As evening falls on the Super Tree Grove, it starts to light up in preparation for the free light and sound show that happens every evening.
The daily Garden Rhapsody light and sound show kicks off at at 7.45pm and 8.45pm.
Arrive early to nab a good spot as it gets very busy with everyone wanting to watch.
As darkness falls the super trees begin to strut their funky stuff to the sounds of 80s disco!
The show varies and you’ll get different music depending on when you visit.
The photos really do not do justice to the exhilarating show that has us all captivated. And it’s FREE!
The city skyline is wonderful at night, especially with the slightly stormy sky that occasionally provided its own light show with flashes of lightening!
But there’s not just one free light show in Singapore, oh no. There is also an amazing (deafening) show at the harbour. Called Spectra, and if you time it right, you can catch both in one night.
It’s incredible. Check out some clips below.
As the 15-minute outdoor show unfolds before your eyes in a four-part story, immerse yourself in the beautiful symphony of dancing fountain jets, colourful visual projections, advanced lasers, and lava and mist effects — all led by an orchestral soundtrack.
One of the most iconic sights of Singapore is a relatively recent addition – The Gardens by the Bay.
In January 2006, an international master plan design competition was launched to seek design ideas for Gardens by the Bay.
It had more than 70 entries submitted from over 24 countries, including 35 from Singapore.
Work started on the gardens in 2007 and opened to the public in 2011.
There are 12 main sections to the gardens including the East Bay, floral pavilions and the most recognisable part – the Super Tree Grove!
It’s also a great place to survey another of Singapore’s iconic sights – the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
We’ll be heading up the top of that later for some panoramic views over the harbour.
Measuring between 25 and 50 metres tall, Gardens by the Bay’s Supertrees are designed with large canopies that provide shade in the day and come alive with an exhilarating display of lights and sounds at night.
Join the crowds standing and staring at these iconic giants and stroll along the 22-metre-high OCBC Skyway.
Sadly the weather was not good enough for the skyway to open so we couldn’t walk up there due to violent, sudden rainstorms!!
There are 18 Supertrees in Gardens by the Bay and 12 of them can be found at the Supertree Grove.
The tallest one measures up to 16 storeys in height and there is also a restaurant at the top of one of them.
This free attraction has to be on your Singapore itinerary. It’s an incredible engineering feat and the gardens could easily take up at least two days of your trip.
Over 158,000 plants made up of more than 700 species and varieties of bromeliads, orchids, ferns and tropical flowering climbers have been planted on the 18 Supertrees.
The Supertrees have different planting schemes in various colours ranging from warm tones like reds, browns, orange and yellows, to cooler hues like silver and pink.
As evening starts to close in, the trees start to light up – heralding the much anticipated light and sound show that takes place each evening. There will be LOTS of pictures of that . . . .
We’re still pootling around Chinatown, heading for the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. But naturally get distracted on-route by plenty of colourful sights.
From incredible street art like the traditional theatre scene above to the many stalls selling the very pungent durian fruit – an acquired taste that has been compared from anything from vomit to dog doo-doo in smell!!
Naturally my eyes are drawn to the myriad of bright coloured souvenirs . .
The hubby is not quite as enamoured by yet more lucky Chinese silk knots and tassels – but managed to raise a smile next to this very jolly buddha.
There’s also more traditional items on sale from beautiful Chinese writing, brushes and ink to delicate fans and piles of rice cakes.
Also some poor little flying lizards have become a street snack . . .
But finally we arrive at our destination. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
Built in 2007, the temple gets its name from what the Buddhists regard as the left canine tooth of Buddha, which has been recovered from his funeral pyre in Kushinagar, India and displayed on the temple’s grounds.
On the first floor you’ll find a huge prayer hall that is surrounded by hundreds of little Buddhas.
If you arrive at meal time you’ll be lucky enough to be able to partake in a free vegetarian meal too!!
Sri Mariamman Temple dates back to 1827 and is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.
Beneath the imposing gopura are huge wooden doors. Their massive size is quite deliberate, designed to remind the worshippers of their insignificance in comparison to the divine.
Devotees believe that ringing the bells on the doors will bring good luck.
It’s located in Chinatown and is dedicated to the goddess Mariamman, known for her power to cure illnesses and diseases.
Two nearby streets got their names because of this temple: Temple Street (for obvious reasons) and Pagoda Street, because of the shape of the temple’s gopura.
Now a national monument, much of the present structure is believed to have been built in 1862-1863 by Indian craftsmen.
Highly ornate and colourful ceiling paints abound in the temple. Each one is an eye-catching delight.
Singapore’s Chinatown is known as Niu che shui which literally means ‘ox car water’
This is due to the fact that Chinatown’s water supply was principally transported by animal-driven carts in the 19th century.
We’ve entered Chinatown via Pagoda street, a hectic, shop and restaurant lined thoroughfare.
Pagoda street takes its name from the Sri Mariamman Temple that we’ll visit later. During the 1850s and 1880s, the street was one of the centres of slave traffic
Now however it’s a place to browse for souvenirs, eat and hunt for wall art.
By the 1950s, the shophouses here were mainly involved in retail trade and services.
The architecture of the shophouses on Pagoda Street and other parts of Chinatown originates from the Raffles Town Plan of 1822.
This stipulated the material that should be used to build the shophouses as well as the need to have covered walkways of five-foot width (hence known as “five-foot ways”.
One of my favourite things to do in a new city is just to mooch around and soak up the sights.
In Singapore’s Little India district you are besieged by sights, sounds, smells and colours.
From gorgeous floral garlands for use in temples, weddings and special occasions to piles of fresh, mouth watering produce.
My favourite exotic fruit – the rambutan – is to be found piled high with its prickly little exterior hiding a small, white fruit.
As well as fruit and flowers you can rifle through endless lovely handicrafts from embroidered umbrellas to wooden carvings – fancy a tiger dear . . .?
Even now my mouth waters at the endless selection of fruit juices on offer here.
From honey lemon to sugarcane juice, papaya to lychee, there’s a colourful option for everyone!
Finally before we head off I spot a bucket full of stunning lotus blossoms.
These sculptural blossoms can often be found gracing temples as offerings to deities.
The Lotus flower is regarded in many different cultures, especially in eastern religions, as a symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration and rebirth.
Its characteristics are a perfect analogy for the human condition – even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters, the Lotus produces the most beautiful flower.
If like me you’re reduced to a snap happy frenzy at the sight of some colourful wall art then you’ll be in seventh heaven in Singapore.
We stumbled across these spectacular examples in Little India and naturally I had to spend a while taking some snaps!
These joy filled images are Kathaka by Didier Mathieu aka Jaba – the name is a reference to a type of Indian dance.
You can find them at 68 Serangoon Road, at the junction with Upper Dickson Road
And just across the road is a mural by Eunice Lim called Book-a-Meeting for Artwalk Little India 2018 which is an extension of the 30-year old Siyamala bookstore it is connected to.
I enjoy the cheeky cow seemingly taking a look at the sombre hubby!!!
Singapore is home to endless architectural and cultural delights and the area known as Little India is no exception.
We’re heading to one of the most historic, colourful temples in the area – Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple.
The temple, found onSerangoon Road is one of the oldest temples in Singapore.
The incredibly ornate entrance is known as a Rajagopuram – a tall pyramidal tower built at the main entrance to a Hindu temple.
Built by Indian pioneers who came to work and live here the temple was the first in the serangoon area and became a focus of early Indian Social Cultural activities there.
From the incredibly ornate facade to the colourful interior, the temple is a riot of celebration and human interactions.
One of Singapore’s oldest Hindu temples the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is dedicated to the goddess and destroyer of evil, Kali – or Sri Veeramakaliamman.
Outside in the courtyard, a cornucopia of deities can be found in inglenooks, around the roofline and in every conceivable colour.
Each figure represents a particular deity, that offers a different blessing to their devotees.
Incredibly the images above are actually statues not paintings – the level of detail is incredible.
