The Botanical Garden in Singapore

Here is one of my favourite gardens in the world: the Singapore Botanical Garden.

Heliconia. A crazy batch of bananas sprout forth from this rather ordinary banana palm.Coral pink torch ginger on the ‘Ginger Walk’. They also come in red. Yellow tropical flowers with red spots. Pools with all sorts of water plants.Mega lily pads.Waterfalls. Mossy sculpture of two of the three ‘no evil’ monkeys. Crytostachys lakka (Red Sealing Wax Palm) with red and yellow stems and green leaves. Directional signage in the Garden. The Orchid Garden had a small admission fee. Within the garden there were dozens of varieties in bloom.
The same orchids as above showing them cascading over the greenery. Orchids always look like they’re dancing to me. These ones are called ‘Dancing Doll’ orchids. I first saw these little characters in Guatemala where they called them ‘huevos con chorizo’ (eggs with spicy sausage). I like the ‘dancing doll’ name better. The rain starts but that doesn’t stop Al.
Yellow orchids form these spectacular arches in the Garden, photographed during the torrential downpour.
When the storm reached monsoon intensity we ducked into the garden restaurant and ordered the set menu. It was a bit pricey (28$S), but what a presentation! This is the appetizer of fried foie gras on ginger banana with red spicy mango and port wine reduction, both intensely flavoured and dancing on my tongue!The main course of the set menu was chicken and garlic mash on a bed of lentils and parma ham. The view from our table: a back-lit palm leaf with fruiting red seeds.Complimentary plastic rain ponchos were provided by the restaurant to walk along the lush dripping paths. All that rain, no wonder its so overflowing with green.
The Singapore Zoo also has a spectacular garden with lots of creatures in it but isn’t free like the Botanical Garden.