Chinese and Japanese Gardens

Beautiful seven story pagoda in the
Singapore Chinese Gardens

I have been wanting to visit the Chinese and Japanese gardens for awhile now, and Thursday I finally got the chance to do it! Emily, Bridie, Daron, Dinesh, and I headed out to the gardens after class. Luckily, it was overcast, so not too hot. The first thing I saw when I stepped onto the grounds was a giant pagoda! We thought it would be good idea to climb to the top, not realizing that the only way to get there was a seven story (or storey, in Singapore) winding staircase. My legs were killing me, but the view from the top was breathtaking! We got a great birds-eye view of the gardens and the city in the background. We walked around the gardens for several minutes and took in the beautiful Chinese buildings and plants. We even saw a huge water monitor lizard! Then we switched over to the Japanese Gardens. They were very 'zen' feeling, with bridges over ponds and rock formations. 

View from atop the Pagoda

I'm glad I got a chance to visit the Chinese and Japanese gardens, however I still liked the Botanical Gardens much more. The Botanical Gardens were put together much better and were much better kept up. I guess I can see botanical gardens all over the world, but there are only a few places where I can find Chinese and Japanese Gardens!

The Singapore Japanese Gardens