Sentosa Flowers 2012 (圣淘沙春节花会2012) - Enchanted Spring in The Dragon Year

This is my annual pilgrimage every Chinese New Year! And this time, i specially brought my dad along since he is an avid flower lover and has never been to Sentosa Flowers.

Unlike in the past, the point of entry i took this year was via the cable car station. It's not hard to find the venue for Sentosa Flowers 2012 - besides the clear directional signs, there were so many people embarking on the same route as us!

Bundles of heart shaped rose bouquets hanging from the top signal the start of the theme "Sweet Love".

Couples were scrambling to take pictures in front of these supposedly love tunnels. Unfortunately, it would have looked weird to ask someone to take a photograph for my dad and myself.

It's okay; we prefer to look at brightly coloured flowers adorning the area anyway.

And i have always enjoyed taking pictures of others, especially if they are unaware of my presence! Having said that, i am no peeping tom and take no enjoyment in doing such cheap and illegal thrills!

Flower columns flanking "The Dance of The Dragon".

You would have expected something really majestic and spectacular underneath this red tent.

Frankly, i would have been more impressed if this is made of flora or at least decorated with them. This exhibit would have looked more appropriate along siloso beach.

"Tea Journey" was actually quite a good walk where the history of tea was simply explained.

There was even a small area designed to look like a tea plantation!

I heard from the radio station this morning that Sentosa Flowers 2012 has over 100,000 flowers covering 800 different species.

Beds of flowers like the above were common and if not for the crowds, i would have gladly laid down amidst the scented flowers and napped under the hot sun.

Given the tropical temperature we have in Singapore, some species, like peach blossoms, are specially imported only to last for the duration of the flora festival.

Others, like the above, are commonly found in Singapore and used typically for Chinese prayers.

"Dinoland" - not hard to know why this is necessary! Have you ever wondered why the Westerners view dragons as evil, greedy creatures whereas Chinese sees them as auspicious animals?

I like this! Period.

Thanks to television shows, i have always linked sunflowers to cheerfulness, which is one lovely attribute that should have been inbuilt to everyone's personality.

View of the towering Papa Merlion.

Tulips! I think they are real this time. Tulips were imported last year for the same event but unfortunately, all of them wilted on the fourth day.

"Spring Melodies" - hm............. it would be nice to have someone playing traditional Chinese instruments in addition to these Western musical symbols. Damn, i am such a traditionalist!

Dragon fruits artificially held by plastic strips. For me, it's quite an eyesore in spite of the efforts and should be removed. The fruits looked delicious though.

Did I mention my dad loves flowers??

My first impression when i saw this gigantic floral dragon - fungal infection with a feverish hot body and freezing cold paws! Nonetheless, it does look pretty cuddly and drew a really long queue for visitors who could not wait to take a picture with it.

Crowd on the second day of Chinese New Year! Cavin hates crowds and would have taken leave on a weekday if not for the lack of time.... :(

The area surrounding the waterfall was boring this year. Themed as "Dragonflies", it is as it is without any visible floral reference.

This is my usual starting point from Beach monorail station. For first time visitors, i would recommend you start from here as the flow to view each exhibit is smoother.

Maybe due to its proximity to the nearby beaches, this stretch is named "Sea World".

It has styrofoam corals, sea animals like clownfish and crabs adorned with flowers and even bubbles signifying air bubbles under the sea!

To control the human traffic, this stairway up to the main venue only allowed a one-way traffic. This is a fabulous move as i remember how tempers flew in the past when people stopped to take photographs every few meters!

Honestly, the zodiac sign of Dragon is not explored to its full capacity this year and i was kind of disappointed with the number of dragon exhibits using flowers. Such flower fairies would likely only attract children and are too common a feature in gardens.

However, i also wish to state that i understand it is challenging for the organisers and we all know life is never perfect and you can never please everyone.

This is a permanent water feature. And i don't understand why visitors love to touch its spit. If they wish to gain some dragon luck, they should consider opening their mouth and take in the spit at its full force! Haha.

The "Tree of Life" is yet again another permanent exhibit where visitors can write down their new year wishes and hang the charms on the branches.

Each colour has its own representation which is a money making strategy! At S$2 each (i think), I would likely buy all since i would wish for prosperity, wisdom, wealth, love and family in the new year!

Awaken the dragon in the portrait by using the huge-ass brush to light its eyes. Due to its "photographic" value, the queue to take a picture was easily fifty meters long.

The misty walk with orchids. Apart from the fact that orchid [specifically Vanda Miss Joaquim] is the national flower of Singapore, many Singaporeans do not seem to have any affinity with this species.

Dragon Gate - during the imperial times, it's a big deal to pass through the dragon gate as doing so signifies great power and prosperity for the future.

Taken at Resort World Sentosa. This huge revolving structure makes it difficult to take a close-up picture with my dad in it although on its own, it maintains a majestic presence in the sky.

Beautiful dragon near the casino's entrance. Bet there are some fengshui implications for its strategic placement.

Flower mascots were available for visitors to take pictures and i can just imagine how suffering it is to walk in stilts and wear thick, uncomfortable clothing under the hot sun!

By the way, don't assume all the mascots are female. This is a male for goodness sake!

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Location

Sentosa Island

Duration

Till 29 January 2012

Opening Hours

10am to 10pm

Map

As above

Additional Information

My post on Sentosa Flowers 2011 can be read via HERE

My post on Sentosa Flowers 2010 can be read via HERE

My post on Sentosa Flowers 2009 can be read via HERE