A 360-degree panorama of Singapore’s modern city and nearby land areas of Malaysia and Singapore unfolded in front of our eyes as our capsule steadily soar high up the giant steel wheel known as the Singapore Flyer. Modern skyscrapers spread out like a rise and fall of a 3D chart and portions of some reclaimed areas promised more structures which from the looks of it came from an architect’s sci-fi dreams. It was mid-day but the view was impressive, how much more if it was late afternoon when the city starts to light-up under the twilight cloak.
It was day-2 of our Fly and Sail AdvenTour. On a regular tour, people would have a free time in the morning to do whatever they like. By the afternoon, they would be whisked away to Sentosa Port Cruise Center depending on the departure time of the Superstar Virgo Cruise. As for our group, AirPhil Express decided that it would be a great time for us to spend the morning trying out this Giant Ferris Wheel also known as the World’s largest Observation wheel.
As we made our way to the reclaimed area at Marina Center, the imposing circular structure of the Singapore Flyer can be clearly seen. It’s definitely one of the most impressive mega-structure I’ve seen, rising 42-stories high at the height of 165meters, it is considered to date as the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world. On the ground, tourists and students conducting field trips line up for the ride.
Before we reach the capsules, we had to go through the Journey of Dreams. It’s a 7-section of interactive galleries to both engage and inform visitors about the Singapore Flyer and the science and story behind it in an entertaining fashion. I thought the display was really captivating. It’s like a I entered into the set of a sci-fi movie with all the neon geometric lines and shapes and interactive displays playfully filling our senses.
It was time we ride our capsules and we got one exclusively for the group. It was like a part of a deck in Starship Enterprise. We marveled at the exo-capsules on how steady our rotation was. As we soak in on the sights, clicking away on each corner of the capsule, we found ourselves at the top, fully rotated 90 degrees without us noticing. The 37-minutes ride was spent gawking at an architect’s playground which is Singapore.
After a full rotation from this gigantic Ferris wheel, it was time for lunch and there were a lot of options at their food center. We satisfied our tummies and got ready to head to Vivo City which is near the cruise center. Here we’ll spend sometime while we wait for the check-in. It was really nice to try out that Singapore Flyer since I missed out on it during my last Singapore visit. But if ever I’ll try it again, I’ll go for the late afternoon ride.
*This 4-day Fly and Sail AdvenTour was made possible by AirPhil Express. Check out their AirPhil Express Facbook Page for details. The Singapore Flyer is not part of the package tour and is just an option during the free time available.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
