Grown up with Clifford Pier so to speak, from the days where the bumboats ply their trades, where the only way to get to the Southern Islands & Pulau Blakang Mati ( AKA Sentosa) was by them ferries. Used to wander there & watch the hustle & bustle of the place, sit on the stone bench & watch the sea... peek at the tides washing up and down the jetties steps & the barnacles that lined the water line & below..almost could hear Sponge Bob Square pants calling ( oops back in those time, King Neptune), opposite was Change Alley, Bangkok Suan Lam Market would come close..
Saw Clifford Pier morphed over the years, from the Ang Teng Bei Tow open air beer garden, to the place getting rowdy where the navy ships come into port...it was once a mini Thailand with all the food stalls, & who could forget on the other end was Neptune at OUE Building, where all company dinners was held there & all the tim sum lunches & Victor Khoo. Later Clifford Pier was mini Philippine, mini gay centre...
From there one go up the escalator to the overhead shopping strip, where there is a little cafe selling food, the numerous money changers & the knick kack shops, of things relating to maritime from Hurricane lamp to telescope & when the Russian ships are in port, the miniature ship in a bottle, nearly bought one ( prize too stiff) and sometimes the Russian Sailors will approach you with their hand made things of the sea...miniature lighthouse . ship in a bottle, a hand made ship, & those Russians wooden dolls where you open the doll gets smaller..
I remember in the 90's a shop there sold DVD's & VCD's of pornography ha ha ha and was doing a roaring trade with the office working crowd, till the police raided and close the shop...
I have not been to clifford pier ever since they closed it down ...and became a hotel...GREED have made the govenrment sell whatever to make money, especially that place is a heritage to the country and an Icon! what a shame!.
I could still hear the sea waves thrashing against the sea walls, the sounds & smell of Clifford Pier, the big open space of the interior, and once a year, Kusu time...filled with people carrying burning incense...
The newspaper vendor, one Indian & the other Chinese, just after the bus stop & at the entrance of Clifford Pier, the Chinese newspaper vendor young daughter from a young girl to a middle age lady with a young boy...that is Clifford Pier!
Kena whack in principal's office (consolation not in front assembly hall). Tiam2, kuai2 dare not tell parents. Nowadays, kns parents complain and sue teachers.
