturday: 12pm until 2am.
Sunday: 12pm until 1am.

Admission:
$40 per person

Approximate Thrilling Time:
5 mins

Location:
Clarke Quay, 3E River Valley Road

Getting there:
Take the MRT and alight at Clarke Quay station, exit by the Eu Tong Sen Street and turn left to cross the Coleman Bridge.

Tel: +65
6338 1146

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SAVOUR THE MANY DELIGHTS
Set amidst a backdrop of old shophouses, you can savour the many delights of Chinese, Italian, Mediterranean and local cuisine.

When the sun goes down, you don’t have to look far to discover some of the city’s trendiest nightspots.

Boat Quay After Dark. Desperate for a make-over, Boat Quay is missing out on the hub-bub of Clarke Quay. However, if you are looking for a quiter and more relaxed time, then this might be the spot for you.

Imagine that only a century ago, Boat Quay was the hothouse for trading. When Sir Stamford Raffles signed the agreement securing the auspicious title of free port for Singapore, this instantly opened the floodgates of immigrants from neighbouring countries. Within six months, a familiar scene in this location was sun-tanned coolies and swaylos (water-hands) balancing heavy gunny-sacks of rice on their shoulders, with springy gangplanks under their feet, loading and unloading a bewildering plethora of produce. By the 1860’s, three-quarters of all shipping business was done at Boat Quay. Here was the starting point of Singapore’s success as a business hub.

Now the coolies have given way to bankers and office workers! There are some good restaurants here and some fine places for that quite ale.

Try the original Harrys Bar, 28 Boat Quay. The favorite watering hole of Nick Leeson, the "Rogue Trader" who brought down Barings Bank. There are now franchises all over town. Try the Bank Breaker, a shot of whisky and Midori which, like Leeson’s escapades, goes down smooth but leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Live music most nights.

Riverside Point After Dark. Located just over the river from Clarke Quay, Riverside Point is much quiter after dark. No night clubs here except for some good food and solid drinking at Brewerkz and Wine Garage.

Brewerkz, 30 Merchant Rd #01-05/06 (Riverside Point, opp Clarke Quay), ☎ +65-64387438. Noon-midnight daily. Singapore’s first microbrewery, still going strong after ten years and now brewing up no less than 12 types, available in handy 6-glass sampler sets. Indoor and outdoor seating, with a wide range of good, decent size servings in huge portions. Lunchtime prices can go as low as $3.50 for a pint.

Jumbo Seafood, Riverside Point #01-01/02,
30, Merchant Road S(058282). Well-located outlet of the popular seafood chain famed for their black pepper and chilli crabs, a Singapore specialty.

Aso try:
Wine Garage - Riverside Point #01-07 -
30, Merchant Road S (058282)

MUSIC PROMOTION: PodAsia supports and promotes impendent artists. Music in this episode is from the podsafemusicnetwork.com.

 

 094 - English [00:28:33m]: Play Now | Download

This entry was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 11:04 pm and is filed under PodAsia Travel Channel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.