GARDENS BY THE BAY

I made my visit to the Gardens by the Bay on the fourth day after its official opening on 29 June 2012.

I had actually visited the Flower Dome, one of the two cool conservatories in the Gardens by the Bay, last November when it was opened for public preview in conjunction with the 20th World Orchid Show held here in Singapore.  The rest of the gardens were not ready then.

The Gardens by the Bay is a huge place to explore (it spans an area of 101 hectares), and beside the two cool conservatories, there are also the Supertree Grove, a number of themed gardens, various activities etc. etc. Not wanting to rush through my visit, and also being one who is very sensitive to hot sun, I had decided to only focus on the two conservatories – the cool-dry Flower Dome and cool-moist Cloud Forest – during this visit.

Seen from outside, one of the two conservatories amidst the lush greenery

There were already groups of visitors arriving in coaches, making their way to the gardens when I arrived slightly past 9am.  The conservatories open from 9am to 9pm daily.

There were many young students too.  See that tall building at the background of the photo below?  Someday (perhaps in August when I have visitors in town) I am going to go up there (Skypark @ MBS) again to catch a good bird-eye view of the whole Gardens by the Bay. 🙂

My friend and I spent the whole morning (slightly over 2 hours) at the Flower Dome before we moved over to Marina Barrage for a sumptuous seafood lunch at the 7th Storey Chinese restaurant there.  Marina Barrage is just a short 10-15 minutes walk away through the park connector.  So it was very convenient. 🙂

I love these vibrant, colourful displays at the entrance that somehow gave me a warm feeling of welcome as I walked into the Flower Dome.

Since I had previously attended the preview of the Flower Dome, I kind of knew what to expect in there.  However, I noted that many of the cacti are now blooming with lovely flowers!

Jade-like cactus!

Looking down from the viewing platform, beside many date palm trees etc., there was a display of colourful flower field and also gardens featuring plants and flowers from different parts of the world such as Australia, South Africa etc.

A lovely flower featured in the South African Garden

Quite a number of nice wood/stone sculptures in the dome.

Colourful flower field

Can you guess what these plants are?  They are olive trees!  And do you know that on average, an olive fruit will produce only one drop of oil?  We consume over 2 million tonnes of olive oil a year! 

The afternoon spent at Cloud Forest, the cool-moist conservatory, was a complete different feel and experience.   As I stepped into the conservatory, I couldn’t help gazing in awe the stunning 35m-tall mountain and immersing in the rare soothing sounds of the waterfalls!  What a great combination of the beauty of nature with man’s grandiose creation!  Too bad, we just missed the Mist Show at 2pm!

The top of this 7-storey mountain can be reached by lift, and visitors can then descend through the two walkways (photo below).  What a brilliant concept but perhaps not very suitable for the acrophobic!

These walkways look like roller coasters, don’t they?

On the walkways, appreciating the beauty of nature on one side, and enjoying the beautiful skyline of the Marina Bay area through the glass panels of the conservatory, on the other side.  I simply love this!

Another view of the walkways

Beautiful Gardens within the mountain!

Many wood sculptures too.

Colourful Flora

My Online Album – Flower Dome & Cloud Forest

It was a very enjoyable visit, and in fact, I am already considering getting the annual pass for the two conservatories.  I have also planned my next visit with another friend later this week, and before this upcoming visit, I will pray hard that the hot sun will have some mercy on me 🙂 , so that it will not be so burning hot when I explore the OCBC Skyway,  Supertree Grove and also the outdoor themed gardens.

During my visit to the two conservatories, I noticed that there were many volunteers on duty.  They were young ones from polytechnic, or the not-so-young ones too.  In my opinion, they have done a good job as the “ambassadors” of the Gardens by the Bay in making the visitors feel welcomed.

However, I do think that there is a need for some improvement in the ticketing service.  I had to queue for almost half an hour in order to purchase the entrance tickets for the two conservatories.  To me, that was a long wait.  I am not sure if this was due to the lack of experience of the ticketing staff, and anything to do with the ticketing system that was not working efficiently enough to cater to the crowds.

Morning queues @ about 915am

The queue became even longer by the time my friend and I left in late afternoon.

To ease the queues, and also for the convenience of the visitors, it will be great if auto-ticketing machines can be made available, not just at the venue, but also at various major MRT stations such Marina Bay, Orchard & City Hall stations.  It will also be good if the purchase of year-pass can be done online as this will save the trouble of filling up the forms, and going through the procedures at the venue.

Before leaving, we dropped by the souvenir shop, and I picked up two small items of the same design – one postcard to be sent to my childhood friend to share the joy of my outing that day, and a magnet to add on to my collections. 🙂

As we made our way out, my friend and I decided to have a drink but that turned out to be a terribly wrong decision!  Right after the ticketing office, there are only two outlets – Verandah which was already closed for the afternoon, and Cafe Crema.  So we were left with no other choice.  I was surprised that the cafe does not serve decaf coffee.  Their service was slow as we had to wait for about half an hour or longer for our simple order – one hot chocolate and one ice chocolate – to be served.  And they made a mistake in our order!

I think this was the worst chocolate drinks I have ever had, and the hot chocolate was not hot at all!  Well, something to remember our visit to the Gardens by the Bay!!

THE CHARM OF PULAU UBIN

On 6 December, DS and I went to Pulau Ubin again, this time with a Singaporean friend of ours who had never been there before.  This was our third visit in two and a half years.

We departed from Changi Village jetty after a hearty buffet breakfast at Changi Village Hotel, and it was almost 11am by the time we reached there.  Given the rainy season at this time of the year, the weather that day was exceptionally beautiful – bright sunny day with beautiful blue sky and lots of white clouds!

Although it is now school holiday, Pulau Ubin was very quiet that day as compared to our past visits.  A resident chatting with his friends near the bicycle rental shops also commented the same, as I overheard.  Perhaps this is the reason why the costs of bicycle rental has dropped 50% to S$6 per day.

We went on the same cycling trail as before, and explored Chek Jawa wetlands too by foot.  I thought there was not much to expect now since it was already our third visit but I was wrong.   We had some pleasant surprises, and noticed some changes too.

Our first stop at House No. 1, a pre-war English Cottage near the information counter of Chek Jawa.  We missed this in our first visit in May 2009.

Lookout area in front of House No. 1.  Beautiful!

One of the three wild boars spotted near the information counter of Chek Jawa.  This was our first time to see wild boars in Pulau Ubin!

What a beautiful day!  This shot was taken from the Coastal Boardwalk of Chek Jawa.

It was low tide. I noticed that there were a lot more algae along the coast than our previous visits.

Flock of birds enjoying the beautiful weather!

I am not sure why but this floating platform along Coastal Boardwalk is now locked.  It was still opened in early 2010 when we were there for the second time.

Mangrove area seen from one end of the Coastal Boardwalk

This tree, which I called it 一枝独秀 is dying.  It looks so different now from my first visit.  Perhaps it may not be there anymore the next time I go again. 😦

Our biggest pleasant surprise for the day – lots of tiny crabs, of different species in the mangrove area.  We had not seen them in our past visits!  Some of them were colourful, and there was also a unique species with one exceptional huge claw as shown below.

There were even crabs with aqua colour shell.

This bird is real!  Spotted at the mangrove area.

Wild boar again, this time in the mangrove area!

Monitor Lizards seem common in Pulau Ubin. We spotted one in every visit, at different locations.  In fact, this one  seen in the mangrove area was not the biggest we had ever seen.

We gave the 21-m high Jejawi Tower a miss this time.

After Chek Jawa, we had a stopover at an abandoned quarry as we cycled back to the jetty.  This is another beautiful spot in Pulau Ubin.  I think the authority should consider doing up this place by providing some sheltered benches  for people to rest and enjoy the beauty of nature.

This drinks shop near the jetty was closed on the day of our visit.  I wonder if it is closed for good now.

It was still bright and hot by the time we bade goodbye to Pulau Ubin (before 4pm).  In fact, it was so hot that DS actually had some sunburn.  As I always do for outing, I went prepared with long sleeve jacket and sunblock lotion on my face, so I was spared from that. 😀

Goodbye Pulau Ubin!

Every visit to Pulau Ubin had been interesting but I think it will be a long, long time before we set foot on Pulau Ubin again.

After arriving back at Changi Village, we had an early dinner there and spent some time checking out the shops at Changi Village.

Our bonus for the day – beautiful sunset seen from the bus, as we headed home.

That night, I had my best sleep ever in a long time.  I must have been tired after the long outing! 🙂

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Click below for my previous posting on Pulau Ubin : –

Visit to Pulau Ubin – The Last Kampong in Singapore

3-DAY GETAWAY AT RWS

Last month, DS and I had a short 2-night stay at the new Resort World Sentosa (RWS).

This was our third time taking a short holiday in Sentosa Island.  In the last two times, we enjoyed very much staying at the Rasa Sentosa Resort (by Shangri-La) but it is now undergoing a complete makeover and will only due for re-opening in early 2011.  RWS became an obvious choice since we have yet to stay there and we were also keen to explore the Universal Studio.

For those who are unfamiliar, there are currently four hotels in RWS – three (Hotel Michael, Festive Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel) are opened to public while Crockfords Tower is a by-invitation only all-suite hotel.  Based on the information by the RWS general enquiry line, we decided on Hotel Michael which is said to be a quiet, business hotel with great art decor.  Accordingly, Festive Hotel is more suitable for families while Hard Rock, for the young ones.

Walkway from the lift lobby to reception area.  Lots of art pieces

Well, it turned out it was not a good choice.  The hotel was not quiet at all, neither was it impressive!  The swimming pool was very small and there was a gym next to it.  We later learned that about 80% of the hotel guests are actually casino guests (not business travellers!) – mostly uncles and aunties from around the region like Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong etc. The design and woodwork in the guest room looked nice but the workmanship was so poor that some of the drawers and cabinets were very hard to close!  Artwork wise, unfortunately, it was just not our cup of tea.  We were also surprised that the house-keeping staff sent to attend to our request was a China national who could not speak English at all!  Buffet breakfast (included in the room rate of S$400 nett) was not great either although  the service attitude of the restaurant and front-desk staff was good.

Not sure why so many chairs?

Relatively small bathroom.  There was no bathtub.  Shower curtain stunk!!

View of USS from the balcony of the guestroom

Another view from the room – monorail connecting Vivo City and Sentosa Island

Swimming pool on the third floor

I think if we ever want a short break on Sentosa Island again, we may consider Hard Rock hotel which looked a lot better from the outside, has a nice swimming pool and cheaper.  Or else, Rasa Sentosa would still be our preferred choice when it reopens.

We spent the second day of our stay at the Universal Studio (USS) which is very small compared to Universal Studio Japan in Osaka where we spent our last Christmas there.  It was a sunny day but I think the hot and humid weather in Singapore is not very ideal for such a theme park.  Some of the attractions are still not opened yet and with the help of the express passes (additional S$48 per person during peak season), we had priorities in every attraction, and managed to cover all, including the rides, in less than 5 hours!  If only there were more buzz such as street performances and night parade to make USS much more impressive and enjoyable for the visitors.

Madagascar, A Crate Adventure (yet to be opened)

Believe it or not?  I went on this!  Oh, for a moment, I felt so young!

These roller-coaster are still closed

Jurassic Park @ The Lost World

Canopy Flyer @ The Lost World

Ancient Egypt

Catch Revenge of the Mummy indoor roller coaster ride here.  It is fun!

Water World – exciting action-packed show not to be missed!

See that helicopter?

Far Far Away Palace.  Catch Shrek 4-D Adventure and Enchanted Airways (another roller coaster ride) here.  We went on Enchanted Airways twice!

Kungfu Panda taking photos with visitors

Click here for more photos of Universal Studio Singapore

Click here for photos of Universal Studio Japan (Osaka)

Despite all these, the overall experience was still pleasant.  We had a very nice seafood dinner at Singapore Seafood Republic @ RWS, and enjoyed watching Voyage de La Vie too.

This restaurant is a collaboration between four big names in Singapore – Tung Lok Seafood, Seafood International, Palm Beach and Jumbo

Together with my younger sister who joined us for dinner, we had a very satisfied meal and the highlight was the super yummy crabs!

Sri-Lankan Crab cooked with salted egg

Sri-Lankan Chili Crab

This dish was very delicious too – white cabbage cooked with crab meat

Voyage de La Vie @ Festive Grand Theatre – a world first theatrical circus about the story of a young man’s search to discover his destiny.  We were not so impressed with the story-line but the stunts were absolutely spectacular and jaw-dropping!

Jonathan Leong, 2006 Singapore Idol first-runner up, plays The Boy in Voyage de La Vie

As always, we enjoyed our holidays!

RE-VISITING SOUTHERN RIDGES OF SINGAPORE

Today, riding on the luck of our friend from Sydney, DS and I went to Southern Ridges for the second time. It has been almost two years since we last explored Southern Ridges (time flies!) and if not for this friend, I wonder when we would ever make it there again.

Henderson Waves

Today’s outing was mainly for photography purpose as our friend is a keen photographer.

Unlike the last time, we started the trail from Mount Faber this time by giving Marang Trail a miss.  I wonder (I am a “wonder” woman!) if the Southern Ridges is gradually losing its “charms” as there were fewer people along the trail, although it was a Saturday morning.

This being a photography outing, needless to say, most of my shots today focused on nature.  I enjoy taking photos of flowers and plants in recent years although my skills are still far from good.  Recently, this thought came to my mind – How nice if I will reach a decent standard someday to be able to decorate our home with my very own photo shots, in addition to the the cross-stitch pieces that I have already put up.  The problem with me is that I enjoy looking at photos but dread the idea of reading up on photography.  I always find it too technical to comprehend.  Furthermore,  photography is an art, I know (unfortunately) I am never an artistic person!

Here are some of the shots I took today.

Five crows on the tree.  The morning was very hazy

Terrace Garden in Telok Blangah Hill Park

Can you spot an eagle just above the trees?

Alexandra Arch. There was not a single soul when we reached there.  What a difference from two years ago!

Following few shots were taken in Hortpark

This pot of flowers is now in my balcony.  I just hope that this plant will last long. Recently two of my pot plants had died of what I would describe as sudden death!  Don’t know why!

I am looking forward to more photography on flowers and plants at the Singapore Garden Festival 2010 in July.  This year’s event is said to be even more spectacular than the last two and I already have my tickets booked! 🙂

Southern Ridges of Singapore – 25 May 2008

A FINE DAY AT MACRITCHIE

After talking about it for over a year, DS and I finally made it to the MacRitchie trails yesterday, for the first time in our lives!

Our first attempt to go on the MacRitchie trails in November 2008 was unsuccessful due to the rainy weather. Thank God for the very beautiful weather yesterday despite it being rainy season now, and it was like a dream come true for me. However, it turned out that the trails were not as interesting as Pulau Ubin and Southern Ridges. Furthermore, the only attraction for us, the HSBC Tree Top Walk was also not as spectacular as we had anticipated. So, that was a slight disappointment.

The HSBC Treetop Walk is about 45 minutes’ walk from the Venus entrance.

Entrance to HSBC Treetop Walk which is open from 9am to 5pm, Tuesdays to Sundays. It closes on Mondays except Public Holidays.

Officially opened in November 2004, this suspension bridge is of 250m long, and up to 25m above ground level

MacRitchie Reservoir, seen from HSBC Treetop Walk

Lots of up-and-down steps right after the Treetop Walk

Oh, there is a well but no water in it!

This part of the path is a more pleasant one, and it reminds me of the walk-board at Pulau Ubin

Monkeys (Macaque), monitor lizards and lots of ants can be found along the way. These monkeys remind us of the Botanical Garden in Penang

This ant is really huge. Wonder if it is poisonous?

We had an interesting discovery – the existence of inedible durians!

Then there was a stream

Remnants of one of the hardwood timber species. Once a giant tree, this timber is now home to simple plants, insects, fungus and other microorganisms

The Jelutong Tower seems to be another attraction. We did not make it up there as it was packed with lots of school students when we reached there

We finally reached the MacRitchie Reservoir and the scenery from this point on is beautiful. Many students seemed to enjoy having a break by the reservoir though the sun was scorching hot. I was hiding under the shade when this shot was taken.

MacRitchie Reservoir next to SICC (Singapore Island Country Club) is the most beautiful part of the entire trail

SICC – beautiful green and lovely sky. What a beautiful day!

If you are considering going on the trails, be prepared for very long walk with some rough paths along the way. There is only one toilet stop at the Rangers’ Stations before the HSBC Treetop Walk and hardly any resting place. It is also important to bring along enough drinking water.

The early part of our trails was like walking in the jungle, far away from civilization

Rangers’ Station before the Treetop Walk. The only toilet stop is available here. They also provide water coolers here.

More uneven paths on the last leg of our trails

In about one and a half hours, we walked a distance of nearly 8km, 13,324 steps and burned 373 calories.

I think it is good to experience the MacRitchie trails for once but I would say, that’s enough for us. Unlike Pulau Ubin or Southern Ridges, I don’t think we would ever consider going on the MacRitchie trails again. I am sure there are better nature trails in Singapore that we can explore in future.