Gardens By The Bay

I would say that Gardens by the Bay be one of the top 10 attractions in Singapore for both the locals and also the tourists. Singaporeans should be proud of this extra ordinary attraction which is very unique on its own and further adds on to Singapore as a 'Garden City'. As I heard many good comments about the Christmas Wonderland festive fair, I decided to revisit this place of interest again since my last visit on 2014.

Gardens by the Bay can be easily reached by MRT to Bayfront station via the Circle Line or Downtown Line. Once alighted from the train, take exit B and follow the underground linkway. Exit out of MRT station and you may either take a 10 minutes walk to cross the Dragonfly Bridge or the Meadow Bridge into Gardens by the Bay or take a shuttle service to move around the Bay South Gardens at a small fee of $3 of unlimited rides. Above picture was taken from the scenic view from Lions Bridge which links to Dragonfly Bridge into the Bay South Garden.

As during the day the weather can be quite warm and combine with the humidity, it will be quite hectic to move around the vast garden which may take quite a few hours. I would strongly recommend to visit it during late afternoon or in the early evening when the weather is more cooling.

The OCBC Skywalk at the Supertree Grove offers you a panoramic view of the garden and the city of Singapore. The walkway which is connected to two of the supertrees is 128 metres long with an elevation of 22 metres. When taking a stroll up there, surely you will find various scenic points to capture the beautiful background with the MBS building, Singapore Flyers, the Flower Dome, the Supertrees and etc which you would not want to miss.

The OCBC Skyway opens daily from 9am to 9pm. Admission fee is $5 for adult and $3 for child (age 3 to 12)and tickets can be purchased at the ticketing hub.

For something extra, this is actually a view taken from the MBS Skypark. From here the two glass biomes, the conservatories of the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest could been seen. Take note that the two conservatories are an state-of-art in sustainable engineering to replicate the cool dry climate of the Mediterranean and semi-arid sub-tropical regions and the cool-moist climate of the tropical Montane region as both the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest house a wide collection of plants that are mostly not belonging to this part of the world.

There is an admission fee for both Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. Tickets can be bought at the ticketing booth near the entrance of the two conservatories. For standard rate to visit both will be $28 for adult and $15 for child (age 3 to 12). For local resident rate it will cost $20 to visit both conservatories and $12 for child.

The Cloud Forest simulates a tropical cool-moist climate displaying various breed of exotic plants. Entering the Cloud Forest, you cannot miss the refreshing mist of the waterfall.

The place is nicely decorated with sculptures and cravings and densely planted with fascinating plants as if you are wandering in another part of the world.

From here, you may choose to take a lift or climb up the stairs to the top of the mountain and then take a stroll down via the walkway.

Taking the lift up to the 7th floor will bring you to the 'Lost World' which is at the top floor.

Look out for carnivorous plants such as pitcher plants at the Lost World's pond together with a wide species of ferns and moss.

At the highest of the mountain at the Lost World, you can enjoy a fantastic view of the Marina Bay waterfront.

Walking down from the Lost World, a nice view of the walkway and structure of the architect from the bottom can be seen.

The glass that are fitted in the structure are specially selected to minimise solar heat and allows optimal light in for the plants. That is why you do not feel the heat from the sun inside the conservatory even though it may seem bright and sunny, it just feel cooling. Thanks to the thermal stratification whereby the ground is cooled by chilled water pipes cast within the floor slabs where the cool air settles at the lower area and warm air rises to vent out at higher area.

At the ground level, there are displays of various crystalised rock and geode of interesting shapes.

Towards the way out, you may see the water down pour from the man-made waterfall.

These lovely orchids have grown so well to indicate that the climate inside the Cloud Forest is really a good place for the plants. Maybe a good place for human too if there is food.

Coming out from the Cloud Forest, take the escalator up to the ground level near the entrance. Just 25 meters across is the entrance to the Flower Dome. It replicate a cool-dry Mediterranean climate found in temperate regions like Europe and South Africa maintaining at a temperature of 23 to 25 Deg Celsius, and span an area of 1,300 m². Towards the end of Nov 2015, the conservatory was decorated with the theme of Christmas Toyland.

It has many varieties of plants and flowers but mainly from Mediterranean and sub amid regions. Love these cactus, they looked amazing and for a moment I thought I was in the desert.

These were some of the flowers which I have captured a shot with. It was fascinating to see so many different types of plants there. FYI, Flower Dome is the world largest glass greenhouse in the world as of 2015 listed in the World Guinness Record.

Arriving at the North Pole with the roaming reindeers and teddy bears.

Hark the Herald Angels sing giving the surrounding a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.

The highlight of the Christmas Toyland floral display stood an eleven metre tall Christmas pyramid decked with toys. This 4 tier traditional German wooden carousel will also transform into a live stage hosting a series of festive performances in the Flower Dome.

Toy soldiers could be seen marching alongside with teddy bears in the magical wonderland.

These wonderful Russian dolls could not be missed in the blessed Christmas Toyland.

Teddy bear in work on Christmas lighting.

Who says snowman must be built from snow? This was the magic of the Christmas Toyland.

Toyland foral display in the Flower Dome really gave us an enchanting Christmas for 2015.

This year's Christmas Wonderland, Singapore's biggest yuletide fair is up-sized to 35,000 square metres with four main areas namely the Luminarie light sculptures, the Festive Market at the Supertree Grove, the Fairground near The Meadow and also the Christmas Toyland floral display in the Flower Dome. These magnificent Luminarie light sculptures are delicately handmade by Italian skilled craftsmen. It nestles amidst the greenery at the Supertree Grove, Dragonfly bridge and Flower Dome area.

Ice Palace makes its debut at the festival this year with a 20.3 metre wide indoor chamber that allows you to ice skate and glide around and build snowman at the Snow Playground.

This 20.5 metres high and 24 metres wide Spalliera that farm the Cassa Armonicagazebo at the Supertree Grove provides a stunning backdrop for the Christmas Carols and Yuletide sessions, as well as the crowd-favourite Blizzard Time, take place in here.

These are manmade trees which some can reach up to 16 storey in height. These iconic tree-like vertical gardens come into life at night with an exhilarating display of lights and sound show in the Garden Rhapsody which have daily performances at 7.45pm and 8.45pm.

Other than the 2 conservatories and Supertree Grove with the OCBC Skyway, there are many other areas that you may visit, including the Heritage Gardens, World of Plants, Sun Pavilion, Dragonfly and Kingfisher Lakes, Far East Organisation Children's Garden etc. There are fast food outlet, cafes and restaurants available whenever you feel hungry.

If you are planning a trip to Singapore be it business or for leisure, I would recommend you to pay a visit to the Gardens especially if you are a plant enthusiasts, nature lovers or a sight-seeing fanatic. It will be romantic place for couples and suitable for family and friends outing.

For more details, please visit the office web at http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg