Singapore Botanic Gardens
In March of 2016 I visited Singapore Botanic Gardens for the first time because it was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015. I was very impressed by the size. It was very big, like a large forest and field, and near the city center.
I took a taxi from the taxi stop in MRT station “City Hall”. It took only about ten minutes to reach the gate of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. So many people enjoyed picnicking with their friends inside.
Singapore Botanic Gardens was the first UNESCO World Heritage site in Singapore. It is the first and only tropical botanic garden on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The National Orchid Garden
The National Orchid Garden is centrally located within the many lush trees of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and full of the most exotic orchid collections. The National Orchid Garden is absolutely stunning. I have never seen so many exotic orchids and I was very impressed by the gardens’ exotic beauty .
I spent a lot of time looking at and taking photos of almost every orchid and display. This garden was like a paradise and so I wanted to spend as long as possible there.
Entrance to the Singapore Botanic Garden is free. I was told we can take a walk from 5 am to 12 am. I was also amazed at the free entry map provided, and at being kindly shown the way to the Orchid Garden. The young lady apologized to me because their was a fee for the Orchid Garden, but it didn’t cost much. The fee was only five SGDs.
At the highest point of the Orchid Garden there is the exhibition area, showing the different hybrid orchids named after the most popular VIPs visiting this garden. There is the hybrid orchid Dendrobium named for Princess Masako, Kotaishi Hidenka. Princess Masako’s hybrid orchid is white, elegant and sophisticated. I was happy to find her name.
Spending about 2 hours viewing and strolling through the garden, I had a rest at a high class restaurant outside the entrance of the Orchid Garden. This restaurant is very famous from the guidebooks.
Upon going outside, I noticed it was raining, so I went back inside to take shelter. After waiting 2hours the rain showed no sign of abating, so I ventured outside with my umbrella and a plastic raincoat which the restaurant had given me.
Though it only takes 15 minutes to walk to the exit, it took me about 30 minutes as I stopped a few times to shelter and rest in one of the many huts around the park.
The sudden rain soaked my clothes, but as I couldn’t take a taxi, I had to get on a crowded bus along with the many other people waiting at the bus stop. Though this bus stop is much larger than a Japanese bus stop, at that time it was flooded with many people.
The sudden heavy shower reminded me that Singapore is a tropical country.
I enjoyed spending a nice time wandering through the forest garden.
