outing at gardens by the bay.

we popped by gardens by the bay 2 Saturdays ago. I had actually wanted to post this a week before but the lj app ate up my post when it crashed on me while I was reading my friend’s entry. so this is my second attempt at posting this and hopefully, I could still remember the details that I wanted to blog about.

I have been wanting to check the place out. it was a perfect day to visit, having rained in the late morning before and the skies were a little on the gloomy side with the sun peeking out randomly from the clouds.

 

the first thing we did was to look for food. I was famished. we havent had lunch and it was already past 2pm when we left the house. unfortunately, being our first time there.. I didn’t find the map useful in locating the eateries. I saw the signs and followed it but got lost halfway. the map indicated it was the spot where we were, but I didn’t see it anywhere and eventually found only bakerinz and settled for that. turns out, we were right on spot where the eateries were, but a level above! argh.

der’s aglio olio with bacon, ham and mushroom.

my aglio olio with only mushrooms. these days, my food choices have dwindled much and I feel upset since I wasn’t able to enjoy my food as much as before. der’s version was definitely much tastier and flavourful with the added saltiness from the ham and bacon. mine was just bland.

our bruschetta, who came way after we finished our pasta..

his root beer float and my house lemonade. I also ordered a lychee tea which didn’t come much later because the server didn’t take my order even though he repeated it. the service was rather blah and when I paid, they charged me the full price even though there was supposed to be a discount with the credit card i used. der’s face was so black from waiting and struggling with a screaming toddler that wanted out of the place. I doubt we’ll be back. the food wasn’t fantastic here, and the slow service really don’t cut it for hungry folks.

jerry checking out the fountain. it was hilarious watching him. when the water stopped, he takes a few steps forward to investigate and takes a few steps backwards when the water comes jetting out. Der and me just stepped aside and laugh at the little one. his reactions are so funny.

he eventually decided that it was scary and went to hide under Der’s legs and wouldnt go near despite our prompting.

 

the place is huge! there are loads of grounds to cover and we didn’t plan to visit any of the observatories. we didn’t think jerry would be able to appreciate it anyway and we had a dinner appointment to go after. we let him loose to run about but our progress is rather slow.

 

this kid is quite an observer. he just stands rooted to one spot, observe his surroundings before deciding where to go next. and then.. he runs!

love his rosy cheeks here!

posing for daddy. he discovered that the drain covers give a different feedback sound as compared to the rest of the grounds and kept stomping around in joy.

stomp stomp stomp.

camwhore shot. I think I havent done this in ages! pardon my bare face. only had sunblock and some blusher on. hmm..on second look, my face looks like its plaqued with red freckles.

one of those rare mother and son shots. I’m usually the one that fishes out the phone to take pictures and have been complaining to the Der that he doesn’t shoot us enough! my boy obviously not interested here. he also hates the hat and kept throwing it on the ground.

even the manhole covers are gardens by the bay themed.

skyline with mbs in the background. you can also see bits of the ocbc skyway to the left, which we didn’t attempt either.

literally on the loose. he invited quite a bit of stares because everyone were looking at the kid and probably wondering where the parents are. we observed quietly from afar and just let him be. we also usually dont fuss when he falls because he knows how to pick himself up, but usually will intervene if there’s danger (like getting close to stuff like stairs or escalators), or when he seemed lost or has hurt himself badly and crying after a fall.

checking out stuff at his eye level..

knock knock!

checking out the displays.

at some point in time, he even attempted to climb in.

a shot of the golden garden against one of the domes.

mbs from afar..

 

it was getting hot and sweaty (with all that chasing after the kiddo), we decided to call it a day. we’ll be back soon. I very much want to see the dragonfly island and walk the rest of the grounds. its also a great place for jerry to run about because the vastness of space is something not easily found elsewhere! i’ll leave the observatories to the times where my overseas guests would want to visit.

 

meanwhile, if you are keen on visiting, here’s some useful information.

 

opening hours:
entire garden/carparks – 5am to 2am (no, its not a typo)
flower dome/cloud forest/ocbc skyway – 9am to 9pm daily

 

admission to the outdoor garden is free. children under 3 is also not chargeable.

 

for local residents, its $12 or $20 for 1 or 2 conservatories respectively. the ocbc skyway is $5. for seniors (60 and above), is $8, $15 & $5. for children aged 3-12, its $8, $12 & $3.

 

the standard rate is only available for 2 conservatories at $28 (both adults and seniors) and $15 for kids. no difference is the price for ocbc skyway as the locals.

 

hope this helps if you are planning to visit! or you can pop over to their website to find out more!