Summer Vacation Parent-Child Trip to Singapore

Checked in Singapore at the tail end of summer vacation. The kid complained that after flying for so long, we were still in China, not even reaching Japan. Indeed, Singapore is probably the most foreign country that doesn't feel foreign. This was a purely parent-child trip. We stayed in Marina Bay for the first two days and Sentosa for the last three days, all destinations chosen for the little one.

Day one: Checked in Gardens by the Bay. Cloud Forest and Flower Dome are indeed refined indoor attractions. Those who love taking selfies pose in the Flower Dome, then each plays on their phones after taking photos. Cloud Forest was more fun—you have to queue to enter, with a waterfall and caves, like a small tropical rainforest. At around 8 PM, there's a light show at the Supertree Grove, don't miss it. Tickets for the Skyway should be bought in advance; we tried half an hour before the show but it was already closed. But watching from under the trees was also nice, very much like the world in Avatar. Singapore really went all out to boost tourism. There's also a Far East Organization Children's Garden in Gardens by the Bay—absolutely not to be missed if you have kids. It's free, with many facilities, you can go barefoot the whole time, and there's even an outdoor shower.

Day two: Visited the Singapore Zoo, River Safari, and Night Safari. The Singapore Zoo was once my favorite zoo in my mind, but I never had a chance to go. Now that I've been, I realize how much the world has changed over the years—Japan and many domestic places have great zoos. But the kid still had a lot of fun, especially when a monkey snatched his lollipop—he was thrilled. It rained when we went to River Safari, so we couldn't take the boat and walked the entire way. There were a few spots for close animal encounters, like touching starfish and pythons. The giant pandas there live in a mansion—very impressive. For the Night Safari, I recommend taking the tram, as it's too dark to see much on foot. We didn't buy the audio guide; it felt like it didn't make much difference. After the ride, we caught the folk fire show—both were unique experiences.

Day three: Strolled around Orchard Road, then entered Sentosa. It seemed the Le Méridien had very few guests. They gave us a suite, which I was very satisfied with. In the evening, we watched the Wings of Time light show by the beach—it was okay, just too short.

Day four was the highlight: Universal Studios. This one seemed much smaller than the one in Osaka. We encountered several breakdowns while queuing for Transformers, which took two hours, but it turned out to be the best ride there. The Water World show was highly recommended—interactive and thrilling, like a movie scene. The rest were just average.

Day five was a miserable day. I suddenly caught stomach flu and felt dizzy—probably from the cold pool water the night before. We missed planned places; I slept in the hotel all day, but the kid had a great time at the beach. In the evening, we watched the Merlion light show at the entrance. I heard this Merlion has been demolished—quite a pity.

Last half-day at Changi Airport. Jewel Changi's famous waterfall was truly impressive. Although I've been to Singapore Airport many times, with the kid, we had to visit the Butterfly Garden again.

Since returning from Singapore, I haven't had Bak Kut Teh or Hainanese Chicken Rice in a long time, haha.