By Nicholas Ngan
Gardens by the Bay. One of Singapore's most famous tourist attractions. I am certain that most of us have visited this attraction at least once before, but the question is, are we truly embracing the educational value it has to offer? Behind the trees and flowers hold the mysteries and wonders of nature, for us to experience.
First and foremost, why have we chosen the Gardens by the Bay? Singapore is widely known as a 'Garden City', and this name speaks for itself: flora is found in every corner of our country, from our walkways, our parks, to the corridors of our school. However, the common flora around us feels too 'plain', most of it is enveloped in a green hue, overshadowing the many vibrant colours we are familiar with - red, violet, yellow etc. That is why, at Gardens by the Bay's latest key attraction, the Tulipmania Floral Display, we will not only be able to enjoy the mesmerising shades of colourful tulips, but also enrich ourselves with information on them.
Still, our trip was not all that easy; we had to do many preparations in advance. Firstly, we had to grasp ourselves with a set of precautions on how to enjoy the attraction, including rules like refraining from touching or plucking the tulips at all times and so on. We did not have much time to enjoy ourselves - only being able to spend at most one and a half hours there before going back to school. Hence, we had to familiarise ourselves with the colours and shapes of over 40 types of tulips, so that we will not get lost in the beauty of these flowers, and know what exactly we want to look out for. We also had to remember to bring essentials: snacks and a water bottle to satiate our hunger and quench our thirst, an umbrella to shield ourselves from a sudden storm and a map to know our way through this gargantuan garden.
During our visit, at 3.00pm, we first watched a dance performance with a fairy tale theme; the dancers moved gracefully and joyfully, almost as if from a magical story. The performance was breathtaking, to say the least. After that, we explored our way through the Tulipmania display, admiring the picturesque view of tulips. The whole place looked like a colourful artwork, with colours and paints in the form of tulips. There were also many signs and fact sheets all around the dome to aid our learning. Lastly, at 4.00pm, just when we thought our trip could not get any better, fairy tale characters on stilts, like the Red Riding Hood and Cinderella emerged, making the whole experience feel like being the protagonist of a fairy tale. We ended the day off with a class picture with some of these characters on stilts.
To be honest, our class had a mixed reaction to the trip. Initially, most of the boys thought the trip would be monotonous and boring, since they do not have much interest in fairy tales or flowers. Some of the girls felt excited that they would be entering a mystical world of tulips, while others felt the same as the boys. Looking at pictures of the tulips like the Purple Prince during our research did not help either; the flowers did not look as bewitching as we thought. That was until we actually arrived at the gardens. None of us ever thought that we would have such a blast there! One of our classmates said that the 'Grand Perfection' 'does not live up to its name'. That was until he actually witnessed it in person; to say he was enthralled would be an understatement.
To end off, Singapore definitely has more than meets the eye; Gardens by the Bay is truly a gem of our garden city. My class and I have really learnt so much more about plants and flowers from this trip than any science teacher could ever teach us. The magnificent sight of the flowers was also noteworthy; something that must be experienced in person. If you feel like visiting the Gardens by the Bay, do not wait; and do not hesitate!
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