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MANDAI ORCHID GARDENby Toni DabbsSingapore is an independent republic occupying an island of 57,000 hectares (plus 57 little islets) just one degree north of the equator, at the southern tip of the Asian mainland, between Malaysia and Indonesia. With its duty-free status and tremendous variety of quality goods -- from antiques to zoom lenses -- Singapore is truly a shopper's paradise. A frequent purchase by visitors is gold-dipped orchid jewelry -- earrings, pendants and brooches made from living orchids that are electroplated in gold while the blooms are still fresh. Carefully selected flowers from 500 varieties of orchids are used for this purpose, and as happens in nature, no two examples are exactly alike. Sometimes diamonds or other precious stones are added to the finished pieces. These unique treasures make appropriate souvenirs for several reasons:
Orchids were first cultivated in Singapore during the early 1900s. Singapore, a pioneer in orchid hybridization, is Asia's main orchid exporting center. One of the republic's largest commercial orchid farms, Mandai Orchid Garden, is open to visitors. Located near the end of Mandai Lake Road, about a 30-minute ride from the city's main hotel district, it occupies four hectares of gently sloping hillside bounded by secondary jungle in the quiet countryside on the north part of the island. Singapore Orchids Pte Ltd, the company that owns the garden, exports cut flowers and plants six days per week throughout the year to more than 30 countries around the world.
The chief orchid genera produced at the farm are Aerides, Arachnis, Phalaenopsis, Renanthera and Vanda. New intergeneric hybrids are introduced regularly, expanding the already broad range of forms and colors. Mandai Orchid Garden is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A small fee is charged for admission. DirectionsFrom the Orchard Road hotel district, take the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit underground rail system) to And Mo Ko station and transfer to bus No. 138. ContactMandai Orchid Garden, telephone 65-269-1036, fax 65-366-1918. Singapore Tourism Promotion Board, 8484 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 510, Beverly Hills CA 90211, telephone 213-852-1901, fax 213-852-0129. Singapore Tourism Promotion Board, 121 King St. W., Suite 1000, Toronto ON M5H 3T9, telephone 416-363-8898, fax 416-363-5752. Photos by Toni Dabbs |
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TM
An orchid, Vanda Miss Joaquim, a free-flowering natural hybrid
of two indigenous species discovered in 1893, is the national flower of Singapore.
Visitors can wander among shoulder-high bushes of blooms and through lathe
houses for close looks at familiar plants and rare Malaysian species.