Finally, I’ve made it to the city-state of Singapore. Jakarta was nice as was the reset of Indonesia, but emerging into Singapore felt like being reborn into the future. Singapore is ultra modern, extremely clean, meticulously beautiful, and has a class and character of its own. What a breath of fresh air.
Singapore is intense – the entire place is constrained to one island, and all wealth generated gets funneled back into this small island oasis. Buildings are continuously being made brand new. Roads are perfect. Transit is on time and comfortable as riding in a limo. Any amenity you need is available. Additionally, Singapore has a unique history and feel of its own. The locals are warm and friendly, and amidst the continuous maze of shopping malls and luxury resorts, there are character-filled enclaves of local people, ethnic neighborhoods, and asian flavor. I’d recommend that if you’re in the area, you take a trip of at least a day or two to Singapore. If you’re not so much into ritzyness and high class shopping, maybe just a day or two for the essentials.
During the one day I spent in Singapore, I decided to try to see an overview of as much as possible.. and went by the mega tourist route, doing the double decker tourist bus. After a good experience doing the double decker bus with friend Emily in NYC, I thought it might be a cool way to see an overview of Singapore too.
Of course, spending time in the shadow of the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort was great. The resort has everything, and I spent a solid half of my time in there.
Saya and I got drinks on the roof and enjoyed an amazing view.
Lots of shopping, including an extended conversation with reps at Louis Vuitton and Leica. Let me know if you’d like to send me a Leica M to test out.. I’ll post the photos on this blog! :)
Aside from the shopping, architecture in the city is beautiful. Even underpasses are new and nice.
The incredible cloud forest at the gardens by the bay.
And finally, the supertreees.
Ranging in height from 25 to 50 metres, the Gardens’ 18 Supertrees are basically vertical gardens covered in bromeliads, ferns and tropical flowering climbers. Two of the trees are connected via an aerial walkway.
It’s pretty innovative stuff. The structures mimic the ecological functions of real trees through their environmentally sustainable features.
Some have photovoltaic cells on their canopies to harvest solar energy to light up at night, others are integrated with cooled conservatories and serve as air exhaust receptacles.
An overview of the Gardens By The Bay, by Grant Associates
