Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (by kerouac2)

[Deleted]

The Gardens by the Bay in Singapore is a 101 hectare park on reclaimed land, but I would just like to show a few photos of the refrigerated conservatories, each covering about 1 hectare. They are kept at a constant temperature of 23-25° which makes a considerable contrast with the 30-34° outside so if any of you ever decide to visit, I highly recommend warm clothing if you are sensitive to temperature. First of all, here is a photo of the two conservatories that I could not have taken myself to give you an idea of their size.

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I went first to the "Flower Dome." You enter through a series of photographs that you will not be able to match.

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And then you finally see the size of the building. This is the largest columnless glasshouse in the world.

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Things start very simply.

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But hey, there's going to be a lot to see.

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I decided to start with the succulent garden. It was a bit strange to feel so cool in such a warm climate setting.

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I have to admit that I was a bit impatient to get to the nearby baobabs.

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[Deleted]

I wondered about this service area. Items to be planted? Items to be composted?

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[Deleted]

Obviously, for everyone some of the plants are stunning and some of them are just "oh, we have that at home." Cameras were pointed in different directions.

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The "Californian" garden consisted mostly of citrus trees, which must be the first thing that comes to the mind of Singaporeans.

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There is a bar and restaurant inside this dome.

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[mossie]

I like the wooden animals, but those body parts are horrific.

[Deleted]

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The Japanese cherry blossom, peach blossom, etc. zone is of great interest to this part of the world. Too much interest for me to appreciate it.

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The adoration is a bit excessive.

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It was getting so crowded that I was happy to escape to the Cloud Forest dome. But what would I see there?

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[bixaorellana]

Wow! The domes are so futuristic, it's hard to take in.

I'm mildly disapproving of new world cacti mixed in with African plants, but my pleasure in the giant personalities of the baobabs quickly got me over that.

You really got some lovely photographs. Again, as in the main Singapore thread, your use of angles is inspired.

[Deleted]

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Now entering the Cloud Forest and its artificial mountain.

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Those walkways should be interesting.

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[Deleted]

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[Deleted]

Here we go!

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In the centre of the mountain there is a display of stalagmites and stalagtites.

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The gardeners never stop.

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An all important selfie point in front of the waterfall.

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[Deleted]

Not being in a school group, I confess that I just walked past the mineral displays on my way down.

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Outside, I was missing a (real) rain shower

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There was also an audiovisual display of how global warming threatens the 21th century.

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Mist fills the dome every hour on the hour.

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All in all, it was a lovely experience. The "low" temperature of the domes made it seem even more artificial than looking up and seeing the fake sky, but it is a small price to pay for comfortable viewing. With 100% humidity, everybody would have left the domes drenched in sweat if it had been any warmer. Meanwhile, I would be extremely surprised if petrodollars did not create these same attractions in the Emirates. For all I know, they already exist...

[bixaorellana]

This is outrageously fabulous! Waterfalls -- very high, multiple waterfalls!!! And the whole thing is so big and so full. Many questions: Did you walk the entire thing? Are visitors channeled along, or can they wander at will? Were plants labeled? How high are the walkways? Some parts look to be a good three stories up. Was the air drier in the succulent section? Is it a pay experience, or part of the public park?

I absolutely love all the sculptural stuff. You got some killer photos -- that rain storm against the dome, all of the flowers, the plant windows, etc. etc.

Okay, enough yakking. I'm going back to look at everything from the beginning.

[Deleted]

Yes, I think I visited every nook and cranny. Visitors are not channeled. You can spend all day there if you want and do the whole circuit over and over again. In the Flower Dome, the plants were labeled, in the Cloud Forest a bit less. The walkways are as high as they look -- I'd say at least 5 or 6 stories up.

Yes, the domes are not free, unlike all the rest of the park. I paid S$28.00 for the two domes (18.52€, US$20.03). Residents only have to pay S$20.00. You can also buy an annual pass.

[mossie]

You would need an annual pass to see all this. Overpowering.

[Deleted]

I have many, many comments, observations etc. to post about this outstanding report. (I was vaguely familiar with its existence from somewhere perhaps National Geographic or some such).

At this time I've been preoccupied with some things of a personal nature but, soon I hope to" fire away".

So well done K2

TBC

[lugg]

What an amazing place . The baobabs are just so exotic I can understand why you were keen to view them. Some of the skywalk pictures made me feel quite dizzy - great photos. Hopefully I will get to Singapore one day , especially now Norwegian have opened up a cheap route from London.