Thursday, August 1, 2013

Marina Barrage Kite Flying



We recently had a company event at a truly unique venue.  When Singapore dammed up the river to create Marina Bay reservoir, they made the dam a walkway
           



                                                                                 


that leads to a building that houses all the machinery.  This building is an award-winning design; its roof is reached by huge ramps and all are covered with grass.




The position of the building catches a constant wind, perfect for kite flying.  Those are the little black spots in this view from afar:

When we went to the family event we took a walk up the ramps and found a whole culture of kite flyers:




Families fly traditional kites with string, while others have giant-sized ones that use special equipment to hold huge ropes (like the Nemo one shown above).  

Nearly everyone had a picnic - and in true Singapore style, these guys had quite a sushi spread:


John, Bronia and Andy, enjoying the view from up top:



As the sun set:


Down below we had caters cooking local food for us



Kids enjoyed the water features and jumping games:




(notice the kites flying up on top)

while we took a turn at archery:



And more views of Singapore's famous new skyline: