Hippo Bus Tour
On Wed night, we had a very different but eventful evening. We went for a ride on the double-decker buses called the “Hippo Bus.” The Hippo bus is a great way to see all the major tourist destinations around the old city, and one can hop on and off, after purchasing a ticket.
The last time we went for a Hippo Bus Tour was in December 2008! Check out how the kids looked back then!
My..my..my! How they have grown!
This time round, the Hippo Tour was coming with a new and different twist! We were doing it at night (Previously, we did it in the day) and we were going to experience the Bugis/Bras Basah Precinct in a totally different setting.
This tour is organized by our friends from Omy.sg, in cooperation with the radio stations 91.3 FM and 100.3 FM! So…it was going to be great ride as we were going to be entertained by the Radio DJs from the station.
The kids were really excited as we gathered at the National Museum and saw the buses arriving at 7pm.
Before we could board our Bus, our DJs’ Jeremy Ratnam and Maddy grabbed onto their Loud-Hailers and entertained us with their witty sense of humour, as they gathered us.
As the buses came, we were spilt into 2 buses of enthusiastic “Hippolites”. We got into the 91.3 buses, and naturally we were all covered in 91.3 memorabilia.
The kids loved the Hippo Bus and they just loved sitting on the Upper Deck and exploring the bus. Here’s Nicole looking at the driver’s controls.
The Bus route covered the Old Bras Basah Area such as the Singapore Art Museum (The Old St. Joseph’s Institution) and the old Armenian Church.
DJ Jeremy Ratnam was really knowledgeable about the Bras Basah Area, as he used to stay around the area. He told us about what the places used to look like before the renovations and most importantly, where the best food in the area was found!
We made our pit-stop at Chijmes (This is the location of the Old Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus). DJ Maddy who used to study here also briefly told the bus, that the convent was ideally situated for the guys at St. Joseph’s Institution to “gawk” at. I think some things never change! 🙂
Chijmes is actually very beautifully lighted up at night, and this was the 1st time the kids were there. We walked around, slowly enjoying the night scenes and the kids loved playing at the fountain.
Jeremy Ratnam ended the Chijmes tour by giving us a brief historical rundown of the old Convent.
In fact, I remember when I was young, the old convent was really run-down and it had old dirty stained walls.
Now, it is really well done-up and also boats of many bustling pubs and eateries. In fact, with the many large screens in the area, it looks like an ideal place the catch the European Cup Finals or the World Cup in June with some friends.
Is the Tour Worth Going?
I think that the Hippo Ride at fun is really more enjoyable than going in the day!
This is because the weather at night is much more pleasant, and it makes sitting at the upper deck of the bus more tolerable.
I remember literally “sweating like a dog” the last time, I sat at the upper deck.
The Night scenes also offered a different view of Singapore, and generally there is more relaxed mood, when you see the city at night!
The only thing missing was the food – and if the Singapore Tourism Board, could do something about that, I am sure that the Buses can really bring in the Tourists!
Overall, It was a fun thing for the family to do, and the kids enjoyed the bus ride! Thanks once again to Omy for the tickets!