Thursday, March 26, 2009

More Photos from the Penang Botanical Garden

When you are in the Botanical Garden, peel your eyes and look out for those not-very-noticeable byways. Unless you have an inexplicable aversion to adventure, or a natural ability to get lost.

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During the last trip there, we discovered one that seemed to lead very deep inside an "uncharted" area (well, at least, "uncharted" to our knowledge of the Botanical Garden). And it totally piqued our curiosity, so we went down the path...


At the end of the path was a water-lily pond (or was it lotus? I forgot).


Sorry, I can't show the picture of the water-lily pond here... I must have accidentally deleted it or something... anyway, if this has piqued your curiosity, why not head to the Botanical Garden and see if you can manage to find this secret passage to the water-lily pond.

At the end of the path, we found another path branching out somewhere... but there was a limit to our sense of adventure, so we did not go down that byway...


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One of our favorite parts of the Botanical Garden has got to be the "Wedding Garden".

OK, we don't actually remember the official name of that separately fenced part of the garden, but we (my wife and I) both agreed that this small garden-in-a-garden looks perfect - almost custom-made - for a garden wedding, so I'll just call it the "Wedding Garden".


Now, here's the "walking-down-the-aisle" part:


If this is a garden wedding, you will find the priest at the end of this "aisle", under the shade of that pavilion...


"Ready with your ring?"

"Er... what ring?"

Oops...

...

Though the atmosphere is absolutely perfect for garden weddings, you cannot have a large reception there, because you'll have only limited space for chairs and what-nots. But that (the smallness of the pavilion and all), I think, is part of what makes it so dreamy a place for wedding receptions:


Looking back toward the "aisle" whence the bride is coming... and lo, there's my wife walking toward me, escorted by her cousin:


The "Wedding Garden" was not new to us... but during this trip, we found something new (new to us, at least) behind the pavilion: another small garden all by itself!


The "secret garden in a garden-in-a-botanical-garden":


After relaxing for a while in the "secret garden", we came out via another path of the "Wedding Garden":



Along the way, I was reminded of perhaps another reason why I wanted to recommend the Botanical Garden as part of the itinerary of the trip my wife's cousin was planning:



Flowers.

Although I say it very often, and throw it around freely as an advice, but I don't always remember "to stop and smell the roses". The Penang Botanical Garden has always - again and again - been a reminder to me that it's time to heed my own advice.

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