Made in Singapore: The Iconic Super Trees at Gardens by the Bay

Stunning. Out of this world. Eye-catching. Grand. Ingenious.

These and other words characterized my first impressions of Singapore's futuristic Super Trees in Bay South, located not far from the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

English theologian Gilbert Chesterton is quoted as saying. "There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds." It was clear that the architects of this spot freed themselves from pure convention, giving themselves permission to transcend status-quo reality. By doing so they created a destination like none other anywhere.

When I posted on Facebook my first picture of the scene before me one of my former students in South Korea exclaimed, "Avatar trees!" 

This was breath-taking on a grand scale. Talk about being on Cloud-Nine! I certainly was.

My decision to come for a visit was late in the day, and rather spontaneous. I did not have the time that afternoon to visit the Flower Dome or the Cloud Forest. I reserved those destinations, along with the sky park at Marina Sands, for my final full day.

That was rained out -though at least Singapore emerged from its worst dry spell in 154 years. So, I promise to return!

At the time I was staying in the Centrepoint Apartments off Orchard Road. I was looking for an escape from the touristy throngs, the ostentatious shopping malls and unabashed traffic.

After departing the MRT station, I walked through the convention center. This is just one section of it. 

 I raced by the Singapore Flyer and found my way to the Super Trees.

The Super Trees. Note the skywalk connecting them. I would traverse it a little later,. In doing so I would confront my fear of heights. 

I learned from one of the park staffers that the area is on reclaimed land. A global competition was launched by the Singaporean government in 2005 for this project. This took imagination.

As the Lion City is a sprawling metropolis of 4.8 million people on an area the size of the Hawaiian island of Molokai, efforts are being made to transform the "Garden City" into a "City in a Garden." Anything that can be done to grace this city or any other with additional greenery is worth it.

What we have here is not an end-result but rather a process, one that will improve the quality of life for Singaporeans and visitors alike. This represents a grand first-step.

As I strolled around the bases of the Super Tree structures I was impressed by their height. They range from 82 feet to 160 feet high. Each functions as a vertical garden. All feature a variety of flowering plants, vines, ferns, and bromeliads -pineapple, which we are quite familiar with in Hawaii, is an example.

The trees also serve environmental purposes and functions associated with the nearby Cloud Forest and Flower Dome (seen above from the Super Tree Skywalk). 

The creators of the super trees adapted them to serve, or I should say imitate, the natural functions of trees. Photovoltaic cells are used to pull in energy from the sun. The collected energy is distributed throughout the gardens for various purposes. These included irrigation, fountains, collection of rainwater and so on. It's been many years since I was in a biology class, but I could understand that this was all an attempt to mimic the process of photosynthesis. It appeared to be going well.

By the time I arrived many local residents and visitors alike were enjoying afternoon strolls. I noted a line to the base of one of the larger super trees.

People were queuing up to ride the elevator or walk the stairs to the elevated skyway. I paid my SG$5.00 for a ticket and took my place in line. One little boy was running around, much to the consternation of his parents. He finally stopped causing his mom and dad to work overtime when he encountered me. There wasn't a blond, green-eyed soul around so I suppose he found this resident space-alien worth a study. In hindsight I should have moved my face closer to his and said, "Jeffy, phone home! Phone home!"  ;)

After waiting in line for roughly thirty minutes I rode the elevator with a group of my fellow visitors. 

When I emerged from the elevator this is part of what I saw. The sun was rapidly setting. The ever-present 'haze' from Sumatra partially blotted the moon. The views from up on high were amazing. Quite breathtaking! 

A few of us exchanged cameras and took photos of each other. That's me with the skywalk, other super trees and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel behind me. 

After I posted this picture on Facebook my younger sister Tracy in Paris remarked that "you look gr8!!"  Xie-xie! Thank you! Merci!

And then there it was: the skywalk. Here is where things got a little complicated.

You see, I have a fear of heights. Or, more accurately, a fear of falling. Uh oh!

As I snapped photos of the surrounding vistas I noticed young and mature alike making the journey from one end of the skywalk to the other. I saw staff members dressed in special self-identifying apparel urging visitors along. The path becomes narrower near the middle with just enough clearance for one person to move by.

I was alone that evening. I did not have anyone around who would do the honors of encouraging me. Sure, I would have liked to have someone there providing me assuring words that I could make it and all would be fine. I was to be my own personal coach. "You can do it! You can do it! I will catch you!" 

As the skies darkened I finally summoned the nerve to make the journey. It was a spontaneous decision. I forced myself not to look down, but instead to look out and across towards faraway buildings and the horizon. I held the railings rather loosely as a man walking in front of me was doing. That in itself was reassuring; I was not bearing these difficulties alone.

Without doubt the most annoying aspect of this exercise was running into fellow visitors who blocked the way -and did not notice. I would just stand there, smile, and wait. People usually got the message rather quickly.

I encountered a woman with camera in hand. She continued her photo taking at the narrowest point of the sky path. It took her a couple of minutes to realize she was blocking the way. Did the fact I had a line of reinforcements behind me help? Two came to me later and mentioned that they were following my example. That was flattering!

Fortunately, one of the Gardens staff with his Jedi-Knight styled flashlight wand came and urged her on.

About ten minutes later I emerged on the other side. I was elated! I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I noticed some light smiles on the faces of my fellow sky trekkers, too.

It was just at that point a Gardens staffer approached me with a big smile. "You better get to the ground level. The light show is about to start!" 

So, I dashed down the stairs. I needed to run-off my nerves anyway.

The Super Trees were coming alive! The Grand Rhapsody and evening light show was underway. It was bold, majestic, assertive and amazing -and free. Many families and groups took positions on the ground. I found a place and relaxed.

My camera could not do proper service to this experience. I think the fact my camera's batteries were running low did not help.  Instead, click this link to YouTube and enjoy the light show. 

It was time to go back to my apartment off Orchard Road. The Super Trees were brightly lit, as was the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel in the background.

As I bid a final farewell to the super tree grove two words came to mind: It's great! 

I felt elated by my experience. The light show, the fact that I conquered one of my worst fears on the sky walk, the friendly visitors and staff I shared my time with, the great photo shots of the trees, and learning about how sustainable technologies were being used in such an ingenious way made it all worthwhile. 

True, my visit to Gardens by the Bay was incomplete without the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. Those will be high on my list when I return to the Lion City again. 

The super trees roared with excitement! It was hard to leave. Will I be back? You betcha!