Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Putrajaya Botanical Garden

Soft sunlight, soft wind, fresh air, and lushly green surrounding. That's a nice day for us to visit Putrajaya Botanical Garden. We went there once long time ago, without our camera. So, this time, with our camera (we brought Kelly and Livien as our cameramen as well :-p).

Our photo at the stairway from the open air carpark to the main entrance.


Upper left: Nicely tiled stairway (upper left). Tiles at the main entrance are embedded with pictures of plants that are available inside the garden with their scientific names (not all of them, as the garden accomodates more than 700 species of plants)(upper right). Photo on the right shows enlarged photo of one of the tiles with the pictures of plants.



Covering an area of around 90 hectares, Putrajaya Botanical Garden is the biggest botanical garden in Malaysia to date. We started our exploration with canopy bridge- a hundred meters long overhead bridge, overlooking a huge area of canopical shrubs with scattered bushes. Ferns, climbing and parasitic plants? More than you can count. All of them were harmonized nicely for a peaceful mind... and produce a lot of oxygen.

Tourist's information centre (the entrance) from the canopy bridge (left). The long bridge cut through the canopy of trees.

When you walk on the canopy bridge, that what you can see 20 feet above your head (left), and what you can see 20 feet below your feet (right).

Others attraction for us- Vine garden with high density of climbing plants, including big Nepenthes, Sun Garden with ornamental sundial, cooling Floral Steps with shady trees, and Ficus Shades.

Left: Betty and Kelly at The Vine Garden. Right: Nepethes and flowering climbing plants available in the garden.


Our photos at shady Floral Steps.

Situated high above Precinct 1, Seri Perdana, the official residence of Prime Minister of Malaysia in Precinct 10 can be seen afar from top of Palm Hill of the botanical garden.

A unusually big Sundial (or just a monument?) at Sun Garden (left). Livien, Betty, and Kelly on the stairs we took from Palm Hill to Sun Garden.

Path of Ficus Shades brought us to the lakeside with nice view on Putrajaya.

If you are Malaysian, you should know how do Malaysian botanical gardens look like. If you are not Malaysian, then, from here, you shall know that you cannot expect more than a beautiful garden, for the place named "botanical garden" in Malaysia (no research institution, plants library, genetics library, or any hightech. facilities).

Live nearby, and need a half day off from your routine without a long travel? This garden is an excellent place for you and your family. But, if you are from other country, having a short and tight vacation here, this garden shall not be in yours top priority. Anyway, you are welcomed to put this garden as one of your many stops for your whole Putrajaya tour.

Well blended architectures with the environment.

The park opens 9 am - 7 pm daily, and the admission is free. There is an interaction centre, opens from 10 am - 6 pm, admission is RM 3.

Several advices from us: visit the garden early (9 a.m. should be fine) to avoid burning sun, apply some insect repellent to ensure that you won't become the buffet breakfast for mosquitoes, avoid Lake Broadwalk unless you are really interested in it, as the broadwalk will put you directly under the sun, lastly bring enough drinking water, as we didn't see any canteen or F & B vendor inside the garden.

Btw, the best way to get there is by car. Alternatives, take commuter train to Kajang Station follow by taxi, or take ERL to Putrajaya Station follow by taxi or Nadi Buses (recommended) to the botanical garden.


Before we left the garden around 1 p.m., we grabbed the opportunity to take photo at the lakeside, opposite to the Prime Minister Office, Perdana Putra and Putra Mosque. The Formula Futura power boat race was held on the lake at the moment we took this photo. You might be able to catch the small racing boat on the far left of the lake in this photo.

For more information about Putrajaya, you can visit our blog on Agriculture Heritage Park, Floria 2010 and Ministry Precinct in Putrajaya.

You can get some advice from Malaysia Board of Tourism and Malaysia vacation guide, or join a Putrajaya sightseeing tour as well.



More places in Putrajaya on our list:

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Floria 2010

Again, wave of natural beauty swept Putrajaya, with hundred thousands of plants. Just this time, less flowers, but better gardening and designs. Held on 11-17 July 2010, same location, about the same time and same weather, the differences, the designs and themes.

Floria 2010, with sea of flowers, enriched Putrajaya with wave of nature. These photos shows the flower power at the main entrance of the exhibition. Instead of on the second last day, we went to the exhibition early this year, on the forth day. The flowers there looked vitally fresh, greatly contrasted the lushly green leaves.

Creative design, by putting a red star-shaped polygon at the middle of yellowish flowers. 

Left: our photo on the wooden observation stand along the walkway from the main entrance. Right: One Malaysia floral display along the walkway to Millenium Monument.

Flowers with various colours at one of the wooden observation stand.

Orchid garden, one of the highlights in the exhibition.

Our photo at another side of the orchid garden.

Orchid on sales. Lured by the great display at the orchid garden, these orchids should be the red hot targets of the visitors.


One good thing that we didn't found from the previous Floria-the bonsai displays.

Indoor display: animals shaped floral displays, with strong Malaysian endogenous identity (left); The Prince and The Frog (right).

Orang Utan and Rafflesia were the highlights of the rain forest in Malaysia. The floral display themed animals and flowers of rain forest in Malaysia was the first runner up of the indoor floral design competition. 

Unlike previous Floria 2009, the exhibitors for Floria 2010 had prepared nice places for photo taking, backgrounding one of the dazzling Putrajaya bridges. This photo was taken by putting the camera on a bench nearby the lake, with 10 seconds timer on. Two ladies on our right are Livien and Kelly.

Our photo on another side of the garden.

As we had talked a lot in our blog on Floria 2009 last year, so, we decided to put in more photos and talk less in Floria 2010. We hope you enjoy our blog. You are most welcomed to visit our blogs on other attraction in Putrajaya, such as Agriculture Heritage Park, Botanical Garden, and Ministry Precinct.


Back to All Our Destinations or go to our Floria 2009 (Last year) blog.