We set aside our third day in Singapore for doing the Gardens By The Bay, which is a 250 acre complex built on reclaimed land adjacent to Marina Bay. It’s also right next to the Marina Bay Sands hotel, and they are connected by a bridge and a tunnel.
We knew it was going to take all day to see, so we set out after breakfast. We started by taking a shuttle from the entrance to the center of the park. From here we could walk to the domes and the Supertree Grove.
There are actually three parts, Bay East Garden, Bay Central Garden, and Bay South Garden. Bay Central and Bay East are mostly open spaces, with lawns and groves and theme gardens showcasing different tropical environments. There are promenades and lawns for picnicking and outdoor concerts.
Bay South Garden is the largest part at around 150 acres. It’s where the most iconic and impressive structures are, the Supertrees. The trees are 18 enormous steel sculptures from 80 to 160 feet tall.
Their outsides are covered with living plants such as ferns, vines, orchids and bromeliads.
Besides their living covering making oxygen, the trees also have solar arrays, and one of them has a restaurant in its top. There’s an elevated walkway running between some of them.
Our favorite attractions were the two enormous conservatories. With their distinctive glass shells suspended from steel arch ribs, they are the largest glass domes without internal columns.
The wider but shorter one, the Flower Dome, covers 3 acres and the taller one, the Cloud Forest, covers 2 acres. Besides their size, there’s something else unusual about the conservatories. While many botanical gardens have glass houses that are heated to grow tender tropical plants, these domes are chilled to grow temperate species in Singapore’s tropical climate. The domes are cooled to around 75 F and in the Flower Dome the air is dehumidified. The excess heat and humidity is vented through one of the Supertrees nearby. When we walked in to the Flower Dome from the 90+ degree and 90+ percent humidity it was such a relief I turned to Van and said “Call the hotel and have our bed sent over here”.
There are several areas inside the Flower Dome, showcasing plants from the Mediterranean, Africa, Australia, and other cool, dry regions. Some of the beds feature cacti and succulents, which I imagine are as exotic to Singaporeans as orchids are to us.
I was especially impressed by the Olive Grove. They had transplanted very large full-grown olive trees, and they seemed to be thriving.
The even had some sunflowers for my little sunflower.
Because Chinese New Year was coming, there were several pavilions set up displaying lucky flowers and fruits.
We spent quite a while enjoying the cool, dry air as well as the flowers until it was time to go find some lunch. The Supertree Grove has a number of restaurants, and we found one that served both Asian and American foods, so we could both be happy.
After lunch we took a tram tour, which let us see some of the outlying areas. There are theme gardens representing the homelands of the cultures that make up the Singaporean population, such as a Chinese Garden, a Malay Garden, an Indian Garden, and a Colonial Garden that shows examples of the types of plants the Europeans grew on their plantations, such as indigo, coffee, spices, and rubber. There are many fountains and sculptures around the grounds.
Perhaps the most striking and unusual is titled “Planet” by Marc Quinn. Modeled after the artist’s infant son, it seems to float in the air despite being 30 feet long and weighing seven tons.
After the tour we went into the second dome, the Cloud Forest. While also cooled to around 65 F, it’s kept very humid to house plants from high, wet rainforests and cool jungles. The first thing you see when you walk in is a 115 foot tall waterfall cascading down the side of the Cloud Mountain. You ride an elevator up to the top of the 135 foot tall structure then walk down a curved ramp that winds around the mountain. The outside of it is clad in ferns, vines, orchids, and bromeliads.
Misters spray every few minutes to keep the humidity up, creating clouds and rainbows.
The ramp winds its way down through the different layers of the jungle, from the top of the canopy down to the floor, with different plants on each level.
Tucked in amoung the plants are native carvings and sculptures from people who live in the various jungles represented.
One display I really loved was of tiny epiphytes each with its own magnifying glass so you could see the little flowers, some no bigger than your thumbnail.
After finishing with the Cloud Forest we were feeling like a snack. There was a little bakery-cafe where we stopped for some cake. I had their rainbow cake, which had colored cake layers with almond buttercream between them. It was almost too pretty to eat….almost.
By now it was late afternoon, so we walked back to the hotel. This time we took the elevated bridge that leads from the Gardens through the hotel lobby.
It was a fun day and very enjoyable, even though we didn’t see all the Gardens have to offer. And they aren’t finished yet. There are several new areas due to open in the next few years.
My Global Wanderings 