Bukit Sekilau Botanical Garden (Part 1)

It is my great privilege to be able to walk around my little neighbourhood of Bukit Sekilau and feel that I'm walking through a botanical garden paradise. I don't have to go far with camera in hand, when I feel like taking pictures. The following photographs were all taken within 100 yards of my house.

There are two really great times of day for taking pictures. In the morning with the first light of day and, as on this occasion, in the fading light of evening

Before I go ahead with the flower pictures, I want to point out this monitor lizard I spotted in the drain:

On with the botanic tour . . . 

This is a passion fruit tree

Orchids in a friend's front garden:

Look carefully at this flower in bud. What does it look like?

Yes, it has the remarkable resemblance of a bird!!!

Passion fruit and star fruit grow here...

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Which is your favourite picture?

Singapore Botanic Gardens

It was exactly a year ago yesterday that I ventured around the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The images before my eyes, stored in my brain and on camera, are unforgettable; I often flash back and reminisce on that lovely day in Singapore. The Singapore Botanic Gardens can be accessed on Cluny Road - I took the lengthy walk from the Newton MRT, along Bukit Timah Road, and left down Cluny Road. For those who are more sane, taking a taxi would be a better idea!

The Singapore Botanic Gardens has a fresh and alive feel to it, which captures you as soon as you enter the grounds. Grassy plains, undulating hills, lofty trees, running waters and gorgeous orchids make this place something else. There is so much to see that one really needs to spend an entire day there, to fully appreciate its grandeur. A fully charged camera would also be handy!

I took a plethora of photos that day and I don't remember snapping a single bad picture. Everywhere you look is beauty. Here is a selection of my favourite memories:

Singapore Botanical Gardens

It looked a lot closer on the map than in reality. After arriving at Newton MRT station, I walked for approximately 40 minutes to reach the Botanical Gardens. It was tiring, especially after my six-hour bus journey from Kuantan, Malaysia which began at 9am that morning. But as the next three hours panned out, it was well worth the long walk.

The gardens were full of grassy slopes, water features and majestic arches.

These rushing waters were located in an area named the 'Coolhouse' where the temperature was very low, I could visibly see my breath as it left my mouth, and the tremendous noise of the fountain filled the air.

Walking through this mini-cave behind the waterfall was a nice experience and made for an even nicer picture.

There were many spectacular views in the gardens and enough sights to keep one busy for hours on end. Here are a few of my favourite images:

(The Coolhouse)

As the light of day slowly faded and the dark of night creeped in, the energy and life remained. Even in the dark of night, there was plenty of light on offer.

However, the star attraction was the Botanic Garden's 'Orchid Garden', constituting the world's largest collection of Orchids in a stunning variety of species and colours. Here are some of the most interesting shots I snapped before my camera battery died later in the night.

I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful scenes of nature which bombarded my senses at the Singapore Botanical Gardens, and I would definitely go again, even if it means another long 40-minute walk from the Newton MRT! It would be nice to spend a whole day there as there are still some parts of the gardens I didn't have the time to admire. But it gets the thumbs up from me!

(Since writing this post, there is now an MRT station on the Circle Line which drops passengers off at the Botanic Gardens. The Circle Line is due to open on 8th October, 2011).