What could be better than beer?

Posted by oceanskies79 under Heritage Sites and Trails, Lifestyle
(0) Comment • (2621) Reads • Permalink

This post is not about beer, but it attempts to answer the question: What could be better than beer?

The photo above lends some clues.

Learning about heritage is way better than beer. The Original Singapore Walks has a Boat Quay Historic Pub Walk. I attended this tour, The Tipple Exchange, several months ago. When I was on board this tour several months ago, the walk brought me to some of the pubs along Boat Quay, and as part of my tour, one got to drink three specialty drinks. Of course, I had paid a comparatively higher fee than the usual The Original Singapore Walks walking tours.

Even though I don’t fancy alcoholic drink, the heritage part of it is attractive enough to get me to go for The Tipple Exchange. The tour began with the guide sharing about the rich history behind the Raffles Place. The tour also included insights to the Town Plan drawn up by Sir Stamford Raffles and Lieutenant P. Jackson in 1822. How did this Town Plan drawn up more than a century ago affect us till today? There was a lot to learn during this tour. I felt delighted and enriched to be able to know more about my own country. I recommend that other folks born in Singapore could check out at least one of The Original Singapore Walks.

As I hear about how Raffles Place and the Singapore River had been in the past, it was a fascinating experience for myself to realise how Singapore has changed and progressed with time. Folks, it is fun to tour Singapore like a tourist from time to time. In addition to all the interesting anecdotes and the enriching yet entertaining information about some of Singapore’s past, I also enjoyed the sights that I saw along the way.

I shall not reveal the details of the interesting anecdotes that had been shared during the tour. For one main reason, these are information that the organiser has derived through painstakingly research, we should respect it. Furthermore, I believe that I should leave my reader who are interested to join the tour to find things out for yourself.

In case you cannot wait to see the beer, here is a photo of my first drink for the evening on the tour. My friend who was on this tour with me told me that this ale is pretty good one. I beg your pardon, but I cannot tell. I did not even finish half of it. I did not like alcoholic drink, but well, my interest in heritage has enticed me to join a tour that would bring me to the pubs.

At the first pub, the guide shared with us about the history behind the first official prepaid postage stamp in the world. If you could guess the name of this stamp, you would be able to figure out the name of the first pub.

We had some interesting drinks to drink at the second pub, Archipelago, that we visited. Trader’s Brown Ale from Archipelago was made using Gula Melaka and ginger. My hold of liquor is weak, I barely drank a third of it. I also had a chance to sample Saison Sayang. I understand that Coriander, Star Anise and some other spices were used to create this brew. These beer are quite interesting and worth sampling.

By the end of the tour, the night skies were getting dark and that contrasted against the colourful lightings of the buildings along the river. The photo below was taken from Elgin Bridge. A beautiful sight, and I was thankful for the good weather. If you happen to be onboard this tour, I recommend that you enjoy the view from the Elgin Bridge.

The guide probably realised that I did not like to drink. In the end, she kindly asked that the last drink for the evening, i.e. Tiger Beer, be replaced with a fruit juice of my choice. I like the music and singing at the last pub that we had stopped by. However, I did not like the volume of the sound from the amplifiers. I was very close to putting on ear-filters at the last pub.

Whatever it is, I can proudly say that I had managed to finish the entire glass of apple juice that was meant to replace the Tiger Beer. I don’t think I can finish half a glass of beer however.

Summarising, I have enjoyed myself throughout the tour. It was an informative, enriching and educational tour. Furthermore, I have had great company for the evening. Of course, the tour is way better than the beers since I hardly drink. If you like beer, I am sure that you will find yourself having the best of both worlds if you were to go on the tour: food for the mind, drinks to unwind.

***
Note: According to information from The Original Singapore Walks’s website, this tour will be scheduled on Saturday evenings starting from 5 Jan 2008. I foresee that there may be some slight changes in the tour programme and itinerary compared to the tour that I had attended. Nevertheless, according to the website: “Alcoholic (at special rates) and non-alcoholic drinks are available”, so please enquire with the guide.

For more information about The Tipple Exchange™ , please visit: http://www.singaporewalks.com.