Misting Time

The heat defeated us today! We set out early with Yu Yen to watch Cary and his Dragon Boat crew, the Krakens, compete in the Paddlefest at Farmaway. It was a huge event and there were alsorts of subsidiary events going on to encourage folks to get on the water in various ways. Admission to swimming pools and sports centres is very cheap here and certainly those facilities were extremely well used today. When we had seen Cary take part in his race, we took the LRT and then the MRT to Chinatown and picked up some tickets for the Gardens on the Bay. We had intended looking around them and then going back to see the Supertree Grove illuminated in the evening but we can't face going out again! The gardens are just fabulous. We walked round the Flower Dome first which is a huge glasshouse devoted to plants from subtropical Mediterranean regions. We recognised lots from home. I particularly liked the artworks placed amongst the plantings, especially the animals created from baobab which were amazing. From there we entered the incredible dome which is the Cloud Forest. This can only be described as a living mountain. You are taken up six floors in the lift and then begin your descent around the living wall of plants and flowers on walkways designed to show off the planting at its best, with a waterfall cascading the full height of the dome. My blip does not do it justice but it gives you an idea of the creativity which has gone in to the design. Every couple of hours they mist the planting which is what I have tried to capture here. This blip is taken with three floors still to go down!
After the domes we went up on to the Supertree Gove Walkway which gave fantastic views of the gardens and the City. These super trees are man made but also covered in living walls and they contribute to managing the Eco systems for the bio domes. If you are ever in Singapore, the Gardens on the Bay must go on your list of things to do!