This very surreal and beautiful image is genuinely from Gardens by the Bay. Photograph taken by Shawn Seah Li Song.
I was thinking about how to best describe the remarkable beauty and creativity of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay.
This is an overall, birds-eye view of Gardens by the Bay taken from Marina Bay Sands (MBS) hotel. Photograph taken circa 2014 by Shawn Seah.
Should I describe the cold, rushing waters of the indoor waterfall, or the lush green mountain clad with unusual plants from all around the world?
Or the fantastic floral arrangements and beautiful bouquets hanging from the ceiling?
Or the spectacular views from different parts of the attraction?
In the end, I decided to let the photographs I took over the past few years “do the talking”.
These are some photographs I have taken of Gardens by the Bay, and I hope you enjoy viewing them.
From the top (or near the top) of the mountain at Cloud Forest, you can catch the view of Marina Bay Sands’ unique architecture and the other skyscrapers that adorn the Marina Bay area near Gardens by the Bay. Photograph taken by Shawn Seah.
Stunning Cloud Forest, which feels surprisingly cold and refreshing, especially given Singapore’s hot and humid context. I enjoyed (and still enjoy) climbing this “mountain”. Photograph taken by Shawn Seah.
Singapore’s national flower is the Vanda Miss Joaqium. Even though research now states that Singapore’s national flower should be called (in fact) the Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim ‘Agnes’, I think I speak on most Singaporeans’ behalf when I say that we cannot even pronounce that P word. Photograph taken by Shawn Seah.
Unbelievably beautiful flowers at Floral Fantasy at Gardens by the Bay. Floral Fantasy has suspended bouquets and creative floral arrangements. I recall that I was invited to this because I was an official partner of the Singapore Bicentennial in 2019, which marked 200 years since Sir Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore. This photograph was pre-COVID-19 pandemic. Photograph taken by Shawn Seah.
Take a guess: is this a real or a fake plant? Before you rush to answer, consider that many of the exotic plants at Gardens by the Bay are so stunning and amazing that they look fake, but they are 100% real. In this case, I think this plant looks fake as it is probably some thematic decoration, but I am no botanist or floral arrangement expert. I took this photograph because of how dramatic the plant looked. Photograph taken by Shawn Seah.
A deceptively simple but beautiful flower, the touch-me-not. Photograph taken by Shawn Seah.
Just in case you are reading this story at Christmas time, Merry Christmas to you from Gardens by the Bay! The Marshmallow / Snowman welcomes you. I am sure that the gingerbread trees are not real trees, but the rest of the trees and plants are real. Photograph taken by Shawn Seah.
Gardens by the Bay is definitely worth many, many visits.
