Mid-June 2026
Arrival in Singapore
My partner and I traveled to Singapore.
We had two goals for this trip. The first was to visit Bird Paradise, located within Mandai Wildlife Reserve. The second was to eat a perfectly ripe durian.
We flew from Haneda Airport’s international terminal to Singapore on ANA Flight NH843. The flight departed at 12:40 a.m. Japan Standard Time and arrived at around 7:00 a.m. local time, making the journey just under seven hours.
From the airport, we took the MRT (Singapore’s subway system) to Downtown Station, the nearest station to our hotel, The Westin Singapore.
One thing we appreciated about the MRT was that we could simply tap our credit cards to ride. For this trip, we planned to get by without using any cash at all, relying entirely on our credit cards.
When we arrived at The Westin Singapore, our room was not ready yet, so we left our luggage at the hotel and headed out to explore the city.
Breakfast at Marina Bay Sands
We decided to take a leisurely morning walk to Marina Bay Sands, which now feels even more iconic than the Merlion as the symbol of Singapore. Unfortunately, the sky was gray, and it started raining along the way. Our first morning in Singapore was not blessed with good weather.
We reached The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands at around 9:30 a.m. Since it was still early, most of the stores were closed. The food court, however, had several stalls open, so we decided to have breakfast there.
Both my partner and I ordered laksa, and it was absolutely delicious. I suppose the simplest way to describe it is coconut curry noodle soup. It’s the kind of dish that’s almost impossible to make taste bad.
There was also a dessert stand in the food court, so we ordered bubur cha cha and mango pomelo sago. Both desserts looked amazing, and I was convinced they would be exactly the kind of sweets I’d love. In reality, though, my reaction was more along the lines of, “They’re not bad, but they’re not quite my favorite.” Even so, I came away thinking that I’d probably enjoy them much more if I tried them at a different shop.
Incidentally, at food courts in Singapore, diners are expected to return their trays and dishes to designated return stations after eating. I’ve heard that leaving your tray behind can even result in a fine.
Exploring Cloud Forest
After breakfast, we walked to Cloud Forest in Gardens by the Bay. Google Maps suggested a street-level route, and we followed it, but that turned out to be a mistake. We later learned that from the shopping mall where we had breakfast, we could have gone through the underground passage connected to Bayfront MRT Station and reached Gardens by the Bay without having to deal with either the heat or the rain.
When we arrived at Cloud Forest, we bought our tickets at the ticket counter. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by a spectacular indoor waterfall nearly 35 meters (115 feet) tall. The waterfall itself was certainly impressive, but what struck me first was how cool the air felt. It was refreshingly comfortable.
When we visited, Cloud Forest happened to be hosting a collaboration with the film Jurassic World, so dinosaur sculptures had been placed around the waterfall. Neither my partner nor I have seen the movie, so we weren’t particularly excited by the collaboration itself, but we still admired how well the displays had been made while enjoying the beautiful plants and flowers throughout the conservatory.
The attraction begins at the top of an artificial mountain, and visitors gradually walk their way down. Everywhere we looked, lush vegetation flourished and colorful flowers bloomed in abundance. It genuinely felt like paradise. I found myself hoping that the Pure Land I’m supposed to reach someday will also be a place overflowing with flowers.
There were also plenty of pitcher plants and Venus flytraps, two kinds of plants that both of us especially enjoy. If you’re interested in plants, I think you’ll have a wonderful time at Cloud Forest. One thing I did notice, however, was that there weren’t many places to sit and rest.
True to its name, Cloud Forest fills with mist every two hours (10:00 a.m., noon, 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 8:00 p.m.). We were able to experience this effect ourselves, and watching the plants disappear into the mist created an atmosphere that was both dreamlike and beautiful.
Flower Dome and Lunch at Asia Square Food Garden
After leaving Cloud Forest, we visited the neighboring Flower Dome. During our visit, it was hosting a special exhibition called Blue Beauties, where we were able to admire countless hydrangeas.
After leaving Gardens by the Bay, we headed to Asia Square Food Garden, a food court near The Westin Singapore, for lunch. We ordered a set that came with noodles and xiaolongbao. Unfortunately, the noodles were clumped together, and the soup dumplings were only lukewarm. It wasn’t terrible, but it was nothing memorable either.
Chili Crab at Red House Seafood
After checking into the hotel, we took some time to relax and wait out the rain before heading out for dinner. We had decided to try Singapore’s famous chili crab and chose Red House Seafood, which had been recommended in our guidebook. We took the MRT to the restaurant.
When we opened the menu, we saw that the chili crab was listed at “market price.” We asked a server, who told us it was SGD 98 per kilogram. It seemed fairly expensive, but after coming all the way to Singapore, there was no way we were leaving without ordering it.
The menu also mentioned a half-size option, so I asked if we could order that instead. The server confidently replied, “You two can handle it. One kilogram will be fine.” Taking her advice, we ordered a one-kilogram crab. When it arrived, we were greeted with an entire large crab served whole in a generous amount of chili sauce. The portion was enormous.
The crab was delicious. Still, I worried that eating nothing but crab might become repetitive, so we decided to order another dish: a fish called Marble Goby.
The menu listed it at SGD 128 per kilogram, so I asked the server, “One kilogram sounds like too much for us. Could we have half a kilogram instead?” She smiled and replied, “No problem. One kilogram is fine for you two. Thank you.”
So, before we knew it, we had ordered a one-kilogram Marble Goby as well.
By the end of the meal, we were absolutely stuffed. The total bill came to SGD 204.60, which was certainly expensive. Still, the crab was excellent, and the white fish we added turned out to be even better than expected, so in the end, I considered the meal well worth it.
