On Saturday, we did our first outing with the whole group as Mark was able to join us. We decided to do something we knew Mark’s parents would love but also something Mark and I hadn’t yet done either. We went to the Singapore Botanical Gardens and the National Orchid Garden! Singapore’s Botanical Gardens are beautiful and is the only botanic garden in the world that does not charge admission and is open from 5am to midnight every day of the year. The National Orchid Garden within the Botanical Gardens is where we spent most of our time and it does charge a small fee but it’s well worth it.
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| Mark and Niki at Singapore's Botanical Gardens |
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| Mark and Gordon walking through the hanging vines at Botanical Gardens |
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| "Lady in the Hammock" - One of three sculptures at the Botanic Gardens by British sculptor Sydney Harpley |
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| "Girl on a bike" British sculptor Sydney Harpley (my favorite) |
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| "Girl on a swing" British sculptor Sydney Harpley |
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| A gazebo near the entrance - a very popular location for wedding photos. We saw 4+ brides and grooms on this day. |
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| Not sure who this sculpture is by but I liked it a lot too |
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After several hours of walking (and several blisters), we had seen many of the more than 2,000 species of orchids, the orchidarium, the misthouse, and several beautiful sculptures.
But, as I said, we spend most of our time in the National Orchid Garden so Mark and I could probably making another trip to the Botanical Gardens in the future and still find plenty of things we hadn’t yet seen!
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| Entrance to the National Orchid Garden |
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| Gordon and Gayle with orchids |
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| The beginning of a barrage of orchid pictures because it was too hard to just pick a few favorites! |
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| ...But if I had to pick a favorite it would be this one... |
Lunch Saturday took place at a traditional Hawker stall. We made sure it was an “A” grade meaning that the food is cleanly but Hawker stalls are still an experience of local food and customs. We dined in an open front/non-air conditioned place where Mark eats often with his co-workers during the week. We let Mark take the lead on ordering and we all had a broth soup, kalan vegetable in oyster sauce, rice, and a mixture of duck, pork char siew , and the local chicken.
Following our daytime outing, we headed back to the condo to take care of Colt, relax, and change for the evening. We started Saturday night off with some drinks at Mark and I’s favorite hangout Black & White where Gordon and Gayle got to meet the owner/our friend, Jay. After a few drinks we headed to Alititude-1 which has become our go to place for taking visitors since it has such amazing views of the city. From the rooftop which is home to the highest bar in Singapore you can see a 360 degree view of the city skyline and you look down on Marina Bay Sands so you also get a great view of the evening light show on the bay. We highly recommend this spot!
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| The Vogel's with The Vogel's atop Altitude-1 |
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| Nighttime view of the Singapore sky |
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| Singapore flyer and ArtScience Museum |
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| Beginning of the Light-show on the Bay |
When we were finished taking in the views and taking TONS of pictures we headed to dinner where we ate along the Singapore River at a sushi restaurant. After dinner we strolled leisurely along the river back to our condo to call it a night.
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| Fresh Seafood in Boat Quay |
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| The Hindu statues that I love. Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. |
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| View of the MICA at night |
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| Clarke Quay where we had dinner |
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| SUSHI!! |
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