Xi'an World Horticultural Expo 2011

It was a very pleasant coincidence that the Xi'an World Horticultural Expo 2011 opened a week before we arrived in Xi'an.
I went there on my own while Daan was busy working.

Daan went to the Shanghai World Expo last year, and one of the most memorable events was queueing up 2.5hrs for an exhibit which he finished viewing in 15min. 
We joked about whether the Xi'an Expo would be one of those “不去后悔，去了更后悔" (regret if I don't go, even more regretful after going) experiences.
It turned out, I had no regrets going :)

The venue was specially designed and built for the Expo.
It was huge! It covered a total of 4.18 k㎡. Sentosa is 5k㎡.

Chang'an Tower - specially built for the Expo

One of my favourite gardens. There was only one way through this bamboo forest.

 

 

 

Every once in a while, the path leads to a bridge which brings you to the top of the bamboo forest!

Spotted: Panda among the chrysanthemums

The Chang'an Tower and the Greenhouse (自然馆). Queueing time for these were 2.5hrs and 2hrs respectively. I didn't queue!

The one place I did queue up for (75min), the Creativity Pavillion. 

Worth the wait? Well... at least I queued up for 1 of the 3 big highlights. It was a little like the Science Centre. I was out of there within 20min. I purposely walked slower to make sure it was worth lining up for.

Happy flowers :)

Delphinium grandiflorum （太空大花飞燕草） - pretty!

One of the provincial gardens. There was a Hong Kong garden, a Japan garden, a Sri Lanka garden and a Thailand garden too. I didn't spot a Singapore garden.

The official mascot of the Xi'an Expo, the pomegranate flower. The pomegranate flower is Xi'an's city flower. 

I spent about 9hrs in all the the Expo.
Went away with a sun-tan and many photos.
No regrets!