July 21, Saturday

July 21, Saturday

Hey, do you realize that I’m south of the Equator once again?   Hopefully I have left the monsoons behind and will have beautiful weather again from now on.

This was the first day of my 2-day pass on the Hop-on / Hop-off buses.   I left the hotel in time to catch the 11:05 Green-Line bus at the corner of Bras Basah Road and Selege Road. 

Singapore from the tourist bus:  It really is a beautiful, modern, clean city. 

 I'm disappointed with the bus ride however since the "recorded" information is very limited and the bus driver is going too fast to allow us to take pictures.  He's driving as if he's late to get somewhere.

 Check out the terraces between these tall buildings.  Great architecture once againg.

The city is beautiful

and has many green spaces

I ended up doing most of the loop around the downtown area before arriving in the west end area where the Botanical Gardens are located. I spent the rest of the day here enjoying the beauty of nature.
Botanical Gardens: Singapore was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles {I'll see the name Raffles many many times during my visit through this part of the world}, and he is the one who had the idea of creating a botanical and experimental garden. These gardens were used in the late 18 hundreds to introduce Havea brasiliensis, the rubber tree to this part of the world, which became a major crop to South East Asia. The gardens cover an area of 74 hectares and I walked almost all of it today.

Which way do I go, which way do I go?

 I opt for the rain forest walk first and discover this strange looking growth on the trunk of a tree.

 Paths through the rain forest portion of the Botanical Gardens

 Palm Valley

One of the many fountains

The Orchid Garden was absolutely spectacular.  Over 1000 species and 2000 hybrids, some “hand-crafted” right here.  It is built up on a hill (of course there’s a hill…. If I’m visiting, you can be sure there will be hills).    I took about 70 pictures, just in this section.  Cannot believe how many varieties and colours and shapes there are.  They also had a “cool house” (Montane tropical forest) and a “mist house” (rare orchid cultivars) and another enclosure to display bromeliads.

 
 
 moss covered statuary


 
 
 
 
 Absolutely beautiful, and such different shapes and colours


After 40 minutes walking around the Orchid Gardens I decided I was ready for lunch since it was almost 2 pm, so I stopped at “Halia” restaurant for lunch, near the Ginger Garden.

I huge juicy beef burger and a ginger iced tea went down very well and gave me energy to continue with my visit of the Botanical Gardens.

And one of the photos in the park helped me identify a flower I have photographed in the past but had not identified;  it's the Torch Ginger.  I'll have to somehow find those photos again in my "vast collection of e-photos" and add the correct name tag.

Bamboo Ginger flower from the Philippines over the giant lily pads in one of the ponds

Also found out that the Bird of Paradise plant & flower, which is native of South Africa, is part of the ginger family. Who knew?

 Beautiful water features leading to the pond

 And of course, there are swans on Swan Lake

 and ducks.... Oh !  No,  wait,  those are statues of ducks.  How cute and they look so natural,

 Puffy pom-pom flowers

and tiny ones that look like berries

 And a wonderfully huge statue of a flock of swans on Swan Lake

 A nice picnic area under the trees
From there I was making my way back through the park  past the Sundial garden and the Bonsai gardens near the Bandstand

Bonsai

There is a grove of really really tall flowers growing in clumps.  How tall are they?
 
Much taller than I am.   {Darn it’s difficult to take your own picture !}

Back through a different path of the Rain Forest and on to Symphony Lake at the base of Palm Valley

 where a statue of Chopin adds to the serenety of the surroundings.  The only thing missing is his music playing in the background.
 
On to the Evolution Garden which makes you feel as if you are walking through a Jurassic park.

 Petrified wood

 beautiful pathways

It really does feel like Jurassic Park
I found out that flowering plants only proliferated and diversified after the dinosaurs disappeared at the end of the Mesozoic Era, 65 million years ago.
And of course once I entered this section of the Botanical Gardens, I was "led down the garden path" in more ways than one!    Down a serpentine path, which means of course that there will be a climb back up again to get out of it.   I AM SO TIRED.  My ankles are feet are swollen and I would love to dangle my feet in one of the ponds or fountains.

At 4 pm I decide to call it a day and make my way back to the bus stop at the entrance and return to the downtown area.   On my way there, we drive on the famous Orchard Road, where all the high class shopping malls are located.

 Traffic on Orchard Road

 and shops

 and LOTS of people !

Finally I make it back to the market areas around my hotel.  I'll explore those some other day.

July 20, Friday

July 20, Friday

The view from my room when I woke up this morning

It was a sunny day and I wanted to start exploring the city so I left the hotel right after a late breakfast and with map in hand, made my way towards the Singapore Flyer.  It looked like it was a good distance away on the map, but I was in the mood for a good walk before it got too hot.  My hotel is on Bencoolen Street near the corner of Rochor Road.  I walked down Bencoolen to Bras Basah Road and passed the National Museum, a huge Cathedral, and City Hall

I could see some type of strange building in the distance

It’s a plane… it’s a boat…  It's....

the top of a building!  

I found out later that it’s the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and that’s a Casino at the top, shaped like an ocean cruiser sitting on top of the three towers

I made my way down to Raffles Avenue and finally got my first glance at the Singapore Flyer. 

 This is another "pinch me" moment !

A few years ago, I watched a program on how they built this amazing structure. A true feat of engineering and the world’s largest observation wheel, it towers 165 metres above the city. It didn’t look like it was moving however and I was worried that it was closed for some reason. I was almost under it before I was able to see people in the capsules, but I still couldn’t tell if it was moving. I wonder how long the ride takes?

I located the ticket counter at the 3-story base and did not have to wait very long before getting on to one of the huge capsules.

 Waiting to get into our capsule.  It can hold over 20 people, but luckily there were only 5 of us in line, just before a big group.   You can see how big each capsule is, but check out the left hand top corner of this photo.  Does that look like a tire?

 Yup, they are tires.  Like the ones you find on oversized trucks.  Each are a double set, one running above and one under the huge tracks that make the wheel rotate.

 And we are off !   The group behind us have entered their capsule.

And up, up and away we went.   Here is Singapore, as seen from my ride on the Flyer

 Some type of dome on the other side of the waterway

and some very strange looking structures. 
Unfortunately, the map I have cuts off at the bridge line and does not indicate what this complex is.  I'll have to find out more from a tourist information desk.

 Half way up the wheel, the views are spectacular

 Marina Bay mall

 Looking east across the river there is a huge golf course and a lot of apartment buildings

 Looking north, a race course below us, and the East Coast Parkway

 Looking west into the city and area where my hotel is located.

I'm almost at the top now

 I get one of the four people from England to take my picture

 I'm on the very top of the Singapore Flyer, 165 meters above the city, and almost eye level with the Marina Bay Sands Hotel with the cruise ship on top.

 Looking south to the ocean and all the huge boats in the harbour.

Marina Bay.  The strange white structure is the Art Science Museum.  You can see the expressway over the water, but just above it on the photo is a strange looking pedestrian bridge. 

After getting out of the capsule, I grabbed a Subway sandwich (God that was good… almost like being home again) and a drink before leaving the site, and made my may to Marina Bay & the Art Science Museum where the Harry Potter Exhibit was located.  I had learned about the exhibit in one of the pamphlets at the hotel.

I made my way along the waterfront, under the expressways and arrived at the pedestrian bridge.

 The Double Helix Bridge

 it is quite beautiful.  And check out the Marina Bay Sands Hotel again.  What amazing architecture.

 The Art Science Museum

 Inside the Marina Bay Mall.  The place if emence.

 Ousisde the Marina Bay Mall, with the Marina Bay Sands Hotel behind and above it.

The Harry Potter Exhibit provides an inside look at the Harry Potter films.  

 

 The flying Weasley's car used by Harry and Ron in two of the movies.

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside. Some people used their phones to try to take pictures and had them confiscated until the photos could be deleted !I got to see Hagrid’s HUGE costumes, many of the costumes worn by Harry, Hermione, Professor Snape, Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore etc which were used in the various movies; the sorting hat, talking & moving paintings, one of the centaurs, the Hungarian Horntailed Dragon, Buckbeak, all the magic wands (beautifully made: Bellatrix Lestrange , Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, etc), quidditch balls & the golden snitch, Professor Dumbledore’sred phoenix, Dobby, the screaming book, the marauder’s map, etcIt was interesting to see the Harry costumes from when the films first started and he was only a young boy and the last ones when he was older, man sized!They also had many of the costumes from their first ball.The artistry and craftsmanship is amazing; Kudos to all involved not only in making the characters from the book come alive, but the creativity and imagination required to make all the props.The exhibition was really well done and the walk through the various rooms was interesting: some of the classrooms, one of the common rooms, the great hall, Harry and Ron’s room at Hogwarts, Hagrid’s hut, to name a few.

It was almost 3 pm by the time I left the museum and my feet were tired, but since I was already in this part of the city, I decided to go check out the domes and strange trees I had seen from the top of the Singapore Flyer. I followed yet another beautiful waterfront path toward the strange trees and found a Map/Marker indicating that this was the "Gardens by the Bay" which consists of two HUGE conservatories and a park.

 How strange !  According to the map, these are called "supertrees".  The sign indicated that the ticket office was beside the two domes, so I kept going rather than turn off to see the trees.  I'd have to go in that direction later anyway (again according to the park map) to get to the metro station.

I had a beautiful view of the Singapore Flyer from this side of the river.

I took SO MANY pictures during this part of the visit that I will limit them here to just a few in each area.

Flower Dome: “The Flower Dome replicates the cool-dry climate of Mediterranean regions like South Africa, California and parts of Spain and Italy. Home to a collection of plants from deserts all over the world, it showcases the adaptations of plants to arid environments.”

 

Huge bulbous Baobab trees among the cacti

Now this is how you should trim palm trees; they are gorgeous

No idea what type of flower this is, but isn't it lovely

These two look like "positive" and "negative" of each other

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I was taking a picture of this sculpted eagle in flight, but check out the roof of the dome.  There are actually two men outside walking on top of the glass ! ! !   YIKES.

 

Cloud Forest Dome: “Comprising a 35-metre tall mountain complete with the tallest indoor waterfall covered in lush vegetation, the Cloud Forest portrays plant life from about 2,000-metres above sea level at the top of the mountain to around 1,000-metres at the bottom of the ravine.”

 The waterfall in the Cloud Forest Dome

 The wall in incredibly high and covered with all types of vegetation

 Beautiful flowers,  picture perfect.

 And the designers had a sense of humour.  Check out the occupants of this boat of flowers.

 From the 6th floor, looking down to where I started when I entered at the waterfall level

 and the walkways go out over empty space.  Good thing I'm not too scared of heights.

As I gradually made my way back down, I came across a "Forest of crystals".

As I left the domes, I grabbed a pamphlet of the site so that I could make my way to those strange looking trees. 

SuperTrees and SkyWay: “These unique trees of up to 16 storeys in height can be found all around the Gardens - twelve at the Supertree Grove, while the remaining six are placed in clusters of threes at the Golden and Silver Gardens.  Providing scale and dimension to the Gardens while marrying the form and function of mature trees, the Supertrees also create height to balance the tall developments in the Marina Bay area. Take a stroll along the OCB Skyway, 128-metre long walkway, 22 metres high,  that connects the Supertrees at the Supertree Grove.  11 Supertrees are embedded with environmentally sustainable functions like photovoltaic cells to harvest solar energy.  Over 162,900 plants comprising more than 200 species and varieties of bromeliads, orchids, ferns and tropical flowering climbers are planted on the Supertrees.”

 I feel like a miniature person walking in a world of giants.

 I made my way up the elevator inside one of the "trees" to walk along the Skyway.

 The Dragonfly Lake:   “Plays an important role in supporting the ecosystem vital to the Garden’s sustainability.”

 There are actually little fairies on each dragonfly, trying to catch flies.  Beautiful and graceful artwork.

 As I leave the park and make my way to the metro station, I catch a last view of the Supertrees

 and the Singapore Flyer

 and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.  I still can't get over this architecture.

It was 4:30 by the time I walked out of the park and made my way to the subway station. 

 The metro system.  Extremely clean trains.  No food or beverages allowed, no smoking, no spitting.  The fines are huge if you break the rules.
Although I only had 4 stops to get to my hotel, I had to change metro lines half way there, and then had only a short walk from the Bugis Station back to the Ibis Hotel. 

 A market I crossed between the metro stop and my hotel.

Ah!  Finally back to the hotel, where I get to rest my sore feet.

Now I was really tired.   Oh, did I mention that I had purchased a ticket to go see the “Night Safari at the Zoo” while I was at the Singapore Flyer?  

I DID …. and its tonight ! ! !  

Hopefully there isn’t too much walking involved.  The tour bus was picking me up at my hotel at 6 pm for the 45 minute drive to the zoo in the Northwest section of the city. 

 The traffic is heavy on the drive to the zoo
Our lady guide shepherded us through the ticket booth and toward the waiting lines for the trolley cars. YES ! I would be riding, and not walking. The waiting lines reminded me of Disney Land rides; they were extremely long and snaked for at least 10 rows before getting to the trolley lines.

 Once there however things went fast since they were pre-lining us 5 people in a row ready to get in to each line of the trolley.The ride was fine through the entire zoo, but there was hardly any lighting and we could hardly see the animals.Pictures were definitely out of the question since we were not allowed to use our flash, and in any case the animals were too far away to capture on film. It was a bit of a waste really and quite disappointing compared to the Night at the Zoo I had done in Phoenix. At one point we had the option of getting off the trolley to explore some trails on foot and I decided that I would give it a try in the hopes of seeing the animals, so I walked the “Leopard Trail” but that did not work out either; never did see a leopard though I did get a better look at the lions.I got back on the trolley when it came around again (no problem when you are solo, much more difficult if you have a group of people and there are limited seats available).

Entertainment for the kids, Lion King style.

By the time I got back to the main entrance area I decided to grab a bite to eat since I had not eaten since the sandwich at lunch time.  I still had a bit of time before it was time to meet the group to leave the zoo at 9:45, so I decided to explore another path near the exit, the “Fishing Cat Trail”.  About a 15 minute trek to get to see 2 otters in the water.  Really? 

A bit of a disappointment, but I had had an incredible day.  All in all, I was really liking Singapore.