My Very First Blog

After visiting the amazing Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay, I proceeded to the Flower Dome.

Read More > The Amazing Cloud Forest (Part 1)
Read More > The Amazing Cloud Forest (Part 2)

As I entered the Flower Dome, I was greeted with huge screens displaying pictures of flowers on both sides. I think the screens were interactive and hands-on, but I did not bother to play with them. Maybe next time then.



Once inside the glass dome, I was once again impressed like how I was impressed with the waterfall at Cloud Forest. The place was huge, and I mean really huge! In fact, the Flower Dome is larger than the Cloud Forest, covering 1.2 hectares or about the size of 2.2 football fields!



If you see reindeers in my photo above, that's because I visited during Christmas Day! LOL!

As I walked along what looked like cactus and plants from the desert, I was a bit surprised to see decorations of fishes and underwater creatures amongst them.



What I like about the Flower Dome is that the thousands of glass panels allowed the sunlight to pass through but kept the heat out, creating some sort of a cool-dry Mediterranean climate.



Lots of different types of cactus trees at this area.



I did not really pay attention to the name of the plants and flowers. Maybe I should have. Well, if I ever return for a second visit, which is likely, I will definitely take my time to study all about the plants!



I was quite intrigued with the African baobab trees.



Weird face decoration!



The interesting baobab tree.



What plants are these?



And these?



I could see the neighboring Cloud Forest dome from here.



This line of baobab trees with the Cloud Forest dome in the background makes for an interesting photo, don't you think?



Love the greeneries!





I came across some interesting looking cactus.



These are wooly cactus from the Bolivian Andes. They have golden spines and lateral wooly flowering region called cephalium to protect the flowers from drying out in the hot sun.

Read More > My Visit To Gardens by the Bay (Part 1)

The smelly flowers open at night and are pollinated by bats. The wooly cushioned cephalium also helps to protect the wings of the bats against the spines of the plants.



An interesting wooden statue in the midst of those plants.



If you are looking for more colorful flowers to feast on the eyes, then the Flower Field display in the middle of the the Flower Dome is the best area to go to.



I learnt that the Flower Field changes with each season, so maybe that would make visitors come back again and again to catch the next exciting change!



Since my visit coincides with the Christmas week, the theme was mainly all 'Chrismassy'.



Cute bear waving as I snapped a photo of him : )



If you have a good DSLR camera, it would be great to do lots of macro shots of the flowers. I did not have one so not much of macro photography here.

Read More > My Visit To Gardens by the Bay (Part 2)



Two group of trees stood out from here. On the left is the Chilean Wine Palm trees while on the right is Canary Island Date Palm. Oh, by the way, that's the Marina Bay Sands outside the dome.



The Canary Island Date Palm trees.



The Chilean Wine Palm trees.



A close shot of the Canary Island Date Palm trees.



I would have spent more time studying and learning about the plants but time was not on my side. My stomach was already growling as it was way past lunch time.



Overall, I enjoyed my tour of the Flower Dome. I would definitely return when they have even more beautiful flowers on display at the Flower Field.



I heard that 20,000 colorful tulips would be flown in all the way from Netherlands for a breathtaking Tulipmania springtime at Flower Dome from today till May 20. Will you be there?

Coming Up Next : Marina Bay Sands 

Continued from Part 1

Suffering from a fear of height is never a good thing. But I was determined to walk the Cloud Walk.

They say never look down if you are afraid of heights, but how not to look down if I need to take photos?



Like it or not, I decided to proceed forward. At first, I did not even dare to lean too far out from the railings, but after some time, I just did it. Besides, the walkway was very secure and was unlike those wooden suspended bridges that seem to shake while you walk on them.

Notice the spouts where the water flows out to form the giant waterfall as seen from the ground below?



I forgot about the height for a while as I admired the lush greeneries below.



I was glad that these were metal covers and not transparent glass! LOL! I actually hesitated to step on them initially but after some time, I found them to be secure and safe.



Well, if you are really afraid, you can always walk in the middle lane. But that would be so unadventurous right? : D



Below, I could see another walkway which I later learnt to be the Treetop Walk.



From up here, I could see the view of Marina Bay outside the glassed dome.



A warning message about global warming. The survival of cloud forest plants may be at stake.



The Treetop Walkway far below could be seen clearly from here.



The views from here were just magnificent!



What an amazing structure this Cloud Walk is! It had enabled visitors to enjoy the plants by the mountainside and the spectacular view around the glass dome.



By this time, my fear of heights was almost non-existent. I even leaned on the railings to get the best possible shots. Haha!



The temperature was also cooling and comfortable as if I was walking high up on a mountain in the clouds.



I could see Marina Bay Sands from here.



Oh, that's the suspended platform below. I saw this platform high above me when I first admired the waterfall from the ground below.



The Singapore Flyer could be seen from here.



Couldn't stop snapping photos. More below .....












Soon, I reached the end of the amazing Cloud Walk and re-entered the Cloud Mountain. I have reached the Crystal Mountain where many interesting shapes of stalagmites and stalactites were on display.



But first, I had to step onto that suspended platform!



The waterfall was just beside this platform. The sound of the waterfall was like music to my ears!



I am now on the Treetop Walk. Can you see the Cloud Walk above which I just walked earlier?



The Treetop Walk led me to the Crystal Mountain. Lots of stalactites and stalagmites here. However, it was not a very interesting place for me.



Then, I entered a dark hall (no pictures as it was too dark) where I could find facts, figures and statistics for a unique view of the state of the earth today and the problems we are likely to face due to climate change and habitat loss.



Finally, I found myself at the mountain foot once again but here, there were many plants that I have not seen before. This place is called the Secret Garden.



The foliage surrounding me was stunningly beautiful. Oh, can you see a giant snail in the photo below?



Soon, I left the Secret Garden. That's the end of my tour of the Cloud Forest.



I had enjoyed myself here and I have to say I was completely impressed with this place.



I would never forget the awesome waterfall and standing on that suspended platform! And of course, walking that amazing Cloud Walk!

I would have spent a longer time to soak in the atmosphere here in Cloud Forest, but time was not on my side. I needed to make my move to visit the Flower Dome next!