SINGAPORE, the Garden City Part 1
SEnglishINGAPORE is a sovereign city-state and island country in Southeast Asia. The name of Singapore is an Anglicization of the native Malay name for the country, Singapura, derived from Sanskrit Simhapura, simha is “lion”, pura is “city”, hence the reference to the nation as the “Lion City”. It is also referred to as “Garden City” for its treelined streets and greening efforts. It was the first time that the Baguio GSP Council BOD went for an outing abroad. We stayed at the Girl Guides Singapore, a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
Quick and efficient, the DUCKtour covers most of the important sights, scenes and landmarks. This amphibious vehicle is the easiest way to explore the city by water and land. We cruised along Marina Bay to admire views of the bustling city’s skyline and marveled at Singapore’s iconic landmarks – the Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, the Esplanade Theater and the towering Merlion. It was a good option considering we had very little time to sight-see. Later in the evening, we watched the sky show of choreographed lights and sounds at the Supertree Grove where massive tree-shaped gardens twinkled and glowed during the spectacular Garden Rhapsody show.
An iconic destination, Gardens by the bay was undoubtedly at the top of our itinerary to the city. Its waterfront gardens and conservatories feature some of the most incredible manmade structures built to house flora and fauna from all over the world. The Flower dome replicates the cool-dry climate of Mediterranean regions and houses a collection of plants from deserts all over the world. We marveled at the astounding Cloud forest, a 35-m tall mountain veiled in mist and covered in lush vegetation amidst the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. It’s an enclosed air-conditioned dome with a walking route designed to show the plants in different levels in mountainous areas.
The Mustafa centre is crowded and navigating the stores can be a challenge. This place is huge with many entrances. But be warned, it’s really busy, chaotic, and the place is crammed with tons of merchandise which makes the aisles narrow. In spite of this, we bought our`souvenirs here.
Singapore has more than 50% of its area covered by greenery with over 50 major parks and 4 nature reserves. Surely, it deserves its moniker as the enchanting “Garden City”.