In last week’s post I talked about how Holly and I had really enjoyed visiting the various gardens in Singapore and shared a picture of an orchid from the National Orchid Garden. This week’s photo is from yet another garden in Singapore, the Chinese Gardens. Holly and I had a bit of a laugh on the way out to the gardens. Our Uber driver was asking why we wanted to go out there (it was about a 25 minute drive), and we just explained that we had been to all the other gardens, and we had some more time, so we figured we would just see all of them while we were at it. He then proceeded to tell us that we had already seen the best ones, and that these would be a disappointment! LOL Oh well… we were already on our way, PLUS, I wanted to see this spiral staircase!

When we arrived, it turns out the driver was correct. The gardens paled in comparison to all the other ones we had visited; this one was more of a city park. There were these giant monitor lizards (like more than six feet long) that were roaming around, which made things interesting, and then there was this giant 7 story pagoda with a spiral staircase inside. Now, I’m a sucker for a spiral staircase (you may remember the one from Poland I posted a few years ago) so I immediately start setting up my shot. As I was taking my pictures I noticed that there was a small boy that was climbing the stairs, and every once in a while he would poke his head over to look down. I was actually trying to time my shots to not get him in, but as he neared the very top, he ended up appearing in one of my photos. Turns out I actually liked that shot best because I thought it added a fun little element to the photo.

This is also the one time in all our travels that I truly panicked. As I was taking my pictures, I suddenly became aware that I had no idea where Holly was. I looked around, no Holly. I ran outside, no Holly. I ran all the way around the Pagoda, no Holly. I had called her name a few times and gotten no response… until I went back in and called out her name rather loud. She then appeared from the stair rail. She had evidently told me she was going on up, but I was so engrossed in what I was doing I didn’t hear her, and the stairs were so wide, you couldn’t see people on them unless they looked over the edge. Scary!!

Just for giggles I’ve included what the view back down looked like. I was on the fence about which I liked better anyway, so you get two for the price of one this week. Also, what the garden lacked in beauty, the view from the top of the Pagoda made up for. It was really pretty up there, and the breeze was sure nice too!

–Dan Thompson

Chinese Gardens

Fellow Photographers!

If you’re like me, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been the central focal point, or the backdrop for, some amazing photos and memories over the years. Due to the recent wildfires, lots of people that live in the communities surrounding the park have lost everything. This is OUR opportunity to give back to an area that has blessed us so richly. Steve Zigler, Bill Lea, and I have partnered with The Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA) to establish a fund specifically for the photography community to donate to wildfire relief. This money goes directly to the GSMA, which will disperse it to families in need there.