Jul 1, 2012

Gardens by the Bay - First Visit!

(Daddy marvels)

The title of this post should really have been 'Date Night with the wifey'... because all thanks to Marina Bay Singapore & Corrinne May, I found the perfect excuse to dump the monkies and go on a hot date with my fabulous other half at the newly-opened Gardens by the Bay.


So let me prepare you first by saying that you will be seeing more than the usual number of photos of me (and the wifey of course). Something like this.


Well for a change, it sure felt different without having to threaten, cajole or beg my subjects to smile for the camera.

We were given tickets to the Corrine May's concert, but there was some time still left to be killed so we decided to tour the Cooled Conservatories first.


First up - the Flower Dome! And as the name suggests, this is the world of perpetual spring, where unique plants bloom in an ever changing display of flowers.


The Flower Dome replicates the cool-dry climate of Mediterranean regions like South Africa, California and parts of Spain and Italy. Home to a collection of plants from deserts all over the world, it showcases the adaptations of plants to arid environments.


The wifey loves gardening, and her flowers... so it wasn't any surprise that she immediately feel in love with the wide array of flower displays in the Dome.


As for me, I was contented enough to be walking in an extremely cool environment without breaking a sweat. Yes, it can get a bit chilling in there so you might want to bring along a windbreaker for the kids if they are tagging along.

But the one display that really caught my eyes (and my nose) was the enthralling Flower Field.


The dazzling colours of the hundreds of flowers on display, coupled with the natural scent in the air truly made it feel like we were transported to another country. And the unique feature of this Flower Field is that the flowers changes according to the seasons!


Sure, the Flower Dome was beautiful and the wifey loved it. But the next Cooled Conservatory - the Cloud Forest - simply took the cake for me.


As the centre of attraction of the Cloud Forest, the 35-metre tall mountain complete with the tallest indoor waterfall has got to be most awestruck moment for me.


The Cloud Forest portrays plant life from about 2,000-metres above sea level at the top of the mountain to around 1,000-metres at the bottom of the ravine. Simply way too cool... and I mean it in the literal sense. Because if the wifey thought the Flower Dome was cold, this Cooled Conservatory was much colder! But I like. :)

The other cool factor has got to be ascending to the mountaintop via a lift and descending through two walkways. For sure my 2 boys would be loving this!


We didn't have a chance to climb up the mountain and do the, you-know, I-am-the-king-of-the-world! bit... oops sorry, wrong movie. But you get the idea. A stroll down the misty and cooling walkways is definitely on my Gardens by the Bay to-do list. First though, we had a concert to catch at The Meadow.

But not before being ambushed by the Skyway at the Supertree Grove.


It was a casual affair at the concert, with everyone sprawled on their picnic mats under the cloak of the cloudy sky.


The beautiful voice of Corrinne May, the cool (thankfully!) night, even the bonus of Fireworks lighting up the sky (thanks to the NDP rehearsals) - all these certainly brought back those wonderful memories when we were still living in our pak-tor moments.

And to enhance that romantic element, our date night was magnificently rounded off when we strolled through the Supertree Grove enroute to the carpark after the concert.


Captivating. Gorgeous. Enchanting.

I don't think these words could do the Supertrees any justice at all.


So I shall just let the photos speak for themselves.


My tip? You have got to see these Supertrees in the night.


I thought these statuesque beauties already looked mightily ravishing in the day, but I was dead wrong.


Thanks to Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Singapore for giving the wifey and I the perfect opportunity to relive our courtship days. And an even BIGGER thanks to my ever-supportive parents and parents-in-laws for relieving us of the 3 monkies for one night. 


And now since I have given Gardens by the Bay a good recce, you can be sure that I will be bringing the monkies back for a fun-tastic time. And something tells me it will be much sooner rather than later!

From 29 June to 8 July, there are a host of kids-centric activities at Gardens by the Bay. Click HERE for our previous post on a full listing of all those activities!

Useful Information about Gardens by the Bay

Opening Hours:
Bay South Garden is open from 5AM to 2AM daily. Opening hours for the Cooled Conservatories and OCBC Skyway is from 9AM to 9PM daily.

Admission Charges:
Access to the outdoor gardens in Bay South is free.

Admission to the Cooled Conservatories (Flower Dome & Cloud Forest) and the OCBC Skyway are chargeable. For a full listing of the admission charges, please CLICK HERE.
*An additional 10% discount on admission rates to the cooled conservatories applies for holders of PAssion Card, NTUC Plus! Card, SAFRA Card and Home Team NS Card.

Getting there:

By MRT/Bus:

Via the Circle Line:
Alight at Bayfront MRT Station (CE1). Take exit B and follow the underground linkway. Exit and cross the Dragonfly Bridge into Gardens by the Bay.

Via the North-South Line:
Alight at Marina Bay MRT (NS27/CE2) station. Take exit A and hop onto bus service 400. Alight 4 stops later at the bus stop along Marina Gardens Drive.

Walking from Marina Bay:

From the Helix Bridge towards the Art Science Museum, follow the footpath which leads under the ECP, that will bring you directly into Bay South Garden along the waterfront.

From Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, walk across the Lions Bridge on Level 4 which connects to the Dragonfly Bridge into Bay South Garden.

Driving: 

From ECP take exit 17 (towards Changi Airport) or 17A (towards City). Travel onto Marina Boulevard and turn left onto Marina Gardens Drive. There are 2 car parks available at the Gardens – a basement at the Visitor Centre and an outdoor one at The Meadows.

For more information, visit http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/home.html


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