The mascot of Singapore

The merlion may be my favorite country mascot I've come across. With the bottom half of a merman and the top half of a lion, this completely invented creature represents the omnipresent connection to the sea of Singapore, which literally means Lion City. The Merlion statue is an appropriately kitschy rendition, made in the early 1970s. A great tourist attraction and an excellent place to get the required "I'm in Singapore!" photos. It's also impressive how it spits into the ocean day after day, year after year.

From there, we took a quick bumboat ride down the Singapore River and ended up at Clarke Quay, a happening nighttime spot. A lovely little boat ride and a nice walk. We saw a cool little pedestrian bridge that had a lot of whimsy to spare.

Eventually, we made our way to the Copthorne King's Hotel, for a mind-boggling buffet dinner, but that's the subject of another post.