I was in Singapore for my cousin’s wedding and had mentally penciled in a mandatory visit to the Gardens by the Bay. I was going with friends; one knew the gardens inside out and had promised to give me a tour. What a treat!
First up were the twelve Supertrees. Despite having seen numerous photos of these giants, I was still amazed!
These mega structures, inspired by towering trees of the rainforest, soar up to 50m high dwarfing almost everything else by the bay. I craned my neck to gaze up at the branches which etched geometric patterns in the sky. Aweeesome!
The Supertrees aren’t just ornamental either. These workhorses capture rainwater for the gardens and generate enough solar power to light up the place in technicolor by night.
The Supertrees were festooned with countless bromeliads. Strange. I had expected to see a riot of climbers attempting to outdo each other in their quest to smother the pink metal frames.
Why pink? My friend explained that the colour reflected the vibrancy of the Singapore society. Mmm ….
I didn’t have much time to ponder over the choice of either as the lift whisked us up to the 128m OCBC suspended skywalk and 360 degrees worth of panoramic views.
Beneath us sprawled four thematic heritage gardens and lakes that had been shaped out of 380 acres of reclaimed land.
A friend pointed out another six Supertrees located at the Silver and Golden gardens; and I thought 12 was plenty! Those at the Silver Garden were planted with silver and grey epiphytes while plants at the Golden Garden were selected for their gold and yellow hues.
By the time we were done with the Skywalk, the morning sun had risen somewhat and so had the ambient temperature. We had to move on.
Will I visit these majestic Supertrees and take to the Skywalk again? Without a doubt.
But before that, I’m sure I’ll be seeing many Supertree-wannabes. In fact I saw a couple of scaled down, improvised versions not too long ago. I don’t suppose Gardens by the Bay should be too bothered by this; after all, isn’t imitation the sincerest form of flattery?
Next up … Stepping into ‘Cloud Forest’
care to introduce me to your friend? hahahha…. There isn’t much write ups. I went twice within a week and love it. Now waiting for the trees and plants to grow. I think it will be even better. Personally I love the flower dome.
Unfortunately most plants are not tagged and the directions to different parts are not very clear. Hope they will improve on it.
cantiknyaaaaaaaaaaaaa….!! mcm avatar’s scene!
must go and visit, leila. it’s a lovely place.