It's like Avatar meets Jurassic Park...no, I'm to talking about movies. Rather, I'm talking about a visual feast for the eyes, Singapore's Gardens by the Bay. A large waterfront park that spans several acres, Gardens by the Bay is anything but boring. There are several gardens within the park - for example, the Flower Dome where unique species of spring flowers are perpetually in bloom inside a glass dome, Cloud Forest which mimics a lush, green forest with a waterfall and rare foliage, and Supertree Groves that are described as "vertical gardens" up to 50 meters tall. All of these are microenvironments housing species of plants not typically seen in this part of the world. The whole feel of the place is somewhat out of this world, futuristic, fantastical. I'm not one to get particularly excited by plants and trees. But as I walked around Gardens by the Bay, the PhD microbiologist in me couldn't help but feel awestruck. Clearly, this was no trivial undertaking. A lot of thought and planning must have gone into creating what they call an environmentally sustainable area with a team of plant experts, environmentalists, and engineers. Gardens by the Bay is truly astounding - highly recommend visiting this place if you're a tourist in Singapore!

Travel tip: If you have to pick from one of the two, I would suggest seeing Cloud Forest over Flower Dome. Also, for $5 you can take a walk around the skyway that connects the Supertree Groves. Very cool, indeed.

The giant Supertree Groves

Flowers aplenty in the Flower Dome

Inside Cloud Forest - my favorite part of Gardens by the Bay

Even Baby K got excited by the flowers around him

View of Gardens by the Bay at night (the two domes are Cloud Forest and Flower Dome and the blue specks on the right are the Supertree Groves lit up at night)