Supertree Grove At Night

Supertree Grove At Night

These man-made Supertrees are inspired by mature rainforest trees, and provide a home to a great array of plant life. Vertical panels are installed in the trunks of the trees, and are planted with species of bromeliads, orchids, ferns and flowering climbers, all of which do well in a tropical climate. 

Wendy and I have visited Supertree Grove during an earlier visit, and enjoyed the exhilarating music and light show that plays each night. On that occasion, we stayed on the ground, dwarfed by the Supertrees that reach up to 50 meters high; one day, we shall book tickets to the Observatory and experience them up close and personal, where we'll also have some spectacular views of Marina Bay. 

I am sure it will be a memorable experience, and it will be wonderful if we can come back to Singapore one day.

On this visit, as dusk was falling, I took another photograph of the Singapore Flyer, looking through the windows of the Hotel, and Sogu, the lovely chap in charge on Floor 38, took a photo of Mother and Daughter enjoying a glass of Champagne during the Happy Hour. This was followed by the Supertree Grove light shows at 7.45 and 8.45.

I know Supertree Grove is rather distant from the Hotel, but as it is in the centre 

of these pictures, hopefully they will give some idea of the changing light show:

 Blue, Orange, Green, Purple, Red, Yellow

And now...! Because as shown  in the photographs of the illuminated Supertrees appear

as small dots in the middle distance, two pictures have been enhanced and enlarged 

to show everything in more detail:

Multi-coloured display and orange

And, in the words of Bugs Bunny from Loony Tunes cartoons:

"That's all, folks!"

The Singapore Flyer Structure: A Montage

The Singapore Flyer Structure: A Montage

This is a little selection of further photographs from our flight on the Singapore Flyer - a great experience!

In our capsule, climbing higher

A "bird's eye view" of passengers in the adjacent capsule!

...And showing the elegant structure of the flyer...

The lattice work and capsule

Nearly at the apex!

And panoramic views from the top

It must have taken a lot of engineering to work all this out!

The Singapore Flyer

The Singapore Flyer 

My first experience of a giant Ferris wheel was back in April 1968, in Vienna. I have never had much of a head for heights, so it was with some trepidation I went to the Prater, and had my first view of the Riesenrad.

Whilst I was dithering about whether or not I should buy a ticket, I got chatting to a lady and she said she enjoyed going on the wheel; she had not been on it for some time, so would be happy to join me, and keep me company! So, thus emboldened, I bought a ticket; my new friend bought her ticket, and as the next available car came around, we climbed aboard. 

I immediately realised the Viennese Riesenrad was nothing like the big wheels I'd seen in ordinary fairgrounds - the open ones, where you sit two abreast in seats, with legs dangling into thin air - this was enclosed, cosy, and felt very safe; and the views were spectacular!

I watched as we rose higher and higher, and enjoyed the changing panorama as we neared the apex, chatting away to the lovely lady who had given me confidence to go on the ride. Once we were over the top and started the descent, I was really delighted to have overcome my fear, and by the time we reached the ground, I had made a good friend, and we had exchanged addresses. 

Over the years, even though I was back to Durban, we kept in touch, writing regularly to each other. After I returned to England in 1970, I was also able to visit her in Vienna, and meet all her family - a very happy reunion! and I still correspond with her wider family, and have visited them in Vienna as well. 

Since then, I've also enjoyed various "flights" on the London Eye - that's a great experience, too, and we have booked trips both during the day and at night. It's a completely different experience when it's dark, a wonderful time to enjoys the changing nights scenes, looking over London and up and down the Thames, watching all the lights twinkling on the river and all the buildings lit up; so when Wendy said we should take a trip on the Singapore Flyer, I was very keen to go.

Wendy has enjoyed several trips on the Singapore Flyer, and soon organised the tickets for us. There are information halls which provide a history of the creation of the Singapore Flyer, and we took a little time to read about it, but we were more interested in enjoying the actual flight! and I hope the following photographs will give my readers some idea of what we saw during our journey. As I expected, the views were superb; and on any occasion when I enjoy a ride on a giant wheel, I am reminded of my friend all those years ago in Vienna, who first gave me the confidence to step aboard!

Lush vegetation around the Singapore Flyer

The Singapore Flyer Information Halls

Our capsule approacheth!

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Our capsule chariot is nearly here...

And we are up, up and away - on our way!

Part of the Singaporean Grande Prix track

A bird's eye view of a Singapore Flyer capsule

And now we can have the same view as those birds!

Wendy and Alexandra enjoying the ride

Alexandra with a view of the Pan Pacific Hotel