Day 3 - Part 1 - Up in the Rain Forest Clouds
We took a much needed rest the morning of our third day in Singapore. We watched TV shows, enjoyed the air conditioning, ordered room service and were generally slobby! It was great. At about 3pm we headed out from Vivo City's Bayside Station into Singapore City. Our destination, Gardens by the Bay.
When we arrived it was as hot and humid as ever, and it was about a 30 minute walk from the train station to the main part of the gardens. We got to see some stunning views of classic Singapore sites like the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Super Tree Grove at Gardens by the Bay as we walked.
We had decided to head towards the Greenhouses or Domes (as they are called) first, because we figured they'd be cooler, and we wanted to come back in the evening to see the Super Trees.
We started with the Cloud Dome. This dome is basically a man made 35m tall rain forest mountain, covered with waterfalls. The plant life is mostly from species found in tropical highlands 2000m above sea level, hence the name "Cloud Dome". The dome is HUGE! It apparently has the same volume as 60 Olympic sized swimming pools, is about 0.8 Hectares in size (around 1.5 football fields in length) and it made up of 2577 glass panels of all different shapes and sizes.
We loved the Cloud Dome. First of all, it was so beautifully cool inside! Secondly, the mountain and waterfalls, plant life and artworks were so peaceful and beautiful. The whole thing felt like a man made rain forest! The pictures will tell the story better than I can.
First of all we found orchids. My mum, who loves the Singapore Botanic Gardens, was absolutely devastated we weren't going to go, because we'd miss all the orchids. So I sent her a picture of me with orchids to let her know it was ok, we found some at Gardens by the Bay!
There were some beautiful carvings, in both the Cloud Dome and the Flower Dome.
This sculpture was absolutely stunning! It was so vibrant!
There was that came down the rain forest mountain. Looking up at this from this angle it looked like the top of Australia!
There was even a
Lego garden!
This small lake was beautiful, it was right up the top of the mountain. The water was so still it was like a mirror, or glass and the reflections of the plant life were beautiful!
We found more orchids! I think orchids might be my favourite flower, they are so pretty!
The views out the window were also stunning, we could see much of Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. The window pictures aren't great, because of the reflections, but this gives you an idea.
The Marina Bay Sands is hiding behind the waterfall here.
The Flyer and the city from behind the garden "gates".
The walk down didn't take too long, but we took it slowly, it was so beautiful.
The waterfalls offered beautiful ambience to the whole area.
Continued in Next Post...