A Work Trip Detour to the Singapore Botanic Gardens

Singapore work trip, June 2011, Part 2: Singapore Botanic Gardens.

This trip to Singapore was technically for work, not a vacation. After the meeting ended the previous afternoon, a classmate took me to Vivo City, the big shopping mall across from Sentosa, for dinner, then to Orchard Road and ION ORCHARD. I ended up contributing several thousand dollars of travel allowance to the local economy by buying a crystal ornament for my wife. Back at the hotel, my hand slipped and I checked the price online. Sure enough, it was cheaper than in Taiwan...by NT$65 ~.~'"

But shopping, drinking, and gambling were never really my thing. I would rather pick up a camera and wander around taking pictures. So on the final morning before flying home, my classmate brought me to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. This is not really a guide to the gardens. It is more like a half-day camera walk squeezed into a business trip: hot weather, shade, water sounds, flowers, and one final joke about a supposed "men's heaven" that became the punchline of the trip.

From Mall Dinner to a Garden Morning

After the meeting ended yesterday afternoon, my classmate and I went to Vivo City, the largest shopping mall facing Sentosa, for dinner. Around dinner time, nearly every restaurant had a long queue. Singapore is small, and there are only so many places to go; eating seems to be one of the biggest leisure activities. From riverside bars to high-end restaurants, everywhere was packed.

After dinner, I asked my classmate to take me to "Squid Road" for a look. If you come to Singapore and do not walk Orchard Road nine times, it feels like visiting Taipei without ever going to Zhongxiao East Road. After the shopping, the gift buying, and the hotel price check, the next morning switched to a completely different rhythm: no casino, no restaurant queue, just a walk into the Botanic Gardens.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens sign at Tanglin Gate beside the road. — Tanglin Gate entrance sign for the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

A Large Patch of Green in a Tropical City

Singapore may be small, but its Botanic Gardens are not. After entering from Tanglin Gate, what opened up in front of us was not a little park with a few flowerpots, but a large, carefully maintained green space. Shade, lawns, paths, and ponds kept unfolding, and it quickly made me forget that the outside world was full of shopping malls.

The garden has more than twenty thousand kinds of plants, and it is very well managed. There were so many plants and flowers that it was hard to take everything in. For someone like me, who does not remember plant names very well, the most practical way to visit was simple: if the light, leaves, or water looked interesting, press the shutter.

A garden pond with a low waterfall, large green leaves, and a curving path. — A small waterfall and broad tropical leaves near the start of the walk.

Near the beginning, we came across a pond and a small waterfall, with broad tropical leaves beside it. Singapore is hot, but once you step into the shade and hear water nearby, the feeling changes.

A sunlit lawn with palm trees and visitors resting in the distance. — Open lawn and palms inside the broad green space of the gardens.

National Orchid Garden: Forget the Names, Remember the Shapes

The National Orchid Garden is the only part of the Botanic Gardens that charges an entrance fee. It costs extra, but it is worth going in. The flowers were not just lined up for display; the route was mixed with water features, trees, and paths, so it felt more like walking and being stopped by colors along the way.

A small entrance building marked National Orchid Garden, surrounded by flowers and greenery. — The entrance to the National Orchid Garden.

A circular fountain with two crane sculptures, framed by colorful tropical plants. — Fountain and crane sculptures inside the National Orchid Garden.

Inside the orchid garden, the thing I remembered most was not botanical knowledge, but how dramatic the flowers looked. Take the dancing-lady orchid, for example. Does it not look like two people dancing? The girl is in front wearing a skirt, and the boy is behind her ^.^

Yellow dancing-lady orchids against a green background. — Dancing-lady orchids that looked like tiny dancers.

Close-up of many small yellow orchids lit by strong sunlight. — A brighter cluster of yellow orchids under direct sunlight.

Then there was this flower. I have no idea what it was, but at first glance it looked like a dead chicken hanging in the grass @.@'"

A brownish hanging tropical flower among long green leaves. — A strange hanging flower that looked like a dead chicken at first glance.

Walking through the garden, it was very easy to fall into a pattern of "see one flower, photograph one flower." I might not have known all the names, but when the colors, shapes, and light came together, it was enough reason to stop for another shot.

A stone garden path surrounded by dense plants, trees, and a small shelter. — A shaded path through the orchid garden.

A row of pale orange orchids growing near rocks and a curving path. — Soft orange orchids beside the garden path.

A Water Curtain and the Slower Pace Under the Trees

The most comfortable part of the orchid garden was the section with water. The sun was strong, but the moisture and shade cooled the air a little. After walking under the heat for a while, a place like this automatically became, in my head, a refreshing "Water Curtain Cave"...

Water flowing down rocks through ferns and glossy green leaves. — A small waterfall tucked into dense greenery.

Water falling like a curtain at the entrance of a cave-like garden feature. — A cool curtain of water viewed from inside the grotto.

After leaving the orchid garden, the pace slowed down again. Singapore is hot, yes, but having a picnic under the trees while children run around on the lawn also looks like a pretty good way to spend time. Not every place has to involve queues, shopping, or rushing through an itinerary. Using a morning to wander like this was just about right.

A gently curving path through trees, grass, and fallen leaves. — A quiet tree-lined path after leaving the orchid garden.

A broad grassy slope with a small group sitting in the shade of a large tree. — Families resting on the lawn under large trees.

Stone fish sculptures set among shrubs, with a low bridge in the background. — Fish sculptures near the garden greenery.

Singapore may be small, but the Botanic Gardens are definitely not. Walking one loop took up the whole morning ~.~'"

Almost Missing the Flight, and the "Men's Heaven" That Was Not

We had lunch at the airport, and we were chatting so much that I almost missed the flight. Luckily my classmate reminded me to take out the stub of my arrival card and hand it back, otherwise I would not have been able to leave the country @.@'"

Finally, time to go home.

Wait...did I forget something?!

"Men's heaven!!"

Where was my "men's heaven"?

My classmate smiled in a suspicious way and said, "I said it too fast last time. I meant boys' heaven. It is across the water. Next time, bring your wife and kid here and we can go together!!"