The beautiful Garden By the Bay - Singapore

Garden by the Bay is a park on a reclaimed land in central Singapore, adjacent to the Marin a Reservoir. It is a favorite place in Singapore today and It's a 'must.' even if you only have a few hours in Singapore. It is a great sight and it is very close to the Marina Bay Sands hotel at Shoppes at Marina Bay.

the supertrees at night

It is a Singapore's premier urban outdoor recreation space and a national icon too. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden. There is a fee to enter the domes but you can walk around the gardens for free.

The park has proven popular for event planners, with demand so high that the park has to limit the number of events to three per week.

bridge from Marina Bay to The Garden

Flower Dome
It is the lower but larger of the two, at 1.2 hectares  and it is 38 meters high. It maintains a temperature between 23°C and 25°C. It replicates a mild, dry climate and features plants found in the Mediterranean and other semi-arid tropical regions (e.g. parts of Australia, South America, South Africa).

The Flower Dome features 7 different "gardens" as well as an olive grove with a bistro and a central changing display field has also been incorporated to enable flower shows and displays to be held within the conservatory.

Cloud Forest
It is higher but slightly smaller at 0.8 hectares. It replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions between 1,000 meters and 3,000 meters above sea level, found in South-East Asia, Middle- and South America. It features a 42-meter "Cloud Mountain", accessible by an elevator, and visitors will be able to descend the mountain via a circular path where a 35-metre (115 ft) waterfall provides visitors with refreshing cool air.

The "cloud mountain" itself is an intricate structure completely clad in epiphytes such as orchids, ferns, peacock ferns, spike- and clubmosses, bromeliads and anthuriums. It consists of a number of levels, each with a different theme.

The Supertrees
These are tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens' landscape with heights that range between 25 meters and 50 metres. They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens.

The Supertrees are home to enclaves of unique and exotic ferns, vines, orchids and also a vast collection of bromeliads such as Tillandsia, amongst other plants. They are fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees – photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees, such as lighting, just like how trees photosynthesize; and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, exactly like how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories' cooling systems.

the supertress view from bridge

There is an elevated walkway, the OCBC Skyway, between two of the larger Supertrees for visitors to enjoy a breathtaking aerial view of the Gardens. A food and beverage outlet is planned atop the 50-metre (160 ft) Supertree. At night, the Supertrees come alive with a light and music show called the OCBC Garden Rhapsody

This place is very different day and night! Visit the dome in the day time, they have exhibitions sometimes. They had an exhibition in the Flower Dome sometimes.  You will love the exhibition and walk around the Cloud Forest, so paying to get into both Domes were totally worth it. Visit the Supertreea Grove at night, you will love the light against the night.

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source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens_by_the_Bay

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Jalan Alor - Kuala Lumpur - for the atmosphere and the experience local culinary

Jalan Alor is popular among the locals and tourists for offering food served in a traditional open-air atmosphere, with chairs and tables dotting the curbs and road-sides. It is an entire street dedicated to cheap hawker food of mainly local Chinese cuisines. While some hawkers erect stalls along curbs, others operate food stalls from utilitarian restaurants. At night, the place has a very festive atmosphere with red lanterns strung along lamp posts and quite a bit of traffic. The place is teeming with tourists who are looking for a taste of genuine Malaysian cuisine without the high price tag

jalan alor - kuala lumpur

Jalan Alor is a short walk away from the modern shopper’s paradise of the Bukit Bintang Walk and its many malls and plazas. This is a place burgeoning with activity both during night and day. It is quite an overwhelming experience for the first timers, who may have some difficulty on deciding where to eat. . It's generally filled with mostly tourists because they've read about the "experience" of "hawker food stalls". There is a wide array of food to choose from, some of the best being the grilled fresh seafood.

bubble tea stand at jalan alor

You can see hawker stands selling durian fruits, sweetcorn bbq, fried chestnut and bubble ice tea. The culinary are varies, you can try barbecued meats, hanging roasted ducks, hokkien mee, grilled fish, Chinese noodle, fried rice, chicken satay, sweet and sour chicken, the local delicacy Stingray, the sea bass and red snapper came in a garlic and chilly marinade, the garlic kangkong, perhaps the penang fried kway teow and so on. The steamed vegetables, salad and fresh coconut drinks all complemented the fish very well. they will cook for on a big fire and the soup has a good pepper taste and best chicken wings

night live at jalan alor

tips

• They will roller grill fishes on fire but you have to be patience to wait for yours to be ready
• For the atmosphere and the experience, this is as a must-try street culinary for first-time visitors to KL.
• The food is great at an average price. It is not cheap but it is not that expensive. 
• They are selling Durian. It smells odd, but it tastes different. Please don't do this if you have been drinking a beer. it could be one of your worst days.
• It’s easiest to arrive at the Bukit Bintang monorail stop and walk along Bukit Bintang. When you're about the KFC you have to go left and than you have to walk 20 meters and turn to the left.
• Jalan Alor is a street full of Malaysian authentic food like curry laksa, assam laksa etc. It should be an amazing scene for trying Malaysian local foods.

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The KL Monorail - Great fun to travel on!

The KL Monorail is an urban monorail system in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It connects the Kuala Lumpur Sentral transport hub with the "Golden Triangle".  It serves 11 stations running 8.6 km (5 mi) with two parallel elevated tracks that links areas of inner Kuala Lumpur previously not served by rail transport. On  March 2012, KL Monorail was integrated with the Ampang Line light rail transit when the "paid-up" or restricted areas of the Hang Tuah monorail and LRT stations, and also at the Titiwangsa monorail and LRT stations, were physically linked up, allowing transfers without the need to buy new tickets for the first time since the system became operational.

train at Bukit Bintang Station

The stations are designed as elevated structures with ticketing facilities on either the ground level (as seen in the KL Sentral station) or the first-floor level. The platforms are on the top floor, separated from the monorail lines with fencing and covered with a large canvas roof. Certain stations are situated above roadways, or are slightly longer than others. Each station is also designated with a sponsor, with route maps associating each station with a particular product brand.

bukit bintang station

The monorail of Malaysia was made famous by the film entrapment in 1999 starring sean connery and catherine zeta jones) and remains one of the icon of kuala lumpur. The 11 stations located along the route alignment are as follows:

1.KL Sentral – Next to KL Sentral at Jalan Tun Sambanthan.  Monorail is not connected to KL Central. You stop at last station named Brickfields , then you should walk to KL central.

At KL Central, you can go to and from the airport Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). It is about 70km south of the city centre. If you are near to KL Sentral or can get there easily, the fastest way is the high-speed KLIA Ekspres train, which costs RM35 and takes 28 minutes. If you are far from the centre of town, a taxi may be easier or faster. Fare and journey time depend on distance and traffic, but a typical trip costs RM65 and takes one hour. AirAsia flights use the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT),which is not served by the train. Skybus routes from KL Sentral to LCCT cost RM9 and take 70 minutes.

At Brickfields area,  there are a lot of the Indian restaurants. You can enjoy the roti canai that serve with fish, chicken, mutton or dhal curry. Or you can have another dishes of the thosai that is served with chutney (made of coconut).

2.Tun Sambanthan – Next to the Methodist Girls School in Brickfields.  There is  an architectural beauty known as the Sri Kandaswamy Temple. Located within ten minutes, this temple was built back in 1903 and its design was inspired by a temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

3.Maharajalela – Next to Stadium Negara (National Stadium), near China Town (Petaling Street).

4.Hang Tuah – Next to Ampang LRT line, near to Pudu Prison. In 1996, after 101 years as a prison, Pudu Prison was formally closed, It was used as a museum for a period in 1997.  In June 2010, the eastern wall of the Pudu Prison complex was destroyed to make way for a road-widening project.[1] By December 2012, all buildings within the Pudu Prison complex were completely demolished, with only a part of the exterior wall and main gate still standing.

5.Imbi – Between Plaza Berjaya and Berjaya Times Square.

monorail train at berjaya time square

6.Bukit Bintang - Between Sungei Wang Plaza and Lot 10 shopping centre. This is the hub for shopaholics and epicureans. Walking distant from the monorail stop, just along the streets at Jalan Bukit Bintang, are the Sungei Wang Plaza, Lot 10, Bukit Bintang Plaza, Starhill, Low Yat Plaza and Bintang Walk. From IT gadgets to kitchen ware and branded clothes, you can get it all at these outlets.

imbi station

7.Raja Chulan – Between Crowne Plaza Hotel and Menara Promet. The station is one of four Kuala Lumpur Monorail stations that serves the Kuala Lumpur Golden Triangle locality, the other three being the Bukit Bintang station (500 metres away), the Imbi station, and the Hang Tuah station

8.Bukit Nanas – Near Concorde Hotel.  Just a 5 minutes’ walk from the Bukit Nanas stop is the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve, a virgin tropical rainforest getaway in the heart of bustling Kuala Lumpur. This approximately 11ha tropical rainforest also has a trail that leads to Kuala Lumpur Tower in 30 minutes. You get to see the tower, among the many things and trek at a place surrounded by lush greeneries. Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve is open every day from 9am to 5pm.

inside train

9.Medan Tuanku – Near Sheraton Imperial Hotel. The famous Asian Heritage Row, located at Jalan Doraisamy is a stone’s throw from the Medan Tuanku monorail stop. Heritage Row displays a stretch of happening clubs that plays retro, R&B, techno and contemporary music. You can pick your genre of music from about 20 clubs/bistros available there. Just to name a few – Bar Savanh, Loft, Sunshine and The Rupee Room has among the best music for you to rock the dance floor all night long.
All you need here is your dancing feet. The clubs here open till 2am.

10.Chow Kit – At intersection of Jalan Ipoh, Jalan Pahang, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, and Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz.

11.Titiwangsa – At Jalan Tun Razak, next to Ampang LRT line.  from this station take Bus #120 or walk (20-30min, need to cross some major roads) to Lake Titiwangsa, also known as Taman Tasik Titiwangsa. It is a recreational park and lake north of downtown Kuala Lumpur with good photo opportunities and the adjacent Istana Budaya, an arts and culture centre.

Istana Budaya, an arts and culture center with galleries and theatre (concerts and musicals) is also there. It is the big building with the jagged blue roof

Tips:

• At rush hour, the train is very crowded. if you like watching people goes by and took some street photos, it is a good time to go here.
• Trains run from 6am to midnight, every 2-5 minutes during peak hours and 5-10 minutes off-peak.
• The fares range from RM1.20 to RM2.50, which can be paid using single-journey tickets, Stored Value Cards (which cannot be used on RapidKL LRT's), and with Touch 'N Go Cards (which can be use on the LRT as well as other selected places). Great fun to travel on!

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