This blog entry is image heavy because I got a little too shutter happy as one is bound to be when at a place like Sentosa's S.E.A. Aquarium.

We got front row seats on an almost empty bus to Singapore, which would have been nice if the haze wasn't so bad. Not that there's much to look at on the road anyway, but I actually enjoy looking at whatever little there is. This time it felt more like I was travelling through a Persona 4 dungeon so I just tried to watch a movie and spent most of the time sleeping.

But that's okay! Our target for that day was the S.E.A. Aquarium and it's indoors so we wouldn't have to deal with the haze while we're inside. We entered Sentosa via the Sentosa Express, one of the many ways to get in. I think the cable car is also worth experiencing at least once, but my favourite is still the MRT-monorail combination.

It was already afternoon when we got to Singapore so we had to hurry to our hotel then back to VivoCity. Tight schedules are very tiring and I don't recommend it for people who have terrible stamina like me.

A person who tells you that the journey is more important than the destination clearly hasn't traveled much. Long bus rides aren't as fun as looking at cool things...

... like this ship that reminded me of my favourite ship, the Thousand Sunny. It's the first thing you see inside. The lion in the middle actually moves and talks.

Before you get to the aquarium, you get to walk through a small museum of sorts detailing maritime history, although I didn't pay attention to it at all.

I took so many photos and yet I still feel like I will never be satisfied with my pictures. Everything looks ten times better in person than in photos anyway. I also regret getting so excited that I completely forgot about my camera's video function!

I've been to the old aquarium in Sentosa a few times before so there were a few things I expected from this aquarium, like the jellyfish and the tragic lack of whale sharks and manatees. What I did not expect was this:

It's so big. It's beautiful. I still can't get over how huge it is and how relaxing it was to watch all those sea creatures. I could stare at it all day.

This ray is my favourite from the lot. There was a white one too, and every time they were swimming together, they looked like Legendary Pokemon in an epic underwater battle. I took so many pictures of this ray. That's how much I love it. I mean, look how majestic it is!

My other favourites from the aquarium, and the ones I was actually expecting and really looking forward to were the jellyfish. These gelatinous angels of the sea are so much like floating lace that my mother kept insisting that they can't be real.

It's weird how I'm not too fond of being in the sea, much less being in the same waters as a bunch of jellyfish and sharks and rays, but I love watching them float along in their tanks.

I know some of the creatures in this aquarium only because of Animal Crossing, like this arowana that's a lot more gold than I expected it to be...

... and this axolotl, a name I do not know how to pronounce so I just call it Dr. Shrunk. There are a few more in the tank but this one is pink just like the character in the game.

The destination, for me, is the highlight of trips like this, but it's the people you're traveling with that makes it or breaks it. My mom is a trooper and a great travel buddy, and if this is my last trip to Singapore, I'm glad that the memories I have of it are tons better than the last, even with the pesky haze.

If you've read my old entry about Singapore, you may recall that I mentioned wanting to visit the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay. Spoilers: I finally got to go and I'll be writing about it next time!