Sentosa (October 2019)

After brunch with Gong Gong, Po Po, and Bui Yi Po (see Singapore post), we drove to Sentosa and checked into our hotel. Sentosa, or Sentosa Island, is located off the southern coast of Singapore. North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Trump met at the Capella Hotel located on the island in 2018. This was the first-ever meeting between the leaders of North Korea and the United States. Just outside of our hotel, we took pictures of the famous Sentosa Merlion, which is the tallest in Singapore at 37 meters tall. A merlion is a mythical creature with the body of a fish and the head of a lion and is the official mascot of Singapore. After we finished taking pictures, we took the monorail to Resorts World station where S.E.A Aquarium is.

We walked all the through the giant aquarium path. We saw sharks, fish, coral, and more! We saw the sharks from a walk-in tunnel that leads straight into the aquarium! Another thing that make S.E.A aquarium famous is the 100 million old species of Platinum Alligator Gar. At the end of the path, we came to a gift shop where we each got to pick one thing. Elise chose a mermaid bath toy, and I chose a glow in the dark marine-life t-shirt.

The last time we visited the aquarium was in 2013.

After we went back to the hotel, we took the cable car to Mount Faber station (which is in Singapore proper) and had dinner. The cable car opened in 1974 and goes from Mount Faber to Imbiah Station, which is next to our hotel. In 1974 it was the only cable car to cross a harbour in the world.

After dinner, Yong Song, my first cousin once-removed, took us to the Night Safari. We got in line for the tram that would take us through the park. We saw many nocturnal animals such as tigers, bats, and lions. After the tram went all the way around, we walked on the fishing cat trail and saw many nocturnal water animals. After we suffered disappointment at not seeing an actual fishing cat, we went on the leopard trail and saw many different big cats. On the leopard trail we also saw a bat enclosure and went inside. We didn’t know it was a bat enclosure though, so 5 seconds later Mom and Elise were outside the door screaming their heads off.

The next morning, we had a big breakfast buffet at the hotel. It had Chinese food and Western food. After breakfast, we took the monorail to Beach station. When we arrived, we went to the Luge, which was like a go-kart down the mountain. There were four trails, an orange trail a blue trail, a green trail, and a purple trail. We went down all four. It was tons of fun.

After the Luge, we had popsicles as a snack instead of lunch. After we slurped our popsicles and collected our photos, we went to Kidzania, which is basically a mini-city for kids in a big three-story building. In Kidzania, you get money doing jobs and then you can use that money to pay for fun activities. There are a lot of professions to choose from, and adults tell you facts about the professions you choose. First, we went to the hospital where we were pretend surgeons. Next, we did cooking of traditional beef jerky (bakkwa), which originated from China. The difference between American jerky and bakkwa is that bakkwa has sugar in it. After that, we split up to do more activities. I used the money I had earned to do mountaineering (they even made me buy insurance), and Elise worked as a paramedic. I was also a bank security guard and worked to transport money for the bank. Once we finished, we met up and worked as firefighters, and we used water cannons to put out a building on fire.

Once we ran out of time, we left and met up with Dad outside. After that, we went to meet Mom’s friend, Uncle Andrew. We took the beach shuttle from Beach station to his restaurant. While Mom and Uncle Andrew were talking, Dad took Elise and me to Nestopia, which was a huge playground. We played on the equipment and then played charades in one of the small huts lining the playground. Elise and I had lots of fun doing what we preferred. I enjoyed climbing over the equipment, and Elise enjoyed charades. After that, we went back to our hotel. Mom and Dad went out to dinner with Uncle Andrew, while Gong Gong and Po Po stayed with us and ate dinner at the hotel.

The next morning, we got up early and took the monorail to Resorts World station to go to Universal Studios.

First, we rode Dragon Airways, a ride inspired by Shrek, which is a kiddie roller coaster but is still fun. After that, we rode Puss and Boots Adventure, which was a slow suspended roller coaster that took you to the land of the giants where you had to steal a golden egg.

Once the ride rolled to a stop, Dad and I rode Revenge of the Mummy, which was an indoor roller coaster that was in complete darkness for most of the ride. It is kind of scary when the Mummies pop out of nowhere and shock you!

While we were riding Revenge of the Mummy, Mom and Elise were riding Treasure Hunters, which is a ride that you drive a jeep around. I have confirmation from both of them that it was very boring. After we met up, we headed to Lost World where all the Jurassic Park themed rides are. First, we rode Canopy Flyer, which is a pretty fun suspended roller coaster. After that, we went on Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, which was like Roaring Rapids (see Shanghai Disneyland post). Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure is a ride where the dinosaurs have all been set loose. You white water raft through the destroyed buildings of the park. The Dilophosaurus sprays you with water, but there are bigger splashes in store. In one of the destroyed buildings, you go up a hydraulic elevator and see a T-Rex at the top. Suddenly, a side door opens and you fall forty feet and get super wet.

Once we dried off, we rode Transformers 3D. Like the name implies, it is an immersive 3D ride with awesome technology. You have to protect the Allspark from Megatron and the Decepticons. It has many special effects that make you feel like you’re in the middle of the battle, such as when Megatron shoots a missile you can feel the heat of the explosions and how the wind and 3D Imax make it feel like you’re zooming through the city. It is definitely one of the best rides in Universal Studios. The whole family liked it a lot, and we rode it multiple times.

Next, Mom and I headed over to Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon, the world’s tallest dueling roller coasters, based off the show, Battlestar Galactica. Both Human and Cylon have a 42.7 meter peak (14 stories). Human is faster, reaching a speed of 90 km/hr, while Cylon tops out at 82 km/hr, which is still pretty fast! However, Cylon has 5 inversions (a cobra roll and several loops), and Human has none. Also, Cylon is a suspended coaster, which means it hangs from the track, so your feet dangle in the air. Mom and I rode Human.

Once we finished, we met up with Dad and Elise, and we all rode Madagascar: A Crate Adventure, which is an indoor boat ride that follows the story of Madagascar. After that, we ate burgers at Mel’s Drive-in. It looked like a diner from the 1950s. It even had a jukebox! After lunch, Elise insisted on seeing the Sesame Street show, so we did. It was called Trick or Treat Sesame Street.

Next, we watched another show called Lights, Camera, Action Hosted by Steven Spielberg. The show takes place in a sound stage that looks like a boathouse. The sound stage starts off calm, but then wind, choppy water, rain, thunder and lightning begin as a full scale hurricane hits New York. One startling event was when a sign came crashing through the ceiling, setting off a chain of events that set the boathouse and even the water on fire.

After that, we watched another show called Shrek 4D adventure. Then dad and I headed back to Battlestar Galactica and rode both Human and Cylon. Cylon was my favorite ride at Universal Studios.

After we got kicked out of Universal Studios, we grabbed a quick dinner of malaysian street food and then went to see the Wings of Time. Wings of Time is a firework, light, and water show about two kids who met a time traveling bird and went back in time to see the world’s history. My favorite part was the fire that spewed from various places on the water and the beach.

The next morning, we went to the airport and got on the flight back to Hong Kong. All of us agree that we should have booked a longer trip to Singapore, as it was one of the best trips we took this year.