Jogging in the City (Gardens by the Bay & Marina Barrage) in Singapore #jogging

The opportunity to stay at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) means another chance to jog in the city; albeit this time round, I shall explore the area behind of MBS, where Gardens by the Bay & Marina Barrage are.

Journey starts from the drop-off point of Marina Bay Sands Tower 3, where our room is. Alex was supposed to join me but he decided to laze around in the hotel which was also his favourite activity whenever we were overseas.

Pathway alongside the three towers, end of which is a smoking area; those who can't stand breathing in second hand smoke might want to avoid / take in a deep breath and keep it in for ten seconds as you jog past. 

I prefer such skies when I am jogging; not too sunny with some clouds to shield me from the sun rays that could damage my ageing retinas. 

Awaiting for the traffic lights to turn in my favour; this crossing shall bring me to Gardens by the Bay! Despite opening for nine years, I have yet to explore every every nook and cranny; preferring to spend my time at the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest conservatories instead. 

Another 'backside' view of Marina Bay Sands. 

Officially in Gardens by the Bay; so this is where Floral Fantasy is? I recall seeing this attraction whenever I was checking out the ticket pricing for the conservatories although I didn't "add-on" since reviews were generally quite average. 

Jogging in the gardens has one major advantage; safety as there's a lack of vehicular traffic and I wouldn't be that close to the roads. Having said that, some cyclists can still be a menace! 

The Garden's current event is Glass in Bloom; the installations and sculptures by Dale Chihuly who is known for his blown glass works. At Dragonfly Lake, you may find colourful glass marbles seemingly floating on water.

Mindful of the fact that I am literally inches from the water, I exercised caution whenever I am taking photos. Wouldn't want to face the situation I had at Parkroyal Collection Pickering.

Supertrees nearer to the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest conservatories.

Got on to the proper footpath and right ahead is the 165-meter tall Singapore Flyer! Impressively, it's actually one of the highest in the world, with the top ranked High Roller at 168 meters. 

Sun setting in front of MBS; the glare would be too much to bear! If you prefer to jog towards the setting sun, it's best to do it at around 6.30-6.45pm when the rays are more bearable.

I shall jog towards my shadow!

Singapore Flyer again! 

This post I did was almost 8 years ago! 

 

It did look kind of like a stranded cruise ship.

Imposing structure for Flower Dome conservatory; their annual pass is actually quite affordable, given the seasonal changes to their flower field every 3-4 months.

Cloud Forest Conservatory.

Did you spot the 35-meter tall manmade waterfall? 

Rock sculpture looks just like a dinosaur about to make its way into the reservoir to take a bath. Think this is part of the attractions known as the canyon.

A chance to catch sights of the adorable otters! Given that this is a huge area, I am not surprised that I didn't see anything. Whenever there are sightings of otters, you would see congregation of crowds; hence, keep a lookout of them when you are in that area. Just ensure safe distancing is in place.

Granite Chinese totem flanked by rocks and two mythical creatures known as pixiu. With its towering height and dragon carving, one word came to mind; majestic!

Far East Organization Children’s Garden - as the name suggests, this is the place for the kids and I brought my niece and nephew there before; it has both water and land components and they did have a blast! p.s. it's free entry but due to the current pandemic, my understanding is that it is closed till further notice. 

Kingfisher Lake - "nine species of kingfishers have been recorded in Singapore" and while it might be hard to see a live one sometimes, you may still catch a larger-than-life, stainless steel one; one of two kingfisher sculptures in Gardens by the Bay.

Jog, jog, jog - compared to my last jog at the Marina Bay area, this route was a lot more deserted. Or maybe it's because of the timing since it's only a bit past 6.00 pm.

Satay by the Bay - there was initially a lot of hype about this but I guess the pricing was a bit of a turnoff for locals like us. For an authentic experience, I think the satay street at Lau Pat Sat is better.

Towards our next destination; Marina Barrage! 

A new MRT station?? Interestingly, that's for the Thomson East Coast Line which is now in its second phase of opening, up to Caldecott. 13 more stations to go. 

Photos of the Marina Barrage.

Don't you just love the design of this oculus?! From this angle, it appeared to be a large window of a humongous spaceship looking out into the sky.

Sculpture of a woman swinging a ball of fire using just a piece of cloth! Thanks to the timing as the fire came upon due to the setting sky! 

Marina Barrage green roof is a key attraction and capacity has been reduced due to the pandemic. Checking in via Tracetogether app is also a necessity. 

My jog up the path to the green roof.

From Marina Barrage, it's also a different cityscape as this was from the mouth of Singapore River whereas the more popular spots are likely MBS, Floating Platform, Esplanade. 

Kite flying is a popular activity on the green roof and in the past, I would see thongs of them soaring in the sky when I drove along Benjamin Sheares bridge. Significantly lesser now maybe due to the capacity limit and the safe management measures.

Marina Bridge - essentially a dam with seven drainage pumps, the bridge connects us to the East Coast Park. I might be taking the route this Sunday, if I manage to wake up early. 

Solar Park on top of the green roof.

Didn't notice that in my previous visit.

More photos and then, I was out! 

Pumphouse of Marina Barrage; those keen to know of the technology behind the barrage can visit the Sustainable Singapore Gallery next to the pumphouse. Click here! 

Pre-pandemic, there's also a water playground; while the scale is not as big as the nearby Far East Organization Children’s Garden, it would still elicit excited laughter from kids. At that time of my visit, it's closed though.

Decided to cut across Satay by the Bay; bad decision as the surrounding was way quieter with certain sections that were hoarded up. 

And I had to climb stairs! I wouldn't mind if I were walking but jogging up and down the stairs putS heavier pressure on the knees and ankles and I am not trained for that!

Supertree Grove- in the midst of these gigantic, artificial trees (between 25 and 50 meters tall), I still remember my first time encountering them. It was an overwhelming sensation as they were just so stunningly beautiful, despite being manmade. 

Stairs again; sigh. 

Another section; colonial garden. Horticulture idiot like me didn't realize the frangipani flowers, the rubber trees and nutmeg fruits planted around the garden to showcase our colonial history.

These are fan palms? 

Dragonfly Riders in the Dragonfly Lake - measuring 5m by 6m, they were also made with stainless steel and art glass on their wings and eyes.

Bridge crossing the dragonfly lake which offers three great views.

Of Marina Bay Sands in front, Singapore Flyer on the right and well, nothing much on the left but that's only temporary as the entire area is prime land and the Singapore government would definitely not put it to waste.

What's this temporary structure?

Facade reminded me of a colonial train station.

It's the "Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express" attraction! This pop-up event would be ending on 12 September so if you are a train fan, do remember to check it out before it leaves Singapore. More information here. 

Pretty view and angle of Marina Bay Sands.

An unusual fitness corner which incorporated weights! That would be good news for some gym users during the heightened alert phase when gyms were closed although I doubt the weights would satisfy them.

Unconventional monkey bars, sit up bar and pull-up bar.

Am I the only one to realize users were all ladies? 

The 3.8-meter moongate; a dwarf against Singapore Flyer, I initially suspected this was a half eaten cookie or something but the "uniquely textured inner surface modelled after abstract shapes that draw inspiration from the phenomena of our constantly changing natural world, such as shifting sands, tongues of flames, and the changing form of clouds."

Running underneath the historical Benjamin Sheares bridge, then the new Bayfront bridge and finally, passed by the interesting Helix bridge. 

Reached the end of my jog at the lotus that houses the ArtScience museum which I had yet to visit. Maybe in the near future when Alex gets another free stay in Marina Bay Sands.

Only 6.36 kilometers with bad timing and pace as I kept stopping to take photographs! Frankly, it's hard to resist when everywhere was just so nice and I have a serious problem of being trigger happy. 

Back to Marina Bay Sands for a cold shower!