Singapore 2019,
Another day

Over the next couple of days we continued our exploration of Singapore, all of it on foot and focusing on the river and Marina Bay area.

We found an underground pass which took us under the hotel and the main expressway and surfaced at the other side into the Gardens by the Bay. These beautiful green gardens were full of sculptures and interesting landscaping and the marvel that is ‘Supertree Grove’. The whole area, including the hotel and shopping mall, is built on reclaimed land. I can't imagine the noise and disruption there must have been during the 1980s and 90s in creating the modern city of today but the results are amazing. Above all, everywhere is so clean. There is not a drop of litter or graffiti anywhere, a complete contrast to our recent trip to Rome.

We spent the whole of the afternoon and evening in the gardens and still didn't see it all! Supertree Grove is the jewel in the Crown. Artificial tree-like structures are made from pipes and concrete and are there to disguise the chimneys needed for the waste plant that makes the gardens self-sufficient. The tree's trunks are covered in plants, bringing them to life, while a Skywalk hangs beneath them in the canopy. At night a spectacular light show takes place in the trees while the many spectators lie on the ground watching it all above them. We watched it twice, and it was just as magical the second time as it was the first time.

Within the gardens are two large glass domes, one of which was the Cloud Forest with a 35 meter high waterfall inside. It was very impressive. A central ‘mountain’ was accessed by a lift to the top and then we walked along the suspended walkways which wound its way back down again. It's a good job we are not afraid of heights! Apart from the fabulous views of the plants from above we also

got spectacular views out into Singapore Bay where hundreds of large ships lay at anchor. We also got a great view across Marina Bay towards the Flyer (Singapore's taller version of the London Eye) and the skyscrapers of the Business District. We went back again to the Cloud Forest between the two light shows in Supertree Grove and saw the night time views. Needless to say, we find our sight-seeing days exhausting because it's difficult to stop!