Singapore - Gardens by the Bay

For the winter holiday break, Mike and I visited a couple of countries in Southeast Asia.  Our first stop was Singapore.  While in Singapore, Mike and I visited the Gardens by the Bay.  The key attractions here are two conservatories, the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, along with the Supertrees.  The Flower Dome is a two-level glass building and houses 1000 year old olive trees along with numerous flowers and trees of the Mediterranean and subtropical regions of the world.  The Cloud Forest is a seven level glass structure that contains lush green plants and several flowers that I have never seen before in my life.  Although both conservatories are beautiful, my favorite is the Cloud Forest.  There is a huge waterfall that goes right down the middle of the conservatory and paths that wind around the plants and waterfall.  The conservatories are a part of a larger complex which includes several outside gardens and a new series of structures called Supertrees.  The 15 Supertrees are metal structures that stand 7 to 35 meters tall and are scattered throughout the gardens.  All of the Supertrees have plants growing on them with hopes of one day covering all of the metal.  Some of the trees are connected together by a narrow walk way that can be accessed via an elevator inside two of the trees.  The largest of the trees has a restaurant and observation deck at the top, which Mike and I visited and had a round of drinks.  Here are some pictures from our visit to the conservatories, followed by some pictures from the observation desk of the Supertree.  The video at the end is taken from the very top of the Supertree, where it was quite windy.  (Remember, you can click on a picture to enlarge it!)