It came to be, with great sailing ships and later new-fangled steamers lying at anchor in the Straits while small vessels manned by coolies ferried their cargo through the shallower waters of the river to warehouses built along its banks.

Some of these lighters, the so-called bumboats, have survived, and today still ply their trade on the Singapore River.

On the palm-shaded footpath, an artist, towel draped over his head for protection against the tropical sun, paints a water-color - carefully editing out any trace of today's skyscraper office blocks or double-decker buses, to create a scene of yesteryear.

For trade for these bumboats is no longer the mysterious produce of the East, but tourists. It's $9 for a half hour ride in a traditionally dark-hulled, bright-bowed wooden vessel converted to carry about 12 people under shade.

We chug under the coat hanger Elgin bridge, into a more open section of the river. Clang-clang. More tales from the past, of ship and the sea and the people who made Singapore what it is today.

Further out, past people fishing in the rejuvenated waters from the river bank near historic Parliament House and the Supreme Court building, under an iron suspension bridge beside grand colonial offices, into Marina Bay for a short circuit of fishing boats, cruising-junks and modem counterparts, to then return under the watchful eye of the gleaming white Merlion at the end of a breakwater - the Lion/mermaid statue that has become the symbol of Singapore.

Boat Quay, to our left, was where traders of the past worked from buildings called "go-downs", small warehouse, of shop houses.

But, like the bumboats, these narrow fronted, two and three storey buildings of Boat Quay, and the larger warehouses of Clarke Quay, further upriver, have been transformed into a part of modern Singapore.

They are bustling, thriving districts. Battered buildings re-built, refurbished and reborn, for alfresco dining, discos, pubs, up-market restaurants, trendy shops and record bars. Boutique beers and café lattes. A place to see and be seen. The night life scene.

And we may look upon the bumboats and converted go-downs as quaint reminders of the past, but behind the tourist veil, Singapore is still all about trade.