Guest Post by Nick Taylor
I’m grateful to my old friend Nick for sharing these wonderful pics from his recent trip to Singapore. I’ve featured some of these gardens/ spaces/buildings before, but these pictures make a revisit a must. Here’s Nick’s commentary….
‘Seeing your recent blog with a picture of the hotel in Singapore reminded me that I said I would provide some photos of the Gardens by the Bay, with the artificial trees, which gather rain water and generate solar power…. Some of the trees – there are many – have climate domes (a bit like the Eden Project).
Twice each evening, a sound and light show takes place at the main group of trees. Being close to Christmas, there were familiar tunes! There are also currently additional Christmas lights, which detracted somewhat from the effect of the trees themselves. A ‘German’ style Christmas market was being erected at the time. The whole effect was, as with much of Singapore, rather unrestrained, but good fun and a free show.’
‘Here is the hotel at the Gardens By The Bay, with the linking bridge featuring infinity pool and roof garden, another view of one of the climate zone domes and a view of the Park Royal Hotel you featured, with the hanging gardens…’
‘The next pic is of highly colourful water lilies at the Arts and Sciences Museum. The building itself is shaped like the opening petals of a waterlily. In the background is the Shoppe (sic) at Marina Bay shopping centre, which has four levels, each the size of a large airport terminal, with a canal with gondolas (see photo) on the basement level. Shopping is one of Singapore’s main pastimes and a major economic driver. There are huge, modern malls all over the city, but mostly concentrated in Orchard Road, which at the time of WW2 was lined with – orchards.’
‘Finally, here are the gardens of Raffles Hotel, named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the official of the British East India Company who took a flyer and established the colony in the face of Dutch resistance. We performed the ritual of ordering Singapore Slings in the Long Bar, as countless Brits have done over the last 100 years or so. It’s a very sickly, sweet cocktail and not particularly nice!’
Old School Garden 