Hi everyone! This is the second article in a three-part series on Putrajaya Flower and Garden Festival a.k.a FLORIA 2010. Yet another blockbuster trilogy in the making :) It's an article jam-packed with EXCLUSIVE floral pictures NEVER been seen before. FLORIA 2010 - the story continues below. Click HERE to read Part 1.

Putrajaya is a planned garden city that acts as a federal administrative hub of Malaysia. It is 46 km2 (17.8 sq mi) in size and covers 11 000 acres of land in Prang Besar, Selangor. This is one BIG place for civil servants! The federal buildings are ULTRA MODERN and ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!

I dare to say this is one of the most expensive, purpose-built cities in the world. We have our very own World Expo in Putrajaya. And it's a permanent fixture. LOL! Anyway I guess it's not that bad, after all. Putrajaya reflects the better part of our country (Islamic, beautiful and modern); a real representation of how much Malaysia has developed.

Putrajaya FLORIA 2010 is the one everyone is looking forward to and the one everyone had really high expectations for. Sadly though, it takes very little time to realize that FLORIA 2010 doesn't quite live up to expectations: it looks small and budgeted. I'm disappointed in this year's toned down event. Well people have been complaining about the same thing. Now don't get me wrong, it’s still great fun, but it doesn't quite have same wonderful randomness it used to.

Anyway Putrajaya FLORIA 2010 is still the PERFECT place for a photography retreat. The Floral Avenue is gorgeous and enchanting! The sideways are decorated elaborately with flowers of every color and fragrance. Visitors can't seem to pass up the opportunity to have their picture taken. The avenue was packed with people, and that meant long lines! It's very frustrating but I've learned to be patient and enjoy the process :) There's a saying, "If you can't lick 'em, join 'em".

After that, I visited the Garden Bazaar. There are over 50 stalls selling flowers and potted plants, packets and bottles of organic fertilizers, traditional arts and crafts and many more. The bazaar is a must-see attraction for Malaysia visitors and tourists alike. Sadly there are only a few tourists. There are a lot of factors to be blamed for this poor turnout. The prominent being the lack of creative marketing and global promotion.

Sigh...Tourism Malaysia and Perbadanan Putrajaya (translation: Putrajaya Holdings) need to wake up to a glaring reality! Please be more CREATIVE! In today’s challenging tourism environment it takes more than just throwing millions of ringgit into advertising. Just look at our Malaysia Pavilion for Shanghai World Expo 2010. Marketing Malaysia as a premier golfing destination? LOL!!! I rarely see tourist playing golf - not even once. I wonder whose idea it was. Yes, it's bizarre.

Next, I walked to Laman Seni (translation: Art Square). Perbadanan Putrajaya invited many talented artists and craftsmen to Putrajaya FLORIA 2010. Public are invited and encouraged to participate in the workshops, art and craft sessions, talks and other artist activities. The Art Square is a hive of activity. Children love the opportunity to be part of FLORIA 2010. The children’s art and craft workshops at the Art Square give them that artistic experience and more. Kudos to the volunteer professional artists and craftsmen! Keep it up! You all worked so hard and the event went off like a charm, well done!

By midafternoon, it was HOT like FIRE! I quickly ran to the Floral Pavilion. It seems like everyone is waiting to enter the indoor air-conditioned building. This year’s floral festival has attracted ten participants from Britain, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Serbia, Australia, Japan and Taiwan. Some from Britain are coming fresh from the Chelsea Flower Show.

I was expecting to see top notch floral design from international award winning master gardener and floral experts. They did not disappoint believe me, there was some wonderful, creative and fun creations and I would like to thank all those who came to participate.

That's all folks! Putrajaya FLORIA 2010 is a small festival but still worth the visit. If you want to avoid the crowds, explore FLORIA 2010 early in the morning. This event runs until Sunday July 18 2010 (10 p.m.). Next, Putrajaya FLORIA Part 3 - End with a BANG! Stay tuned peeps!

FLORIA Garden Bazaar

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 11:15 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [18mm f/5.6 manual 100 ISO 1/125 sec]

There are plenty of makeshift stalls in FLORIA 2010 Garden Bazaar. The bazaar is a farmer's and wholesaler's market that set up daily along the eastern end of the avenue. This is the BEST place to buy dirt cheap fresh-cut flowers and potted plants.

The man in black (in this picture) is the boss of this orchid shop. This stall is a must visit for orchid lovers as it's one of the best places to buy award winning orchid plants. Look out for the shop covered with black colored mesh.

Oops!...I Did It Again!

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 12:49 p.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [32mm f/6.4 manual 100 ISO 1/160 sec]

Look at those brush strokes on the table. I guess the boy was trying to get the correct color for his stone painting. I should have auctioned off the white cloth at Christie's as a piece of Random Strokes by Picasso. LOL!

It's harvest time

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 12:49 p.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [32mm f/9.0 manual 100 ISO 1/320 sec]

Some exhibits by Lembaga Pemasaran Pertanian Persekutuan, FAMA (translation: The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority). This is one of the many Special Garden Showcase at FLORIA 2010.

This paddy showcase by FAMA is rather lame and boring. The lack of interactivity to encourage greater public participation in these displays was a particular disappointment. The least they could do was to add more details.

A family affair

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 11:54 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [24mm f/5.6 manual 160 ISO 1/125 sec]

As we celebrate, let us bring our people closer together in unity, regardless of race, colour and religion. The floral festival is a wonderful way of bringing the family closer together; it's the perfect chance to meet many new interesting people. By the way, I ran into into PM Najib :) You really need to come to this festival!

Congkak, anyone?

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 12:41 p.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [45mm f/7.1 manual 100 ISO 1/200 sec]

According to Wikipedia, Congkak (a type of mancala game) is believed to originate from the word ‘congak’ which in old Malay Language means mental calculation (without writing it down). It is believed that the game originated in Malacca Kingdom where it became very popular and spread to the South East Asia region. The objective of the game is to capture more seeds than one's opponent.

Seven seeds are placed in each hole except the stores, which remain empty. The objective of the game is to capture more seeds than one's opponent.

Traditional woven basket

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 11:36 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [22mm f/8.0 manual 100 ISO 1/250 sec]

A makeshift stall selling hand woven basket and massage shoes. These baskets, hand-woven of rattan fibre, are a loose weave to allow water or air to pass through the basket and around its contents. Most of these items were made by Orang Asli (translation: aboriginal peoples) found in Peninsular Malaysia.

Big Bird

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 1:04 p.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [45mm f/5.3 automatic 100 ISO 1/25 sec]

The famous yellow colored cartoon character from Sesame Street made an appearance at FLORIA 2010. A floral Big Bird, you gotta LOVE IT! Manggis Garcinia mangostana eyes, ice cream cone-like beak and chrysanthemum feathers. Big Bird smells so good! There's a lot of hugging going on. Kids everywhere love the Sesame Street character :)

Floral batik

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 12:41 p.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [26mm f/6.3 manual 100 ISO 1/160 sec]

A beautiful piece of batik cloth created by an experienced artist at Laman Seni (translation: Art Sqaure). Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. The batik workshop is a favorite among parents of all age groups.

According to Wikipedia, Malaysian batik can be found on the east coast of Malaysia such as Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, while batik in Johor clearly shows Javanese and Sumatran influences since there is a lot of Javanese and Sumatran immigrants in southern Malaysia. The most popular motifs are leaves and flowers. Malaysian batik never depicting humans or animals because Islamic norms forbid anthropomorph and animal images as decoration. However, the butterfly theme is a common exception. The colors also tends to be more light and vibrant than deep colored Javanese batik.

The white chick

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 1:07 p.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [30mm f/4.8 automatic 1250 ISO 1/30 sec]

Another cute looking cartoon character created with floral materials. Head shaped like a gigantic golf ball. LOL!

Gimme light

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 10:57 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [55mm f/8.0 manual 100 ISO 1/250 sec]

Existing light photography a.k.a available or natural light photography is the BEST! Natural light qualities such as direction, intensity, color, and harshness can change dramatically, not only depending on the time of day, but also the weather conditions.

Natural light is at its most beautiful and flattering in the couple of hours after sunrise and before sunset. Here is one of my favorite natural light shots taken during the recent Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Click HERE.

The beehive scepter

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 10:51 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [48mm f/8.0 manual 100 ISO 1/250 sec]

Beautiful and exotic flowers! The flower looks like the first man-portable and non-lethal deterrent weapon. LOL!

According to montosgardens, Beehive Ginger - Zingiber spectabile (Zingiberaceae) is erect, from 6-8 feet tall, and the inflorescences are basal. The bracts are pale yellow in a young inflorescence, becoming red as it matures, especially if it gets some full sun. All parts of the plant have a strong gingery fragrance. Attractive in the garden and as a cut flower. Blooms from July through November. Propagated by division, stem cuttings and seeds.

Bromeliad, the red star

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 11:26 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [55mm f/7.1 manual 100 ISO 1/200 sec]

A flower with star-burst red petals. I love the randomness of the petal size and directions. Simply GORGEOUS!

The lost garden

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 12:29 p.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [18mm f/8.0 manual 100 ISO 1/250 sec]

A man-made tropical garden featuring plants with very large leaves (such as banana and Bird of Paradise).

Plastic garden

Location: FLORIA 2010, Precinct 2 Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: 10th July 2010 (Saturday), 12:16 p.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 [22mm f/7.1 manual 100 ISO 1/200 sec]

A creative garden by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). Billed as a unique fusion garden with a harmonious combination of natural plants and recylced plastic materials. One of the many university gardens in Putrajaya FLORIA 2010.

Last updated July 21 2010 (12:03 a.m.)


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Putrajaya FLORIA 2010 - Directions, Getting There & Maps:

This is a thumbnail screenshot. Click link to download.

FLORIA 2010 - Venue Overall Layout (1 page, JPG File, 568kb)

Note: File is hosted in MediaFire. Map courtesy of Perbadanan Putrajaya, PPJ.

By Bus

1) Take Rapid KL bus number U82 from KL Sentral to Bandar Utama
2) From Bandar Utama, change to Bus U43 to Putrajaya Sentral.

Putrajaya Sentral is the main public transportation hub of Putrajaya.

Two major bus companies are operating in Putrajaya Sentral - both Rapid KL and Nadi Putra. Rapid KL take passengers from outside of Putrajaya from places such as Bandar Utama, Serdang and Cyberjaya whereas Nadi Putra routes are confined to within Putrajaya.

By Taxis

Coupon taxis from KL Sentral to Putrajaya cost a fixed RM35. For more information, please refer to the following links:

  1. http://tinyurl.com/ykjovmv (Putrajaya Sentral, main transportation hub of Putrajaya)
  2. http://wikitravel.org/en/Putrajaya (Wikitravel article about Putrajaya)

Putrajaya FLORIA 2010 - Google Satellite Maps:


View Floria Putrajaya in a larger map

Putrajaya FLORIA 2010 - My YouTube Videos:



Putrajaya FLORIA 2010 - Contact Details, Opening Hours & Itineraries:

FLORIA is located on a 25 hectares land along the Waterfront, Precinct 2, Putrajaya. It is located directly opposite the National Registration Department or Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara building. FREE entrance.

Opening Hours & Dates:

Start Time:
Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 8:00am

End Time:
Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 10:00pm

9am – 10pm
(Monday-Thursday)

9am – 12midnight
(Friday-Sunday)

Organizer Contact Details:

Perbadanan Putrajaya,
Kompleks Perbadanan Putrajaya,
24, Persiaran Perdana, Presint 3,
62675 Putrajaya
Malaysia.

Telephone : 603 8887 7137
Fax : 603 8887 5034


FLORIA 2010 - Complete schedule of activities and programmes (15 pages, PDF File, 142kb)

Note: Itineraries are obtained from Putrajaya FLORIA 2010. PDF file is hosted in MediaFire.

Putrajaya FLORIA 2010 - Things To Do/See (180 Activities):

  1. Society and growers of heliconia, orchid, bonsai (annual showcase garden)
  2. Corporate, PBT & NGO showcase garden
  3. International showcase garden (Japan, Taiwan, Britain and others)
  4. School and university garden
  5. Floral Pavilion
  6. Garden bazaar
  7. Exhibition and garden talks
  8. Nature photography contest
  9. Watercolour competition
  10. Batik and wau making workshops
  11. Wayang kuilit (shadow puppet theater) performances
  12. Cultural shows (including dikir barat)
  13. Graffiti demonstration
  14. Laman Seni featuring arts and crafts
  15. Garden design competition
  16. Garden talks and demonstrations

Putrajaya FLORIA 2010 - Read More/Useful Links:

  1. http://tinyurl.com/2ar4zgl (All my articles on Putrajaya FLORIA 2010)
  2. http://www.ppj.gov.my/putrajayafloria/floria.html (Official portal of FLORIA 2010)
  3. http://tinyurl.com/2dakseb (Floral creations in Putrajaya a feast for the eyes, TheStar)
  4. http://tinyurl.com/29agzoj (More than 500,000 visitors expected at Floria Putrajaya 2010, The Star)
  5. http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/5flora/Article/ (Floral festival blossoms in Putrajaya, NST)
  6. http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/People_Passionforflora/Article/ (People: Passion for flora, NST)

9 comments

  1. fufu Says:
  2. it's been ages since i played congkok... wow did expect can see it here through your blog! i thought only flowers... but kudos to the organiser!!! hehehe the white chick!! lol so cute... with the specs :p the torches and gimme light pictures are awesomely NICE :) had a soft visual entertainment XD have a nice weekend ya

     
  3. Rafael Lam Says:
  4. The FLORIA Garden Bazaar is very attractive, like you join this festival!
    Your pictures, arcticles and description are so professional!
    Well done my friend!

     
  5. Anonymous Says:
  6. I believe that White Chick was supposed to be Chicken Little?

    Today, I went to a conservatory in central London. It was free and there were tons of tropical plants in there.
    It really made me feel like being home. Ha ha.. Finally home for home for me?

    Anyway, as usual, I took a lot of photos and I came across an interesting plant, which I think I have seen it before. It has giant trumpet-like flowers about 10 inch long. Ha ha...

     
  7. micki Says:
  8. That is a very pretty batik with vivid colors. It's good to know that humans or animals partterns are not allowed, but butterfly is an exception. Can birds be an exception?

     
  9. Shelyn Says:
  10. I didn't know about this Floria until my friend told me about it which was too late to realize. Did I not read enough newspaper or surf enough net to keep up with the events in Malaysia? :p

    Talk about creativity of the pavilion in Shanghai Expo, did you read the local news about Malaysian's pavilion being voted as the top 10 best pavilion in Shanghai? Which turned out to be a lie? That's Malaysia.

    By the way, where is the award winning design?

     
  11. lechua Says:
  12. shucks... now i regret even more not popping by... thought of going last sunday.. but din make it... i like the crafts & culture on display - prefer photographing that to flowers actually.. but the big bird is cool too

     
  13. Roger Says:
  14. Some of the flowers highlighted here are beautiful especially the star flower. I like this sort of floral shows. Just the thing to liven up sleepy Putrajaya!

     
  15. shloke Says:
  16. fufu,

    It's Congkak not Congkok. LOL! I think you'll LOVE Putrajaya - the buildings, urban planning and stunning architecture.

    Rafael Lam,

    WOW! Many thanks again for all your kind comments and enthusiastic support. I LOVE your work too! The lotus shots are AMAZING!

    londoncaller,

    Definitely looks like Chicken Little :) But it was labelled as White Chick...LOL!

    I envy you....tropical paradise in the middle of Central London :) Did you see any Titan Arum a.k.a Corpse Flower or Amorphophallus titanum?

    Shelyn,

    I'm just lucky I guess. Got a surprise Facebook invitation. By the way, I posted several wall postings about FLORIA 2010 in my official Facebook page. Remember to keep abreast of the latest developments via social media :)

    Malaysia pavilion in TOP 10? LOL! Perhaps TOP 10 among ASEAN member :)

    lechua,

    You missed the boat! Big bird is CUTE + COOL!

    Roger,

    Nowadays, Putrajaya is pretty much ALIVE & KICKING :) There are plenty of activities every month of the year at Putrajaya. You may visit Putrajaya Holdings official Facebook page for more: http://www.facebook.com/putrajaya

    Micki,

    lol...I'm totally LOST about batik. Um....any batik expert here?

    Cheers to all. My apologies for my late replies.

     
  17. Admin Says:
  18. Guys,

    If u need homestay in Putrajaya.
    Come and visit us at
    http://gardenlakeside.blogspot.com/
    We offer very cosy homestay for our guest.

    Call me at 013-3510035.

     
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shloke
Traveling & photography are the most rewarding & enriching experiences in my life. Photography is all about discovery, enjoying myself, having adventure, learning people & nature. The greatest experience for me is the connection I felt with NATURE. If you haven’t seen Malaysia, you haven’t seen the world! My photography works are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.
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