Singapore Botanic Gardens

The Botanic Gardens was our first stop in Singapore.  It was gorgeous, and we had a very enjoyable time there in spite of the heat.  The National Orchid Garden, the highlight within the Gardens, was fortunately mostly in the shade.  With over a thousand species of orchids, the collection was quite impressive.  There was also a very interesting Ginger Garden beside it but the collection was less concentrated as it was in the Orchid Garden.  The gardens are quite spreadout and we could easily have spent the whole day there.  As it was, we didn't get to every section even though we were there for a good part of the day - I would have liked to see the Healing Garden which consisted of plants that are used for healing.  

Silk Cotton Tree also called Buttercup tree

Unusual bamboo groves

Rhododendrons in bloom

The tropical garden 

Beautiful prayer plant

Heliconia with its unusual flowers

The roof of the bandshell really reflected the environment

Lovely lily pads in front of the symphony stage in the amphitheatre

Fountain display at the entrance to the Orchid Garden

My favourite Dancing Lady Orchid here in mass display

Orchids and more orchids...

A beautiful tree echoed in a modern sculpture

An impresive display of giant palm leaves

And the Bonsai display was awesome!

This is of course "Swan Lake" with the sculpture "Flight of Swans" and some real swans too

Serious Art deco in Singapore

We saw this art deco building from afar and thought we'd check it out.   The elaborate courtyard and entrance lobbies took us by surprise.  But I was happy I took the pictures when I did - before I was stopped by the security guard.  It's a private building owned by a Chinese magnate who authored and penned the poem carved on the bird sculpture. Surprisingly, it was not an original art deco building. Parkview Square was built in 2002 in the art deco style, inspired by the 1929 Chanin Building in New York City.  Good job, Singapore!

Outside walkway

The front courtyard or piazza as they called it

Twin lobbies mirroring each other in design

Elaborate ceiling work above the bar/restaurant that separated the twin lobbies.  The bar is supposed to have a 3-storey high wine chiller - possibly the object to the left of this picture?

Similar sculptures in the outside couryard

I love this bird!  Poem authored and penned by owner.

Singapore Streetscapes

A last minute change in travel plans landed us in Singapore instead of Bangkok.  We were originally quite conflicted about giving up exotic Thailand for (from what we heard) "sterile" Singapore.  But we were pleasantly surprised with what we saw on our three days in the bustling but orderly city.  We bypassed all the designer malls and glitzy theme parks but did a lot of walking, taking public transit to get around the city.  We were totally impressed by the mass transit system, its slickness and user-friendliness were things that North American cities had a lot to catch up on (wait till we get to Hong Kong!).  All in all, we felt it would be a nice city to live in, ideology aside.

One of the first streetscapes that greeted us was the reminder that Chinese New Year was just past - year of the horse decorations were still up in Chinatown and elsewhere.  and the busy night market near Chinatown gave us the sense of a vibrant city with a bustling night life.

The colourful Indian temple in Chinatown lit up at night

Also near Chinatown, a green building with living balconies

Colourful Clarke Quay 

More colours  along the same theme in what used to be the old Hill Street Police Station near  Clarke Quay and again echoed in apartment buildings in other parts of town

The gracious old Raffles Hotel with its colonial arcades and courtyards 

St. Andrew's Anglican Cathedral - what I found most amazing were the individually decorated footstools for kneeling in each pew - great naming opportunities and creative outlet

Now if we had had more time, we would have visited this extraordinary looking structure - Marina Bay Sands resort near the waterfront,  reputedly the most expensive building in the world.

The rather staid parliament building - in stark contrast is Little India, a few subway stations away.  Below is Arab street where every shop is a silk or sari shop.

The best mint lime juice I ever tasted in a Lebanese restaraunt on Bussorah Street

Masjid Abdul Gaffoor Mosque in Little India as seen from Bussorah Street

Compared to Little India, even Chinatown is a tat too tidy!

Thian Hock Keng Temple - the oldest Hokkien temple in Singapore (1839) is quite elaborate 

Exhausted at the end of a long walking day, we were charmed by this lanterned walkway of the Thong Chai Medical Institution which provides free medical consultation in traditional Chinese medicine to the public - wow!