Day 2 – Gardens by the Bay

26,986 steps taken – 16.15km travelled

This morning I woke up strangely early for how tired I was last night. We got up and out by about 7.30 and took full advantage of the free buffet that was included in our hotel stay. I’ve already tried so many new things since I’ve been here, and I’ve seen so many places I need to try! Wish me luck to fit into my wedding dress next week!

We had aimed on getting our sim cards organised, but ran into a few snags with that, so ended up going on our River Boat Cruise first instead. We were lucky enough to be one of only two couples on the boat cruise, with one learner captain and one very enthusiastic teacher. The tour consisted of a recording telling us all the sights we should be taking in, but this elderly gentleman was eager to tell us exactly what we should be taking photos of and even taking control of my camera and taking a fair few shots himself! My face hurt so much from smiling and laughing with him! It was such a wonderful and uplifting way to start off our day!

After spending an enjoyable hour or so with our new friend, we headed towards Bugis Junction to pick up our sim cards and travel cards, and finally have a little bit of comfort knowing that we would have internet to save us if we got lost. I was a little reluctant to leave the shopping centre as it was a very welcome reprieve from the blazing sun and wet heat of outside. So we wandered the stalls for a little before heading towards the Buddha’s Tooth Relic Temple, which was a quick bus ride away. The temple is absolutely stunning. The big pagoda style stands out among the eclectic architecture of the Singapore skyline. As we walked in we adorned a sarong and stepped over the threshold into a a room of red and gold. There are three large statues, depicting Buddha and his guards straight ahead. Lining the walls – floor to ceiling – are 100 smaller Buddha statues, as well as the deity and guards of the zodiac. Around the mezzanine, there are detailed carvings of dragons, twisting themselves around each other, framing a gorgeously tiled roof of gold and teal. We spent a time studying each pose of the statues and witnessing the prayer rituals of the locals.

We were quite hungry at this point, as it had managed to sneak up to 2 o’clock without us noticing. Just next door to the temple there was Maxwells Hawker stall which was calling our name. We enjoyed walking through and seeing the different styles and foods on offer. We settled on the Hainese chicken rice, Kway Teow and sugarcane juice, which was absolutely delicious! From there we went towards Chinatown, which was filled to the brim with little stalls selling all kinds of knick knacks and souvenirs. The day was at it’s hottest, and I wasn’t really feeling the hustle and bustle of the marketplace, so we decided to cut it short and head over to Gardens By The Bay.

A couple of buses and a short walk and we were at the famous building landmark which acts as a waypoint for the attraction – Marina Bay Sands. We had seen it from a little ways away during the River Cruise, but seeing the building up close meant you could see all the little details. Up close you can see just how huge the three towers are, and the boat shaped deck atop these towers just as impressively large. The towers had areas made up of thousands of little metal plates, attached only by one end, meaning that they would shimmer and move in the wind. You could stand there and watch the wind ripple through all the plates over the huge face of the building. We made our way into the park and spotted the two large, white framed domes poking out of the trees alongside the famous Skytree sculptures. Knowing that I wanted to see both, but hearing that the Cloud Forest was the more popular one, we decided to head towards the Flower Dome first.

I had such a ball in there. All the types of plants and displays and sculptures throughout had me fascinated! They have figures made up of driftwood along the paths, which I had so much fun trying to find them among the greenery. When we were satisfied that we had seen as much as we could, we headed over to the Cloud Forest.

This dome lived up and surpassed all of my expectations. The huge waterfall just as you enter is impressive enough, but the walk through just cemented my love for this place. I was in awe of many things – the attention to detail in the little drift wood sculptures, the intricacy and placement of each plant on the tower in the centre, reaching for the ceiling, the winding pathways and the gentle slope leading you up towards the heavens and the little alcoves and holes in the tower allowing you to peek out through the greenery to spot the views of the city scape and Skytrees outside. I found myself trying to work ways that I could possibly replicate this artistry on a smaller scale, so I could have this little pocket of peace back at home. We wandered through until the next misting – which is where they water all of these plants, but it makes for an absolutely mystical atmosphere with the mist and fog billowing through the dome. We dragged ourselves away and headed out, just as the sun was setting.

Last thing on the agenda today was the night show at the Skytrees. We got a little bite to eat at Satay By The Bay, which was delicious, and then headed down to snag ourselves a position for the light show. It was such a stunning display. The huge sculptures dotted around in a relatively small area, which stretch up well above the natural tree line are lit up with lights of red, green and blue and flash and sparkle in time with music, to delight and fascinate the hundreds of people gathered below. After the show, we decided to get some snacks at the local 7eleven and call it a day.

Tomorrow we are heading to the River Safari and Singapore Zoo. I am particularly excited for the chance to feed some meerkats and a few other adorable little creatures!