Exploring Singapore Botanic Gardens

It felt good to be in the midst of greenery after months of not being able leave home except for essential activities. Alright, I might have exaggerated a little; parks and gardens reopened after a couple of months but erring on the side of caution, this outing only took place four months after the last.

The weather has been erratic, to say the least, and we were most grateful it held up for the morning (it poured in the afternoon) while we were exploring the sprawling grounds of the garden. There was really no agenda, and so we allowed Belle and Cassie to sniff to their hearts’ content, letting them lead the way. Belle was, for the most part, trying to get acquainted with every other person she came across while Cassie was attempting to mark territory throughout the garden. One significant personality trait we confirmed during this walk: that Belle simply loves people more than she loves her own kind, and that Cassie can be rather territorial.

Having spent almost three years with Cassie, the mister and I often find ourselves comparing her to Paris, the fur-sister she never got to meet. We have drawn several stunning similarities in personality between them both that we sometimes wonder if she is Paris reincarnated. Well, she certainly embodied Paris’ distaste for posing, which makes things as challenging as ever for me, the photographer. Times like this makes me appreciate Belle the model poser all the more.

Almost two hours into the walk when the furkids were visibly tired out, we started looking for the bandstand. It took us another fifteen minutes before we finally located the iconic feature of this 161-year old Unesco World Heritage Site. It’s probably the single most recognisable landmark of the garden, but we were fortunate in that it wasn’t terribly crowded at that knoll that morning, having it almost exclusively to ourselves.

Belle and Cassie went up to the bench by the side to rest, and I managed some shots of them against the backdrop of the bandstand. These were some of the best pictures turned out for the entire outing, thanks to a toddler passing by capturing their attention. Typically we only had problems with getting Cassie to look at the camera, but Belle decided she wasn’t in the mood to be cooperative too. In this way, dogs are rather like young children – unpredictable.

We proceeded to the bandstand where the girls lay down and got to rest some. We’ve got work to do where their stamina are concerned. In fact, I personally still haven’t gotten used to the fact that Cassie is considered a small dog (at 14kg); I often hug and pat her with force too strong for her comfort, thinking that she is a golden retriever. Three years on, and I’m still learning how much strength to exert.

Being the model poser that she is, Belle continued sitting on the bench when Cassie had long jumped off to go take in the scent of the surroundings. The Gardens had progressively gotten more crowded by that time, so we decided to call it a day.

TRIVIAL: Built in 1859 and located at the fringe of Singapore’s Orchard Road shopping district, Singapore Botanic Gardens is a sprawling 82-hectare (82,000m²) tropical garden with a predecessor initially developed to introduce the cultivation of cash crops, at Fort Canning. 153 years later in Jun 2012, Singapore entered a submission to UNESCO, indicating interest to inscribe the Gardens as a World Heritage Site. On 4 Jul 2015, Singapore Botanic Gardens successfully received inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The expansive Gardens originally comprises three main zones known as ‘cores’ to cater to different purposes – a core to retain the old charm of the historic Gardens, a second core to cater to visitors, and the last dedicated to education. The fourth core – Tyersall Gallop – was included in 2017, adding 8-hectare to the Gardens totalling it to 82-hectare. The Gardens is a popular tourist location in Singapore, and equally popular amongst locals who like to visit for a variety of purposes from exercising, immerse in the luxurious greenery to enjoying band performances.