Week 15: Trishaw Tour in Chinatown

So I thought a really fun adventure for Mark and I to do would be going on a "4 Hour Trishaw Tour in Chinatown".  (A Trishaw is a rickshaw on three wheels - a cycle rickshaw - instead of the traditional rickshaw which is a cart pulled by hand.)  The description of the tour included dinner, shopping, tea, and trishaw tour.  What we got, was hardly up to our expectations.

It was interesting going on this tour as "residents" (having been here a while), instead of "tourists".

First, we needed to go to a specific nearby hotel to wait for our mini-bus.  Then, we drove to the Marina Bay area and waited for a coach bus.  Upon entering the coach bus, the bus driver and another person got in a huge - I mean really huge - argument.  We did not leave "on time" because of this argument that everyone on our bus could see and everyone within 100 yards could hear.  However, we just raised our eyebrows and laughed it off.

We finally arrived in Chinatown - as you know, I've already taken a tour of a part Chinatown, but Mark has not - and were dropped of to shop on our own for an hour.  OK, so we just wandered around random streets looking at shops and then finally found our way back to our return destination at the appointed time.  Again, just raised our eyebrows.

Next, we all fill into a certain "Chinese Restaurant" to have tea and eat an "authentic meal".  Oh boy.  Let me tell you, the "tea" was traditional in taste, but not in ceremony.  The entrees consisted of any meal I could find in America, and nothing I could find at any true authentic Chinese place in Singapore.   I have Chinese friends and Mark has been to many parts of China.  Think sesame chicken, stir fry veggies, broccoli and beef.  Needless to say?  We were disappointed.  And again, we just laughed it off.  ...And told all the details to our table of new Australian friends.

After dinner, our final part of the tour was to embark on a trishaw "tour".  It didn't look like old chinese tradition, but it still looked fun.  So our journey slowly began.  And I mean slowly.  There is always a large crowd in Chinatown on the weekend.  But finally, we picked up speed and started cruising.  With no narration or guidance about what we were seeing throughout this part of Chinatown.  Then what to our listening ears did we hear?  The Eagles and Journey.  Oh, yes!!!  Yes, this is what I've always wanted to hear while riding through an area indigenous to the Chinese.

Then, our trishaw ride ended somewhere along the Singapore river where we all filed into a Chinese bumboat and made our way to Clark Quay, a well known party destination.

And thus includes our "tour of Chinatown".

This was the oddest tour I've ever been on.  And poor Mark.  He's picking the tour next time.

  Fans with Madison and Hunter's names in Chinese characters, painted by famous artist.