Botanical Museum.

Yes, you read it correctly. No, it’s not a place for fossilized plants. What you can see instead fresh and blooming. Am I referring to the Singapore Botanic Gardens? Actually yes, I took these photos in the Singapore Botanic Garden, but I do prefer it to call it the Botanical Museum.

The origin of the term? It started with a conversation I had with a Singapore-based friend, whom I fondly call XVeggie (I need to write another blog post just to explainthe reason behind that nickname):

Aoi (me): Hey, let’s go to the Botanicals and have some photo session

XVeggie (still dizzy from work): Botanicals? What are the things we can see there?

Aoi (blink* blink): Uhmm…dinosaurs?

XVeggie (serious now): Like a museum?

Aoi: (evil straight face) Uhmm… yeah.

I never managed to persuade XVeggie to come with me. I ended up going alone to the Botanical Garden. I got lost ( I do have a lousy sense of direction). The place is quite huge — it’s divided into three sections, with each section showcasing a variety of horticultural species. The wide variety of plants and flowers available is enough to awaken my inner botanist.

Or my inner nature photographer for that matter:

Travel Note: If you want to know more about the Singapore Botanic Gardens, you can visit its website at http://www.sbg.org.sg/

Here’s the Google Map on the Singapore Botanic Gardens:

http://maps.google.com/maps?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=singapore+botanic+gardens&fb=1&split=1&cid=0,0,12765544445366081550&ei=hmRgSqyzIJDy6gORi8iqCw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1

Opening hours: 5 am to 12 midnight daily
Admission Fee: Free

How to get there:

By Car:
Car Parking Facilities are available at the Singapore Botanic Gardens’ Visitor Centre, Bukit Timah Car Park at Bukit Timah Core, Botany Centre, Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden and Public Parking along Tyersall Avenue.

By Bus:
Get to the Gardens by Public Bus
via Holland Road or Bukit Timah Road.

Via Holland Road: Take any of the following – SBS Transit 7, 105, 123, 174 or SMRT 75, 77, 106

Via Bukit Timah Road: Take any of the following SBS Transit 66, 151, 153, 154 or SMRT 67, 171

By Taxi:
There is a Taxi Drop-Off and Pick-Up point at the Visitor Centre along Cluny Road.