May 11, 2026

May 11, 2026

Last night we took the Metro to the large urban park, Gardens by the Bay. There we ate at the Satay by the Bay Hawker Center. Aimee and I shared some tasty Chicken Satay we bought at one stall with a green bean dish from another.

At sunset we walked towards the SuperTree Grove I have often seen in photos of Singapore. I stopped to take a picture at a group of three. After glancing at my phone map I realized that the Trees are spread out. The main grove of twelve is on the other side of a long building. By the time we push through the crowd to get to this main grouping, the Garden Rhapsody light and music show has begun. The trees glow and pulse to the orchestral music of Star Wars. It is pretty amazing. Someone had to have had a wild imagination to build this venue.

To beat the crowd we leave before the end walking west toward the Marina Bay Sands Resort. In the basement we find a Metro station to carry us back to our hotel.

This morning we did a brief exploration of the Kampong Glam neighborhood north of our hotel. This is the old Malay-Muslim enclave. We see lots of Turkish restaurants and rug shops. Aimee is pleased to pass several fabric stores. We end at the Sultan Mosque.

We then hop on the Metro and take it back to Gardens by the Bay. We start at the south end and walk north. It is filled with curiosities like fish ponds and sculpture. One is a large floating baby called Planet.

We pass through the SuperTree grove. It looks so different in the day with no crowds. Surprisingly the trees are not just decorative but also support the mechanical needs of the nearby visitor center, gift shops, and restaurants. The center tree has an observatory at the top and there is an elevated walkway connecting the trees. We continue walking and find a nice view of them against the Water Lily Pond.

We next visit the two greenhouses but find the Cloud Dome is closed for its monthly maintenance day. Only the Flower Dome is open. It is the world’s largest glass greenhouse. It contains gardens representing habits from around the world. We are happy to find it is partially air-conditioned. I spend some time photographing some of the unique flowers. There is a special exhibit on Tulips.

We have a burger lunch next-door. It was very tasty but the Fries came well after we had finished the burger. Aimee says this isn’t McDonalds. We finish with Ice Cream cones at a real McDonalds. Aimee makes a mess eating hers.

Because the Cloud Dome was closed we were given a ticket to watch a show at the nearby IMBA Theatre. We sat on bean bags and watched an in-the-round story of the life of the artist Fernando Botero. It was actually interesting. I had never heard of this Columbian but recognized his paintings of obese people. Botero said he didn't draw people fat, he just gave them volume.

Our timing was good because there was a brief rain shower while we were in the theatre. We finished our day at the Marina Bay Sands Resort. This very unique building consists of three towers connected by a surfboard rooftop. After walking the length of the three lobbies we take the elevator to the 57th floor for a drink at the rooftop bar Ce La Vi. There is a stiff cover charge but it comes with one free drink. Because of the rain shower we get prime seats along the edge. It comes with a great view of Marina Bay. I have another Singapore Sling while Aimee has wine. Unfortunately the setting sun is making our seats very hot.

On the way out we check the views in the other directions. One is to the swimming pool of the hotel. It is the world’s largest infinity pool. It is only open to guests. We thought about staying here our last night but found the price exorbitant for even the cheapest room. Aimee also said she wouldn’t get anywhere near the pool edge.

We also check out the view to the east overlooking Gardens by the Bay. We get a great view of the SuperTrees and the Flower Dome. In addition we see hundreds of ships moored offshore and the coastline of the Sumatran island of Indonesia across the narrow Strait of Malacca. Singapore is the second largest port in the world.

Our last stop is in the basement wandering around the huge indoor shopping mall. Every luxury brand from around the world is represented. There is even a Venice-like canal down the middle. Apple and Louis Vuitton even have island stores connected by underground passages. We have a Chinese dumpling snack at the food court. We wash it down with Coconut Water.