Mid-Autumn Festival 2010 | At the Riverside

For the third part of our Saturday adventure my honey and I went to Clarke Quay Riverside for the rest of the Mid-Autumn festivities.

We got off Clarke Quay station about five minutes after we got on the train at Chinatown. Quite a number of lantern toting youngsters took the same route with their teachers. A very rowdy bunch.

A goggle-eyed rooster greeted us when we got out of the mall. The lanterns were so big!

Other animals of the Chinese zodiac lined Riverwalk like this mischievous looking monkey. Is that a whip?

Lantern floats also decorated the left side of the river where we were on. The detail and intricacy of the designs denote much effort and preparation. Just love the lights and the ambiance!

Further upriver, the bridge that leads to Read St. was decorated with bright lanterns depicting a scene from the sea.  It has also been taken over by merchants selling festive wares and bazaar items.

 

Before we got there, a few more giant lanterns marked the way. 

I was tickled to see the pig zodiac playfully depicted (yes, I was born on the year of the boar =P ).

And we got a closer look at lantern mural on the bridge.

Soon we got to the Taiwan exhibits and food stalls. The stalls' placement and the people buying from them created a bottleneck before the bridge so it took us a while to get through. It didn't help that the bitterly pungent smell of the aged tofu they were selling permeated the air in the immediate area. Quite a few hands flew to cover mouths and nostrils as senses were assailed.

Thank goodness we finally got through to fresher surroundings on the other side of the river.

The lanterns made the waters upriver so colorful that night. I just love the glow of lights at night! Especially on water.

Down river, the Eu Tong Sen St. Bridge bathed the waters in electric blue while the ever familiar silhouette of the Sands Hotel loomed farther off. 

Only one giant lantern stood on this side of the river: a hulking dragon.

We were headed for the mall to have a late dinner when we were surprised by fireworks. I just can't get enough of fireworks displays! Good thing I hadn't stowed away my camera yet. ^^

Had to drastically reduce the video quality so I can upload it though.

After all that excitement and walking, it's on to a big dinner!