Today we went to pick up our Employment Pass card. In no time since we dropped the application was the card ready. It took a few minutes of queue until we each hold THE card. We can now work in Singapore but as well travel in and out the country without the need of a visa. We can now also apply for cell phone, credit card, apartment, etc. Without this card we couldn't do much.
Given we were nearby the Marina Bay, we decided to take the opportunity to visit the brand new Gardens by the Bay.
How to describe the place?
Imagine a piece of land with nothing on it right behind (or at the front depending from where you look) one of the most extra-ordinary hotels in the world. What could you do with it? Why not a park?
Apparently Singapore has decided to invest in more gardens to make the city more green and therefore improve the quality of life. Not that it's particularly bad from what I've seen so far.
The Gardens by the Bay have been inaugurated end if June.
The Gardens cover a large area and at 1pm it is difficult to walk around because it's hot (I know, what were we doing outside at that time of the day?). Despite the cloudy weather, temperature is still high. Conclusion we walked from one part to the other jumping from one shadow area to the other.
First stop: the Supertrees.
The Supertrees are giant structures on which ultimately plants will grow on. For the moment they only reach the foot of each supertree but I can imagine that with a bit of time they will cover the whole surface. It does look artificial (read man made) and futuristic at the same time. It's actually crazy to think that someone (or some team) came up with this crazy idea and that it was built.
We didn't go on the skywalk, keeping this for another day with better weather so we have a better view on the Marina Bay Sands.
Second stop: the Flower Dome
There are two conservatories in the Gardens, both of them nicely cooled for the flowers to grow in an ideal environment.
After a quick assessment of the ticket price to access the conservatories (the rest of the Gardens are for free), we decided to get an annual pass. The chances we will come back are very high and more than two visits in one year are making the pass worth it.
We entered the Flower Dome. The collection of plants and trees is nice but I think what impressed me the most was the architecture of the dome and how they managed to fit in so many garden areas representing the different gardens of the world. There is clearly an intent to educate the visitors with many signs and explanations. I'm not sure there is much value in it if you are older than 12 but it's better than just a name tag.
I'm glad we took the annual pass as I see a lot of potential for pictures. But for that we will have to come in the morning, before the crowd shows up. And with all the lenses, flash, etc. at least for you know who.
Third stop: the Cloud Forest
The second conservatory was even more impressive. They've simply built a waterfall and a whole tropical environment.
It's even more crazy as the structure is actually built to be visited. There is a path that takes you from the top to the bottom, in and out the structure. Really impressive. I can't wait to do this during the night.
From the outside, all green. From the inside, all concrete. That's the magic of the place.
Note: overall it felt like the gardens needed some more time for many of the plants to grow. I can imagine that in 1-3 years all the metallic structures we can see today will be covered by plants. But for now, I can only imagine what it will be. I guess I'll have to come back (which will be easy now that I have an annual pass).
Given we were nearby the Marina Bay, we decided to take the opportunity to visit the brand new Gardens by the Bay.
How to describe the place?
Imagine a piece of land with nothing on it right behind (or at the front depending from where you look) one of the most extra-ordinary hotels in the world. What could you do with it? Why not a park?
Apparently Singapore has decided to invest in more gardens to make the city more green and therefore improve the quality of life. Not that it's particularly bad from what I've seen so far.
The Gardens by the Bay have been inaugurated end if June.
The Gardens cover a large area and at 1pm it is difficult to walk around because it's hot (I know, what were we doing outside at that time of the day?). Despite the cloudy weather, temperature is still high. Conclusion we walked from one part to the other jumping from one shadow area to the other.
First stop: the Supertrees.
The Supertrees are giant structures on which ultimately plants will grow on. For the moment they only reach the foot of each supertree but I can imagine that with a bit of time they will cover the whole surface. It does look artificial (read man made) and futuristic at the same time. It's actually crazy to think that someone (or some team) came up with this crazy idea and that it was built.
We didn't go on the skywalk, keeping this for another day with better weather so we have a better view on the Marina Bay Sands.
There are two conservatories in the Gardens, both of them nicely cooled for the flowers to grow in an ideal environment.
After a quick assessment of the ticket price to access the conservatories (the rest of the Gardens are for free), we decided to get an annual pass. The chances we will come back are very high and more than two visits in one year are making the pass worth it.
Third stop: the Cloud Forest
The second conservatory was even more impressive. They've simply built a waterfall and a whole tropical environment.
Note: overall it felt like the gardens needed some more time for many of the plants to grow. I can imagine that in 1-3 years all the metallic structures we can see today will be covered by plants. But for now, I can only imagine what it will be. I guess I'll have to come back (which will be easy now that I have an annual pass).
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