Day #145 - Super Trees & Awesome Flowers

Singapore is proving to be a rather relaxing city. We are enjoying how clean and tidy everything is and how, despite it being busy over the weekend due to the Lunar New Year, it appears to be a very calm city. 

Today we headed out again to enjoy one of the cities most famous attractions - the Gardens By The Bay. This iconic set of horticultural themed attractions is beloved by Instagramers and TikTokers for their impressive architecture and beautiful plants. 

The famous Supertrees tower above the main area and are surrounded by smaller themed gardens such as a sculpture garden, desert garden, Chinese and Japanese gardens and two peaceful lakes. It was hard to get a decent photograph due to the bright sky and high contrast. Also the weather today was on and off heavy showers and so the light wasn't the best. Nevertheless, we couldn't stop taking pictures!

These iconic structures aren't just impressive steel frames – they're covered in over 200 species of bromeliads, ferns, and other climbing plants, creating a vertical garden unlike any other. They also hey collect rainwater and generate solar power which is used in the greenhouses.
Floral Fantasy was one of the other attractions in the park and this was a blend of real, dried and artificial flowers brought together to created beautiful displays and sculptures. 

There was a fun little 4D ride at the end where we flew with a dragonfly over the gardens with our 3D glasses on a bench that rocked in time with the film, all while being squirted with air, water and scents. I felt we were back at Disney World!

Gardens by the Bay is also home to the two of the world's largest greenhouses - Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. In fact, Flower Dome is the world's largest glass greenhouse. 

Cloud Forest is housed in the taller of the two greenhouses and is a meticulously designed environment mimicking the cool, misty highlands of tropical mountains, complete with waterfalls, hidden pathways, and diverse plant life. It is home to the world's tallest indoor waterfall - a 35-metre tall cascade plunging down the mountain.

There is a network of suspended walkways winding through the lush vegetation which allow you to discover hidden nooks and crannies teeming with ferns, mosses, and other tropical plants. There were also collections of orchids, carnivorous plants and rock crystals. 

Every two hours the plants get watered using a rather spectacular system of "misting". Water jets from the walkways spray a fine mist which forms clouds within the greenhouse and allows the plants to receive water.

Flower Dome as you'd imagine, is dedicated to flowers! Not only were there displays focusing on particular aspects of flora, integrated into the displays were lovely sculptures. Being the season of Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon, lots of dragons on display too. 

The greenhouses were surprisingly cool temperature wise and when we left, we were hit by the humidity of the day so we headed to a fast food joint to grab something cool to drink. As we placed the order, we were told it was an hour wait!! We both thought we misheard the cashier and proceeded to place the order, only to then realise, that yes, he had said an hour. We were given one of those restaurant buzzers to take away that would notify us when our drinks were ready to collect.

We took the opportunity to wander a bit more around the park and see some more of the planting. When we got within range of the fast food outlet, the buzzer went crazy telling us our drinks were ready. Thankfully it had "only" been twenty minutes rather than an hour!

Afterwards we walked back to the hotel and had a quiet evening in: pre-dinner cocktails by the pool, a swim and then room service - the same meal as our first night here!