Saturday 27 October 2012

Singapore and the Amazing Gardens By The Bay


Singapore -  An Amazing City with a New Jewel in its Crown
Text & Photos – Pippy McCurdy

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Steeped in colonial history Singapore is a city on the rise filled with youth and vitality; a city coloured by an array of cultures; a city which still respects its origins but is more than a little excited about the future!

Recently, on the harbour edge of the city, an amazing vision has been unfolding. In the Gardens by the Bay architecture meets ecology; sculpture meets nature; art meets excitement. Truly my predominant thought as I wandered through the Gardens was that here was an architectural vision which had somehow slipped through the hands of the regulators, the cost cutters and the pragmatists. Here the original dream has managed to emerge intact.

Singapore River



To reach the Gardens, make your way to the edge of the Singapore River which flows gently through the city and down to the coast. Follow the river to Marina Bay where you will find the Gardens, - your final destination. These gardens will supersede any preconceived expectations you might have had; – it might be hard to believe but quite literally, your final destination is like nothing you will have ever seen before!



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Little India - Singapore





 Whether you choose to explore Chinatown, Little India, Bugis Junction, the more upmarket  Orchard Road, or the colonial past you will be thrilled by what you discover. The walk towards the Bay along the river bank is an event in itself and hour by hour, day by day, you never know what you will come across. 


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Singapore



Part of the fascination of Singapore is that seamless intertwining of both colonial and Asian heritage. The essence of Singapore is in its diverse meeting of British, Malaysian, Indian and Chinese lifestyles. Day and night, Singapore hums. Always busy. Shopping, praying, eating, working, - a 24 hour city in every sense of the word.






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Singapore
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The West bank is a  fascinating series of layers, from tall skyscrapers, to shophouses with frontages almost on the riverbank, leaving just enough room for shady awnings where you can sit to  eat drink and relax – and maybe catch a gentle river breeze.



Singapore river

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If there is one thing that stands out about Singapore it is that this city understands and expresses itself in colour. Unlike other cities, Singapore is not confined by a palette of white black and concrete grey.  The vibrancy of the street lanterns, the umbrellas and the parasols, the rich golds of the tea urns at the shop fronts, the decorative patterns of the buildings and the temples, the multi-colours of the street lanterns, all combine to make Singapore come alive Whether it is the flowers, the buildings, the markets or the streetscape,  all are a visual celebration.


Singapore Streetlife



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But even all of this will not prepare you for the Gardens.  As you near Marina Bay you will reach a beautiful bridge, sheathed in coils of reflective stainless steel tubing. Walking through the double helix - a transparent tunnel of light and reflection, - is an event in itself and a fitting arrival to the Bay.



Singapore Marina Bay
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To the left the Singapore Flyer - currently the world’s tallest wheel, -  reaches up to an amazing 42 stories in height. To the right is Marina Bay Sands -a striking example of symbolic architecture dominating the view . With its triple towers it is tall and imposing, - only opened eighteen months yet already very much an icon.
 The astonishing capping to these towers is the elongated liner stretching between the three pillars like a huge river barge washed up by the forces of a giant tsunami.  By taking architectural metaphor to the extreme, the architects of Marina Bay Sands have made an astonishing statement. This has already become one of the most photographed buildings of the twenty-first century.

Singapore

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And so at last to the park of all parks – the Gardens By the Bay; - a large outdoor park celebrating the plantings and garden styles of the world, with two glazed indoor pavilions and an outdoor elevated promenade.  But the Gardens By The Bay are so much more than this.  Truly, Singapore now has a new jewel in its crown. Only opened in 2011, already Singaporeans pour into this 101 hectare park to enjoy the lush coolness, the stunning waterfall, the scintillating tree top walk. This is already the number one destination in a city of destinations.

The smaller of the two glazed  pavilions is  the Flower Dome. Plantings from different countries designate the regions of this dome, and whether your preference is succulents, exotic species, or local varieties, you will find this barrage of colour a pleasure to stroll through.  This pavilion is hugely popular amongst Singaporeans and is used as a backdrop for photo shoots and wedding parties, as well as by those who come to admire the ever changing floral displays.


Singapore
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Called a cool dry climate, the Flower Dome sits at a very comfortable and pleasant 23 – 25 degrees. (A hot summer’s day where I come from.) Vivid and varied, it is difficult to believe that it has only been open a year. This pavilion will only benefit from its years of maturity when plants flourish and intermingle as they reach skyward.

Time to move on. Because as much as you may have enjoyed the gentle pleasures of the Flower Dome, the second glassed pavilion – the Cloud Forest – is breath-taking. Step inside to be met by a swirling mist created as a towering waterfall drops to a pool in front of you.

This spectacular entrance is transfixing. The towering waterfall - all 35 metres of it – cascades down from the top of a man-made mountain cloaked in the plants of a high tropical mountain forest.

A processional path leads you on into this pavilion, and up by lift through the interior of the mountain. Emerge near the top but now behind the waterfall where you can step out onto a viewing platform and look down on those entering below.




Gardens by the Bay Singapore
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Cloaked in greenery this mountain inside a bio- dome is awe inspiring.  Yet when you reach the top via the heart of the mountain you have only touched on the experience, because now you are able to wend your way down from the heights, on walkways which snake in and out of the mountain, or suspend breathtakingly over the visitors and landscapes below.

Gardens By the Bay Singpaore
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Looking down over pools and tree ferns or out beyond the dome to the port and the ships anchored in the Singapore Straits , you are in the midst of an unforgettable visual symphony.  There  are displays of stalactites and stalagmites to admire as you pass through the mountain and continue your descent via these miraculous swooping cantilevering walkways.  Finally back at the foot of the mountain, the exit  is via a multimedia display with an intense message, showing the harm a five degree temperature rise could do to this wondrous world. It is a powerful and unavoidable eco-statement.



Gardens by the Bay Singapore


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Leaving behind the cooling moist air of the Cloud Forest, and stepping back into the luxuriously dense heat of Singapore, the Gardens by the Bay offer one more unforgettable experience as you move on to the amazing Supertrees.

Gardens by the Bay Singapore



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In a garden of superlatives the Supertrees are like nothing else you will have seen – perhaps ever. Half triffid, half graceful orchid, these magnificently surreal creations stretch skyward not just in a grove but scattered throughout the park. In stark contrast to the natural botanic landscape of the gardens, they are proudly, garishly, gorgeously manmade. Rather than trying to disguise and blend with the surrounding greenery, they reach to the azure sky above in shades of mauve, magenta and maroon.
Their proud contrast is their greatest moment. Like an artist’s rendition of a garden, the lines between imagination and reality blur when you absorb the magic of the supertrees.
Swooping at high level between the trees , suspended and almost invisibly supported, is the walkway. Defying gravity, an engineering feat of real grace, this walkway is the crowning glory – the ultimate moment of this processional journey through the Gardens. Trembling ever so slightly beneath many feet, the walkway curls around the trees, offering views you will want to capture on film at every turn.  Make sure you leave yourself the time to go up to the hidden cafe - even higher than its surrounding trees, - and savour the views one last time before you leave.
Visiting Singapore was always a pleasure, but now it must surely be one of the most exciting cities on earth.
Here is a prediction: In less than five years the Gardens by the Bay will take over not only as the number one attraction in Singapore, but as one of the top travel destinations in the world. Singapore will make you smile. It will make your heart sing. My next visit cannot come soon enough!

 SIngapore
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Photos:
1 –  The Supertrees – Gardens By The Bay
2 – The Singapore River with the Elgin Bridge in the foreground and Marina Bay Sands sneaking into view behind.
3 – Abdul Gafoor Mosque
4 – A devotee immerses herself in purifying smoke in front of the
Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple on Waterloo Street , Bugis Junction.
5 – The street market at Bugis Junction
6 – Layered by time – street cafes, shop houses and sky scrapers along the Singapore river west bank.
7 – A street band provides music and colour to a downtown stroll.
8 – The gleaming double-helix needs constant attention if it is to remain spotless and pristine.
9 – Icons abound. The lotus inspired museum to the left, and the amazing Marina Bay Sands to the right.
10 – In the flower pavilion a photo-shoot takes place.
11 – The breath-taking entry to the Cloud Forest.
12 – In the Cloud Forest looking from the processional pathway down to ground zero.
13 – And looking up at these gravity defying walkways amidst lush mountain forestation.
14 – The Supertrees and their walkway. No – not an artist’s representation, - the real thing.
15 – A last glance back past the Supertrees to the Singapore Eye and cityscape in the distance.