Singapore

Singapore — Gardens by the Bay:

Set in the heart of Singapore’s downtown, Gardens by the Bay is home to a
diverse collection of over 1.5 million plants that hail from every continent
except Antarctica.

The Flower Dome: You are awed by the Flower Dome’s beauty
and its sheer size — this cavernous, cooled conservatory holds the Guinness
World Record for the largest glass greenhouse! The Flower Dome is covered with
3,332 glass panels. Its not only the flowers that make it so impressive – but
the sculptures are also fantastic.

The Cloud Forest: Home to one of the world’s tallest indoor waterfalls and a lush mountain clad with plants from around the world, Cloud Forest rewards the curious and adventurous. It’s a fascinating journey of discovery and get up close with some of the world’s most exotic plant species as you stroll along its unique aerial walkways.

Supertree Observatory: Located at the tallest Supertree’s canopy, the Supertree Observatory offers unparalleled views of Gardens by the Bay’s lush surrounds and the Marina Bay area. The tallest Supertree is about the height of a 16-storey building. The Supertrees are sustainable vertical gardens housing over 162,900 plants of over 200 species. 7 of the Supertrees are designed to harvest solar energy. Views from the observatory:

The Super Trees:

Other Garden Views:

Singapore — Chinatown

Morning stroll through the streets and pathways of Chinatown and stopping to see Sri Mariamman Temple covered with vividly painted Hindu dieties. BTW we lost the 15th crossing the international date line.

While walking we noticed that we weren’t the only ones looking around.

Continuing our tour, we headed to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (supposably contains one of Buddhas sacred teeth – shown only twice a year — not today – BTW it is stored in a chest made of 930 pounds of gold).

Street Scenes …

For a change of pace, we took the subway to the civic district – the colonial hub of the city. We tried visiting St. Andrews Church, but it was closed and cordoned off for reconstruction. Our stroll continued past The Old Parliament building, National Gallery, Victoria Theater and Concert Hall, Asian Civilizations Museum, The Raffles Landing site (where Stamford Raffles founded the city) and past some of the rivers famous bridges.

Heading away from the river we passed the central fire house, the Ministry of Communications and Information with its multi-colored window, several churches and then to the highlight of the day lunch at the lengendary Raffles Hotel and drinks (Singapore Sling) at the famous Long Bar.