The Duck Tour
Oh, this was fun! and informative, and splashy - although I didn't get wet as the duck left the tarmac and headed on to the water...!
Heading for the Duck tour
Our Duck awaits!
From the Driver's seat
Wendy had already told me about the previous tour she had been on, and how interesting it had been - every tour is a bit different; obviously, the basic information is the same, but each guide has a personal script to follow, and emphasises the parts that interest him or her the most. On a previous visit, Wendy has also enjoyed a City Tour by bus; for now, we were contented with this delightful DUCK!
Our guide gave her passengers a comprehensive commentary, in English and Mandarin; she had a good understanding of the history of Singapore, but even more knowledge about the Bay and how it provides drinking water for the City State. Out on the road, our driver/captain steered the craft past interesting areas flanking the Bay:
And then we got on to the water...
And the first time I saw the Mer Lion was in 2001, in Sentosa!
That was such a charming trip; on arrival back at base, we returned to the Tour offices, where Wendy bought me a fluffy yellow duck to remember it by.
And now a little personal information: I love ducks. As a child, I was not into dolls and other such mundane, boring toys; for me, ducks were - and indeed, still are - the epitome of delightful imagination.
On regular trips from East Africa back to the UK, we usually spent most of a "long leave" up north in Lindale, near Grange-over-Sands. There was a large duck pond in Grange, and I think I have written about this before, but it will probably bear repeating: I had some pennies to buy stale bread, and I would go to the pond and feed the ducks. They got to know me, and would come flapping and quacking out of the water, and running on to the grass, pecking at the bottoms of my corduroy trousers, impatient to be fed.
These excursions are some of the happiest of my childhood! and I am sure it doesn't need me to reiterate, I never eat duck.
When I was 12, I even wrote a little play called "The Ghost Dog's Howl," featuring ducks and Pekingese dogs. Picture the scene: Set in Peking, there was a looming disaster for ducks, because there were no worms to eat, and they were starving. Calling upon their ancient ancestors, they asked for help... and their plea was answered by a Pekingese, summoning up the Ghost Dog's Howl. When this marvellous sound was heard, there was as much food as the ducks could eat, and so disaster was averted.
On our trip back by sea from England to Dar-es-Salaam in 1958, I managed to build a little stage and some scenery, and press-ganged another child into helping me perform the play. I thought I'd be lucky to get one show out of it, but it went down so well with all the other passengers, we had to give a repeat performance.
Some long while ago, I found the script for it - I shall have to look it out again, type it up and perhaps one day it will enjoy a new production!
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