SINGAPORE TRIP 5

“The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.” - Hanna Rion

If you read this blog, you probably know that I start my day with a morning walk. I try to do this even when travelling and it is certainly a good idea, as adherence to some sort of routine, especially when away from home makes one more comfortable with one’s surroundings straight away. This morning we walked to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. This is a favourite place of ours in Singapore and definitely an attraction not to be missed when visiting here. I like Botanic Gardens much more than zoos and one certainly is more comfortable with plants being confined in a garden than animals being confined in a zoo.

The Gardens are situated within walking distance (about 30 mins) from the main shopping strip of Orchard Rd, but one does not see too many tourists here (well, perhaps not the ones who do all of their walking up and down the malls of Orchard Rd!). The Gardens were founded in 1859 with a mission to cultivate plants of economic potential, but soon plants cultivated for their beauty or unusual features were also grown here. The Singapore Botanic Gardens made a historic milestone in 1877 with the cultivation of Malaysia's and Indonesia's first rubber plantations.

At present, the Gardens have more than 600,000 plant specimens, cultivated in a massive 52-hectare site. This is certainly one the world's largest botanical reserves and a beautiful destination for the traveler in search of peace and relaxation as well as a fantastic introduction to the flora of tropical climates. The park provides a comprehensive introduction to plants in a variety of settings, from rolling lawns and orchid gardens to a tropical jungle. Other attractions include the National Orchid Garden, Visitors Centre, tea room, spice and herb gardens, and the eco-lake. A SGD35-million redevelopment plan is currently underway to make the park's plant collections more accessible to the public.

If you like orchids, there is no better place to go than the Orchid Garden. Although entry to the Botanic Gardens is free, there is an (extremely reasonable!) SGD $5 entry charge for the Orchid Garden. One is astounded by the amazing variety of orchids growing in profusion throughout the garden and the fantastic arrays of bed upon bed of flowers, exotic as well as native. Cool houses, mist houses, open garden beds, orchids in pots, in beds, on trees, on pieces of wood, suspended overhead, all are represented and provide an overwhelming introduction to this fascinating group of plants.

It is easy to forget time as one wanders around the impeccably manicured lawns, rests under the shade of magnificent trees and revels in the fragrance of countless tropical blooms of every hue. The cries of colourful birds overhead mingle with the trickling sounds of water playing in many fountains throughout the Gardens and the delighted cries of children feeding the swans and the carp in the lakes and ponds here and there. If ever one was to behold a vision of Eden on earth, one could not go wrong if they stopped by these Gardens.