After a dramatic start to singapore (we had our ninja throwing stars which were souvenirs from Japan confiscated, as they are considered illegal weapons out here) it's been a quiet few days. The Botanical gardens were very pretty. Most of the grounds are free to roam, which made this a lovely green retreat in the middle of the city. As we sat by the pond and watched the monitor lizard sift his way through the giant Lilly pads, I thought what a perfect place this would be to bring young children, to occupy a warm summer day.
The only part of the garden that charges an admission fee is the orchid patch, which housed some of the most beautiful flowers in shades of pale lavender, bright yellow and pure white. It brought back all of the smells if childhood, newly mown lawn, fresh breeze, and the scent if Molly's peace Lilly that used to sit on our chest of drawers.
It was a good day, but the gardens were not as spectacular as the ones we had seen in the South Korea festival, and not as different as the oriental gardens of Japan, so it left us somehow wanting more. I look forward to seeing the gardens by the bay, where the trees are made if metal and wrapped around large buildings, a place where humans and nature truly co-exist.
