The starting point

The starting point

Wednesday 8 May 2024

2/5/24 Gardens by the bay

 

   A good nights sleep , and we're 2 new people - almost 😂  Fuelled up on yoghurt & a small amount of muesli and a banana from 7eleven next door , we headed out to the MRT station - a 500m walk . I haven't mentioned how hot & humid it was yesterday yet - well today's even worse !! 

 Only one train to get on today , straight down to Gardens by the Bay . Probably not helped by the gardens and the river beside , but the humidity is up quite a few notches . Stopping at Satay By The Bay , we had a great ice cold smoothy named Summer Holiday , boy was that needed ! 

   This waterfall was beside the eatery area .


  This is a part of Kingfisher Wetlands , the waterfalls are on the left of the bridge .


   The gardens are beautiful with lots of orchids growing in & amongst the greenery surrounding the pools & streams . 


   This is another of the pools , with the giant trees and Marina Bay Sands in the background .


   The Giant Trees and Marina Bay Sands .


Too hot to be doing this in full sun , so we headed back to the eatery and had some Sambal King Prawns and Pineapple fried rice for lunch in the cooler eatery area , it was beautiful . We decided not to have the frog - yes frog , here's the choices - how would you have yours ???? I had to look twice when we walked around deciding what we were having 😂


  After lunch & cooling down , we made a bee line for the Flower Dome - you pay to enter here & the Cloud Forest - it was worth every penny to get inside to the cool . 
  Ironic for us , there was a tulip display on that covered about 3000 sq m . For those that don't know , there was a Tulip Time Festival every year in Bowral .


The Flower Dome is a huge undercover garden area with multiple levels . Up to the top right is the cactus display , complete with Boabab trees & the large cactii from the wild west movies , and every size & type in between .


   There's plenty of excellent wooden sculptures as well , this one  of an eagle is made out of a tree root system , it's wings are the old roots - spectacular !

  
    Also these 2m tall mushrooms  and the seats , all made from tree roots .


    Check out these .
  

    They are rock plants , suitably named .


    Views out to the Singapore Flyer over the bay .
  Here's a fan cactus .


  And some tiny ones .


    That was the flower dome , now for the cloud forest . After a short line up we were inside and in front of a massive indoor waterfall - 45m tall !! Orchids were out & flowering on one side , there was a lookout platform higher up .



  This is huge , so many plants all lush & green , azaleas of all types & sizes were flowering as well .


   There is so much to take in , and in amongst it all there's timber sculptures of various animals , here a monkey .

  
   Some of the azaleas , and a stuffed goat - not sure why , but it's there .


   After walking around and around , you go up to the top in an elevator and start your descent . Orchids were everywhere , and too many other plants to name . There's a pool with black base and some interesting glass flowers .


   Views out to the giant trees .


   Here's part of the walkways and the walls of plants and people .


   The lower levels we were getting to .


   Reaching the bottom , we looked back up to find everything disappearing into the mist , creating a wonderfull impression of a misty mountain .


   We were going to stick around for the light show in the giant trees , but that was still a few hours away and we were back out into the heat & humidity once more , so headed towards Marina Bay Sands and the MRT station at Bayside . 


  More of the wetlands , fountains , trees & Singapore Flyer . More & more people were arriving , presumably for the night show , so another good reason to head for the hotel .


   Eventually wed made it back , battling peak hour trains - boy do they fill up quickly . We were a bit concerned with getting to the doors to get out of the train , but everyone was polite and moved without problem - we were glad to escape and get back for a swim to cool down .

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