Two days ago (26 October), DS and I, together with SK and HL, had a photography outing at Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Tanglin Gate of Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Well, I would say this was a long overdue outing. It has been 19 years since DS and I last visited the Botanic Gardens. What a long time!! It is a place that holds a special memory for DS and I.
If not for the hot and humid weather in Singapore, we would appreciate going to the Botanic Gardens more! I still remember how we had thoroughly enjoyed a very pleasant visit to the Kew Gardens in London, even on a summer day, when we toured England and Scotland in year 2000. How I wish we are living in a cool country with more space and nature for leisure!
Breakfast at Casa Verde Cafe (near Nassim Gate) before we set off for our photography adventure. Casa Verde is the only F&B outlet in Botanic Gardens that serves breakfast from 7:30am.
(Above) My ‘BIG” breakfast 🙂 and (Below) DS’ French Toasts. DS said the French Toasts were delicious!
This being a photography outing, needless to say, most of our time was spent making many stops to capture the beauty of God’s creations. DS and I had a total of about 700 shots taken in the approximate 5 hours spent there! This wouldn’t have been possible without the existence of digital cameras – one of the greatest inventions in the 21st century, I think.
I was having some difficulties using the Macro and Super Macro functions (on my four-year-old Canon S2IS) which I seldom make use of. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised that some of my close-up shots turned out better than expected. DS teased that it was attributed to the good camera I have! Perhaps he is right but I hope that I will be able to produce some real impressive shots someday! 🙂
Above and Below : Lotus on Symphony Lake
Below : A pink dragonfly? May be this is Trithemis Kirbyi or Kirby’s Dropwing (in English), a type of dragonfly.
Below : Vanda Miss Joachim, National Flower of Singapore
Below : Lotus at Sundial Garden
How do you find these shots? I have uploaded about 160 shots onto my Picasa Web Album entitled Singapore Botanic Gardens. Please feel free to browse.
As we were making our exit towards Tanglin Gate, I was a little surprised to see that the Botanic Gardens has become a hangout place for foreign maids and workers on Sundays. It wasn’t a pretty sight but I can understand how ideal the garden is for them to meet. There was even an individual man walking around by himself, holding a bottle of wine in his hand even on a bright daylight. Well, I guess this is one of the inevitable social effects of hundreds of thousands of foreign workers in Singapore.
DS and I certainly look forward to our next visit to the Botanic Gardens. We are sure that will not take another 19 years!!
National Orchid Gardens in Singapore Botanic Gardens.
QING Moments 