Singapore - Part 2

Here is the second part of our trip to Singapore with Elder and Sister Chiu.  This time we will show only a few pictures of the plants and animals that we saw while visiting the River Safari, Flower Dome, Cloud Dome and Jurong Bird Park.

The River Safari is a river-themed zoo and aquarium located in Singapore.  It is the first of its kind in Asia and features freshwater attractions and river boat rides as its main highlights.  The park consists of a total of 10 different ecosystems around the world, including the River Nile, Yangtze river, Mississippi, Amazon as well as the Tundra. It features 5000 animals of 300 species, including numerous that are endangered. 

The Amazon Flooded Forest exhibit, which houses the manatees and various South American fish, contains 2,000 m (71,000 cu ft) of water and has a viewing panel that measures 22 m × 4 m (72 ft × 13 ft). Its volume and the size of the viewing panel are both world records for a freshwater aquarium.

Getting ready for the River Safari, this was not the boat we actually rode in.

Squirrel Monkeys trying to distract us from reading the signs.

We were inside the area with the monkeys free roaming in the trees.

This monkey was by a monkey exhibit but not inside the enclosure.  Not sure if he had escaped or was a local resident visiting.  When leaving the park we saw wild monkeys run across the road.

A Jaguar we saw on the Safari.

Elder Sorensen sizing up a Mekong Catfish while thinking "Where is my fishing pole".

Manatees.

One of the Pandas enjoying his lunch while laying on his back.

Picture with the Pandas, the real Pandas are the ones in front.

Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 101 hectares (250 acres) of reclaimed land in central Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. Gardens by the Bay is part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a "Garden City" to a "City in a Garden". The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city.

The conservatory complex at Gardens by the Bay comprises two cooled conservatories – the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest.  Both are very large (around 1 hectare (2.5 acres)) and the Flower Dome is the world's largest columnless glasshouse.

Panoramic view of Gardens by the Bay with Supertrees in the center and the Flower Dome and Cloud Dome on the left in the back.

Cloud Dome on the Cleft, Flower Dome Center, Supertrees right.

The Flower Dome is the larger of the two, at 1.2 hectares (3.0 acres). It replicates a mild, dry climate and features plants found in the Mediterranean and other semi-arid tropical regions (e.g. parts of Australia, South America, South Africa).  The Flower Dome is 38 metres (125 ft) high and maintains a temperature between 23 °C and 25 °C, slightly lower at night.

Sister Chiu with Alice in Wonderland.  Notice all the live plants everywhere.

Elder Chiu singing opera with The Queen of Hearts.

These were live trees inside the dome.

Dragon in a tree.

You thought Santa's Cabin was in the North Pole and here it is in Singapore.

The Cloud Forest is slightly smaller at 0.8 hectares (2.0 acres). It replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions between 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above sea level, found in South-East Asia, Middle- and South America. The "Cloud Mountain" itself is an intricate structure completely clad in epiphytes such as orchids, ferns, peacock ferns, spike- and clubmosses, bromeliads and anthuriums.  It consists of a number of levels, each with a different theme.

Sister Chiu and Sister Sorensen inside the Cloud Dome.

 

Looking down on a couple having wedding pictures taken inside the dome.

All of this mountain is live plants.

Looking at the mountain of flowers from higher up.

Beautiful flowers and unique flower pots.

 The following pictures some of the flowers we saw in the Cloud Dome.

It is hard to show in a picture all of the plants that were inside the Cloud Dome and how large it is but this is just a small part of it.

Supertree Grove

Supertrees are tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens' landscape with heights that range between 25 metres (82 ft) and 50 metres (160 ft). They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens.  The Supertrees are home to enclaves of unique and exotic ferns, vines, orchids and also a vast collection of bromeliads such as Tillandsia, amongst other plants. They are fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees – photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees, such as lighting, just like how trees photosynthesize; and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, exactly like how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories' cooling systems.

A Supertree at night.  The green is live plants.

Jurong Bird Park is now a world-famous bird zoo where there are specimens of magnificent bird life from around the world.  It is currently the world's largest bird park in terms of the number of birds, and second largest both in the number of bird species and land area. There are 5,000 birds of 400 species of which 29 are threatened species.  The African Waterfall Aviary is the second largest walk-in aviary in the world, covering 2 hectares (4.9 acres) and including more than 600 free-flying birds of more than 50 species. The aviary is named after the 30-metre (98 ft) tall Jurong Falls, one of the world's tallest man-made waterfalls. 

Entrance to the Jurong Bird Park.

Live Flamingos.

Amazing colors of birds.

We enjoyed being inside the enclosures with many of the birds and not just looking in.

Elder and Sister Chiu and Sister Sorensen on the bridge in front of Jurong Water Falls mentioned earlier as one of the world's tallest man-made waterfalls.

This bird actually had a hanging nest close by.

Walking in the tree canopy among the birds was amazing.

So many different colors in one bird.

Beautiful.

Sister Sorensen and Sister Chiu feeding birds.

Singapore - Part 1

The Hong Kong Temple was closed for maintenance in November so we took the opportunity to go to Singapore with Elder and Sister Chiu who also serve as missionaries in the temple and live in Singapore.  We had a wonderful experience in Singapore and seeing another part of the world.  Singapore (the main Island) is a small Island on the southern tip of Malaysia.  It is only about 25 kilometers wide and 45 kilometers long.  We found it to be a very modern city with more green areas and cleaner air than Hong Kong.  There were lots of places to visit but since we were there only one week we only saw part of it.  Below are a few facts about Singapore.

·         Singapore is made up of one main island and 63 other tiny islands. Most of the islands of the country are uninhabited.  ·The main religions of Singapore are Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Taoism and Hindusim.  ·Singapore's residents are mainly descendants of immigrants from the Malay Peninsula, China and the Indian sub-continent.   ·The symbol of Singapore is ‘The Merlion’, half-fish and half-lion beast.   ·English is the official working language as well as the most widely spoken language of Singapore. Malay, Mandarin (Chinese) and Tamil form the other official languages of the country.  ·Bukit Timah Hill, 164 meters (538 feet) high, forms the highest natural point in Singapore.   ·Singapore is counted amongst the 20 smallest countries of the world. However, it is the second most densely populated country in the world, after Monaco.   ·         Around 90 percent of the people in Singapore live in public housing flats.

   Sitting in Hong Kong International Airport getting ready for our flight.  From left to right, Josephine (Chiu's daughter), Joann (granddaughter), Elder Chiu (Sister Chiu took the photo) and Elder & Sister Sorensen.  Josephine and Joann came to visit Elder & Sister Chiu for awhile and are currently living in Orem, Utah.

Sister & Elder Chiu & Sister & Elder Sorensen.  Food was a big part of the trip.

   More of Chiu's family.  The boy on the left in red is Hyrum, Chiu's oldest grandson, and was baptized while we were there.  We enjoyed attending his baptism and joining the family after for a special meal at the Mariott.

The Merlion is the national personification of Singapore.

Its name combines "mer", meaning the sea, and "lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name—Singapura—meaning "lion city" or "kota singa".

  We are standing in front of the gate to the residence of the President of Singapore.  We were not invited in.

       Sister Sorensen can make friends with anyone in the universe.  (These were part of the advertising campaign for the release of the new Star Wars Movie in Singapore).

   Trying different foods was a big part of the adventure and Chius knew the best places to go.  This small cafe was very popular for Chinese food.  The pot in the middle has charcoal under it to keep the soup warm.  It was all really good.  Notice Sister Sorensen's hand on the left of the picture with chopsticks.

This was an Indian meal with rice, meat, bread and curry.

  We tried a bite of this stingray.  The stingray wasn't bad but the spice on top was way to hot.

We didn't try this but thought it was an interesting food for sale.  There were several other flavors of fish skin available.

    Young coconut.  You get to drink the water and eat the coconut flesh which is lots better than the old coconuts you buy in the states.  The green drink is made from raw sugar cane and very good.

   This is Durian fruit which some people call the king of fruits.  People either hate it or love it.  It has a very strong odor and has been described as rotten onions, turpentine and raw sewage.  The odor can last quite awhile and you are not allowed to take durian on public transportation such as trains or buses.

    Members in the Philippines had tried to get us to try Durian but we always declined but since Sister Chiu had been so good as our guide we gave in and tried it.  She told us that after the third bite we would be hooked.  My impression was that it got worse with each bite.  All Sister Sorensen would say was "mmmmmmmmm".  When asked if that meant good or bad all she would say was "mmmmmmmmm".

   Singapore is very multicultural.  This was a group of Muslim school children.  The girls are wearing a Hijab on their heads.  The minority groups seem to fit into Singapore's society quite well.  In Hong Kong if we saw a woman wearing a Hijab she would only be a domestic worker (maid) but in Singapore we saw them working in a wide variety of jobs.

The food street in Little China.

This is in Little India.  There were more elephants than these.

We visited an Indian temple.

A part of the Indian Temple where marriages take place.

A sign in the train station indicating which stop we are at in both English and Chinese.

Same train stop only with English and Tamil (Indian).

This is how far south Singapore is in Asia.

Loved being on the beach, we didn't get to go snorkeling though.

A view of the ocean showing lots of ships.

This is the vehicle that we rode in during our Duck Tour, so named because we toured on land and water.  It is actually an American Amphibious vehicle that was used during the Vietnam War.  We rode down the roads of Singapore then right into a reservoir where we saw some of the sights from the water.  We then drove back onto the land and saw more sights.  It was a fun tour.   Below is a video of a Duck Boat going into the water right after we did.

   This is the Marina Bay Sands Casino.  There are only two Casinos in Singapore but they are still third in the world for gambling.  It was interesting to find out that if you live in Singapore you have to pay S$100 per day to gamble but there is no charge if you live outside Singapore.  Almost like the government is discouraging people from Singapore against gambling.

  All of these buildings are government housing.  As mentioned before close to 90% of the people in Singapore live in government housing.  New buildings are under construction in the center of this picture.  When buildings are 30 to 40 years old they are torn down and new ones built so about the only old buildings we saw were historical buildings that had been preserved.

This is a park we walked through on our way to church.  Even with the dense population there were plenty of green spaces and parks interspersed between buildings. 

One view of night lights over the water.