Friends Don and Jayne and I decided to venture away from the skyline and head to the Botanic Gardens in the heart of Singapore. One wouldn’t think a trip to the park could be included among the highlights when visiting a city but Singapore's Botanic Gardens certainly ranks as such.
Understandably so, since Singapore has had over 150 years to perfect this green zone starting its development in 1859. And it’s obvious how much time and effort has gone into designing and maintaining the 182 acre (74 hectare) park when walking the grounds. Our visit sure brought out the photographer in me!
One thing that makes this Botanic Gardens different from others I’ve visited is the inclusion of only tropical plants indicative of this region. Some trees in the rainforest section of the park, for instance, have been around since the founding of Singapore in 1819.
Throughout the Gardens, we experienced lakes (such as Swan Lake completed in 1866), waterfalls, a green house complete with cool mist -- a nice refresher from the incredibly hot outdoor temps -- and "Jurassic Park-like palms" as described in the
Botanic Gardens brochure.
The Botanic Gardens started to spearhead the development of orchids in the 1920s that has grown to what is now known as the
National Orchid Garden. What an incredible display of orchids!
