Tropical Singapore was founded on the search for spices and other plant riches centuries ago. Half your kitchen spice rack and many of your house plants arose from this island on the equator. The original inland Singapore Botanical Gardens began in 1829 as an experiment for everything from rubber trees (smuggled in from Brazil) to cloves. Today it continues as a green oasis, event centre, and ongoing plant displays. There are Healing Gardens showing 4,000 medicinal plants, Fragrant Gardens that mimic a perfume counter, etc., etc. The lakes and lizards add to the quiet strolls. Pat was enthralled by the botany, I was bored by the green monotony.
And now for something completely different! On reclaimed land at the downtown shore are the Gardens By The Bay: 101 hectares of showy, historic, and awe-inspiring. Outside are Heritage Gardens of the major ethnic groups (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Colonial). Plus World of Plants that show the intricate web of flora in our planet. Plus a reclamation lake and sculptures. Pretty cool just by themselves.
But the masterpiece are the two futuristic icons --- The Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. Winners of the 2012 World Building of the Year! Design of the Year! Breakthrough Building! Etc., Etc., and totally deserved. Huge swirling domes over more hectares of incredible plantlife. They brought in thousand-year old olive trees, humungous African Baobobs, even tiny orchids, etc. The Cloud Forest has a 35-metre waterfall creating fog and mist. The elevated walkways escort you through living fantasy formations. Stalagmites and stalactites --- but they're real, having grown a centimetre per century. These pictures help, but the feeling in there is other-worldly, like being in a prehistoric scene yet into the future. Pat says it's the best example of something good that Man has done.
Even at night the domes glow mysteriously. We walked over to the riverfront to get re-grounded in reality.
And now for something completely different! On reclaimed land at the downtown shore are the Gardens By The Bay: 101 hectares of showy, historic, and awe-inspiring. Outside are Heritage Gardens of the major ethnic groups (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Colonial). Plus World of Plants that show the intricate web of flora in our planet. Plus a reclamation lake and sculptures. Pretty cool just by themselves.
But the masterpiece are the two futuristic icons --- The Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. Winners of the 2012 World Building of the Year! Design of the Year! Breakthrough Building! Etc., Etc., and totally deserved. Huge swirling domes over more hectares of incredible plantlife. They brought in thousand-year old olive trees, humungous African Baobobs, even tiny orchids, etc. The Cloud Forest has a 35-metre waterfall creating fog and mist. The elevated walkways escort you through living fantasy formations. Stalagmites and stalactites --- but they're real, having grown a centimetre per century. These pictures help, but the feeling in there is other-worldly, like being in a prehistoric scene yet into the future. Pat says it's the best example of something good that Man has done.
Even at night the domes glow mysteriously. We walked over to the riverfront to get re-grounded in reality.
My kind of place!
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