The Chinese Gardens

Friday, June 3, 2011

Standing in front of the Chinese pagoda.

Friday we toured the Chinese and Japanese gardens, climbing to the top of a 7-story pagoda to enjoy the view below: statues of dynasty heros like Confucius and Mulan were hedged with greenery while dragons sculpted from bushes gnashed their teeth several lawns over. Each tier of the pagoda provided a slightly different version of the landscape. As we climbed higher the statues got smaller, the leaves on the treetops came into focus, and the pond in the Japanese garden was just visible. 

Flying a dragon is as much fun as it looks!

We enjoyed ice cream (in tropical flavors ranging from mango to durian, a fruit which tastes like a combination of strong onion and weak mango and is better left untouched) sandwiched between two thin wafers. As I polished off my last bite (I had the mango, not the durian), two high school girls approached and asked if they could interview me for their project about, “the smog problem in Indonesia.” I told them I didn’t know that there was a smog problem in Indonesia, and they said it didn’t matter, assuring me their questions were broad. I stumbled through the interview well enough and plan to research the Indonesian smog problem in the near future (in case I tour anymore Chinese gardens and get questioned about it). The girls didn’t ask for my name, so I can just imagine some of the rather derogatory titles they may choose to use in its place: “Ignorant American Unaware of Smog Problem,” or “American’s Knowledge Up in Smoke.”

Next we toured the garden’s turtle museum which featured, among others, lots of pig-nosed turtles (yes, they had snouts), an 82-year old Fortune turtle (yes, I made a wish), and a specimen claimed to be the most beautiful turtle in the world (yes, I agree, but no, I’m not sure how they judged).

I also got to hold a turtle (but not this one ... he's a bit heavy!).

The Japanese gardens were my favorite: red bridges arched over ponds filled with miles of lily pads and golden koi fish. A couple sat by the pond’s edge, peeling mangos and taking large bites, the juice dripping from their chins as they exclaimed over the view. We walked over a long white bridge, perfectly reflected in the rippling water below. If I studied at the National University of Singapore full-time, I’d definitely come here to study, or at least feign studying as I marveled at the garden’s simple beauty.