Photo taken by Jon Van Tango (Flickr)

Are you visiting Singapore? Welcome  to our tiny red dot.

Are you going to be here long? No? Just in transit? What a shame. There are lots to see and explore here. Well, never mind, there's still some interesting places to see in one day. There's the Singapore Zoological Garden, or if you want a relaxing stroll in the city, you can try our Botanical Gardens.

The Singapore Botanical Gardens is opened from 5 am to midnight daily, so you might just want to begin the day with the birds chirping and the sun rising over the trees.

Its history

An Agri-Horticultural Society founded one of the oldest gardens, if not the oldest in Singapore, the Singapore Botanical Gardens at its present site in 1859. It then evolved from a leisure and ornamental park under the Society, under which flower shows and horticultural fetes were organized, to having a scientific mission when the colonial government took over management and care of the Gardens in 1874. Kew-trained botanists and horticulturists were then sent to administer the Gardens.

The Gardens have gone through many stages of changes in its history due to its dedicated administrators or directors.

One of its most well-known directors was Mr Henry Nicholas Ridley who came in 1888.

Ridley was the man who introduced the rubber trees to the Malaya's planters. He devised successful propagation methods and found a way to harvest commercial quantities of latex without harming or killing the trees during the 1890s and early 1900s.

His persistence persuasion of the Malaya's plantation owners to grow rubber trees on a large scale was generally ignored until the early 1900s when their coffee plantations were devastated by disease and these plantation owners desperately needed a new cash crop. It was also at this time that the automobile industry boomed, resulting in an increased demand for rubber.

Due to Ridley's foresight, the Singapore Botanical Gardens was ready when the rubber rush came. The Gardens had a ready source of seed supply since Ridley had turned the Gardens forest clearings and wasteland over to rubber plantation. The Gardens' revenue multiplied as the region became a major market for the rubber trade and the plants at the Botanic Gardens became the basis for Southeast Asia's rubber industry, an industry that generated fortunes.

Directors who came after Ridley had also each contributed their own marks in making the Gardens what it is today, a centre for research, education and conservation.

What to see at the Gardens?

The Singapore Botanical Gardens has many paths winding through its many gardens with different themes. Seats are provided at intervals for when you need to take a rest. Public facilities and amenities were also well provided.

Singapore Botanical Gardens can be divided into three main cores.

There is the Tanglin Core where one can find the Swan Lake and where the Vanda Ms Joaquim is displayed. The Central Core, where the Palm Valley is located with more than 115 genera and over 220 species of palms are on displayed, is also where you can find the “only piece of original jungle left on the island”. More than 314 species of tropical vegetation jostle for space in this 6-hectare of primeval forest.

Spreading over 3 hectares with over 60,000 colourful orchids on display, the National Orchid Garden is also situated in the Central Core. If you don't have time to visit other parts of the Botanical Gardens, you should at least visit this Orchid Garden. There is a small entrance fee but it is well worth it. The Orchid Cool House is also within this garden - a glass conservatory display of orchids and other plants from the tropical highlands.

The VIP Orchid Garden boasts of hybrids that are named after heads of states including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and Lady Margaret Thatcher, celebrities and dignitaries.

The Bukit Timah Core is relatively new compared to the other two and it lacks the tall majestic trees you can find in the Tanglin Core and the Central Core. Here is where you can find the Children's Garden, bamboo, medicinal plants, fruit trees and other cash crops.

Photo by aymanshamma (Flickr)

Beautiful sculptures like the Girl on Swing above are scattered throughout the gardens to be enjoyed by visitors.

New attractions, such as the Ginger Garden, Evolution Garden, Coolhouse and the Children's Garden are being added to keep the Gardens relevant as a tropical botanical institution of international renown, a key tourist destination and a flagship park.

So, come, come and enjoy our beautiful gardens.

Consider what your preferences are; is it swimming, fishing, golf relaxation, river trekking, and mountain climbing? Make up your mind on this point first and once you have decided on the type of vacation you want to - then choose the spot that will give you exactly what you want. Check the location and the facilities and the most important is the price.

After you have selected the exact spot for vacation, you decide on the best way to go. Should you drive, fly, or go by train or avail of the public transport or service? Which way offers the best roads that is safe and in case you have an emergency there would be people around to ask for some help. Consider also the fact that the prettiest scenery is not always the best place to go - check the surroundings and history of the place before spending a night or two with friends and loved ones.

If the trip to your destination is more than you can accomplish at one time, break up the trip into sections. Plan ahead in one day how far you would go to particular scenery and how you would enjoy and use the facilities there. Select in advance where you would stop and rest and then plan the activities for the succeeding days.

Before leaving the home make sure that somebody would look after the house and make sure that you turned off the heater, air conditioning system, and unnecessary lights. This is to ensure that you would still have a house to return to.

Do no forget to bring first aid kit and medicines for upset stomach, ulcer, headaches, pain reliever, lotion, sun-block, vaporizing ointment; the toiletries such as toothpaste, mouthwash and toothbrush. Women may bring along your very own vanity kit.

Remember to watch each other's back all the time and headcount is a must for every trip. If someone is missing, stop and look for that person and never leave until everybody is complete. Do not make assumption. Instead - check the real whereabouts of the missing person; check his or her belongings, the last time and place where he or she was seen.

If all efforts have already been made - seek professional help by calling the proper authorities within the area or the police. Have fun but be safe all the time.