GARDENS BY THE BAY - PART 1

"The greatest gift of a garden is the restoration of the five senses."

~ Hanna Rion ~

the super trees

So here I was with my friend at this latest attraction in Singapore: Gardens by the Bay. There are a few sections that you could go - the two gigantic glass domes, namely Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. We just went into these two structures which cost SD$28. Other option you have will be going on the HSBC Skybridge with additional SD$5 and the open garden, I think, which should be free of charge. The other exciting things would be the supertrees that would light up at night.

a bull sculpture (sponsored by an American bank)

getting your tickets

There were a lot of people but the crowd were still bearable, except at times, the flow of people walking will be a bit congested, for example while waiting for the lift to go up the man-made hill, or going the escalator which was not working.

the entrance

waterfalls welcoming the visitors

Once you set foot into the Cloud Forest, the temperature suddenly changed. The cascading waterfalls welcome you and the effect of the sprinkling water created this mist surrounding the atmosphere, hence the name "cloud forest". There was this very big hill and on the wall, there were multicoloured plants and flowers "attached" to it, as well as the surrounding area.

close-up of the hill wall

the happy environmentalist

looking upwards

In order to go up the "hill", we had to take a lift and once we were up there, we continued walking, in and out the hill, on the aerobridge, observing and admiring not only the flora (without the fauna this time), but also how could people come up with an invention like this.

The climate of the glasshouse had enabled the plants to live well. There were the kinds that I had seen before but here they were greener and healthier.  The flowers were bigger in size and as a consequence, they looked brighter and much much more attractive.

view from the top

There was also one section in the hill people could learn more about the formation of crystal. People did not seem to be attracted to the exhibits though.

That was the general overview of the first glasshouse, the Cloud Forest. A genius work of art and technology. I don't mind living here, because when I wake up every morning, I will wonder whether I have died and gone to heaven. But I have to tell myself not to throw stones every now and then.

This is the place where one's perception of agriculture, horticulture, biotechnology, botany, architecture and all the related fields may change.

TO BE CONTINUED.......