Roaming the Gardens

The Botanic Gardens remains my all-time favorite place to walk in Singapore. Today I walked from Orchard MRT, past Wheelock Place, the Hilton Hotel, Orchard Parade Hotel, Tanglin Shopping Centre, St Regis Hotel , Tanglin Mall, and Gleneagles Hospital to the front gate of the Gardens.

The curtain-like roots of an old Banyan tree greeted me as I walked in the gates, followed by a tall mangrove tree. Both are quite majestic, and my photos, taken by my Nokia E72 phone, do not do them justice.

I decided to go round the lake by the path that is nearer the main road. This led me almost into the web steps of one of the resident swans there. He or she was having an auto-neck-rub, and I had to wait a while before its neck came up to it's usual height.

Here is the artificial waterfall that fascinates tourists.
Equally artificial was Chopin at his piano overlooking the Shaw Foundation stage where Sunday concerts are held.








Near the former entrance to the Gardens, where so many years ago, mum and dad used to park the car and we kids pranced up the driveway, I found another curtain of ivy roots . A banana flower peeking out between large leaves, and a back-lit shady palm tree brought be alongside the quiet Saraca stream and back to my starting point. A cool apple juice made for a satisfying end to an invigorating walk