When I’m craving some adrenaline-pumping activities, my nearest option is Singapore. After riding the Tornado at Dunia Fantasi (Dufan), it feels like there aren’t many challenges left in Indonesia. Here are some places worth trying when you’re in need of an adrenaline rush. I’m using a scale from (1) to (5), with (5) being the highest, meaning it really gets your heart racing.
Tiger Sky Tower and Singapore Flyer (1)
Tiger Sky Tower is located in Sentosa, while Singapore Flyer is in Marina Bay.
There’s nothing particularly “scary” about these two attractions, but for those who fear heights, they can make your knees weak. Tiger Sky Tower stands at 131 meters and claims to be the tallest observation tower in Asia. You sit in a circular observation room facing outward, and the room slowly rotates upwards until it reaches the top, then descends again. The view is, of course, of the Sentosa area. On the other hand, Singapore Flyer is 165 meters tall, or about the height of a 42-story building. It’s a giant Ferris wheel (like the Bianglala at Dufan), but you ride in a glass capsule. Opened in 2008, the Singapore Flyer is currently the tallest in the world—30 meters taller than the London Eye. The rotation takes 37 minutes, so you have plenty of time to enjoy views of Singapore from all angles because the capsule is made entirely of transparent glass!
Sentosa Luge & Skyride (1)
The Luge is a sort of non-motorized sled made of wood. There’s a 650-meter asphalt track from the top of the hill down to Imbiah Lookout, Sentosa. At first, I thought it would be scary because they made us wear helmets and gave us a brief training session. The way you ride it is by pulling the handlebar to make the luge glide, and if you want to slow down or stop, you just lower the handlebar. It turned out to be not so scary, even though I used maximum speed going downhill. In fact, I found the Skyride scarier. You sit on a wooden board suspended by a cable and move upwards along the cable. It’s like riding a cable car, but without a floor, walls, or roof.
Sentosa CineBlast (2)
Among all the attractions in Sentosa, my favorite is CineBlast. This is a cinema ride, meaning you watch a widescreen movie with 4D technology while sitting in a capsule containing six seats with a six-axis motion system. The last ride I took was called the “Extreme Log Ride.” We were given 3D glasses and strapped into our seats with safety belts. The story was about a forest logging site where we rode a small train on rails. Suddenly, the train went out of control, racing through logs ready to be sawed! It then climbed a mountain and suddenly dropped steeply into a waterfall! My stomach really churned, especially with the strong wind effect hitting my face. I screamed throughout the movie, trying to dodge the saws. It was incredibly exciting!
Wild Wild Wet (3)
Not many people (from Indonesia) know about this place, but the rides are pretty heart-stopping. Wild Wild Wet is a water park located in Pasir Ris. There’s a jacuzzi, waterfalls, a 335-meter-long lazy river, and a large, long-lasting wave pool that can tire you out just trying to stay afloat. The most thrilling ride is the Ular-Lah, a slide from the height of a three-story building using a large inflatable tube. There’s also Waterworks, a dual slide where one is open and the other is enclosed. Unfortunately, when I was on the enclosed slide, I got stuck halfway down. Maybe it’s because I’m a bit too heavy to slide all the way down. It was definitely claustrophobic because it was pitch black, and I had no idea how to get out. But the best ride is the Slide-Up. You climb a tower as tall as a four-story building while carrying a two-person tube. From the side, the ramp looks like a U-shaped structure. So, from the tower (the upper right end of the ‘U’), you slide down almost vertically and get launched up to the opposite ramp, going back and forth. It really made my legs feel weak!
G-5 Extreme Swing & G-Max Reverse Bungy (4)
Both of these are located at Clarke Quay, a popular hangout spot along the Singapore River lined with restaurants and nightclubs. From afar, you can see five crane-like towers standing several meters high right by the river, with dozens of people watching below. The first ride I tried was the G-5 or giant swing. You sit in an open capsule with five seats, without a floor, walls, or roof. This capsule is slowly pulled up to one of the cranes 50 meters high. It’s incredibly stressful, especially since we were only secured by safety belts, with the seat nearly upside down and our legs dangling in the air. Then… SNAP! The rope is released, and we swing forward at 120 km/h, super high, then backward, then forward again, repeatedly. It’s insane!! The G-Max, or reverse bungy, is a different experience. Instead of jumping down, you’re launched upwards. My friend and I were seated in a chair encased in a metal frame. The seat is open with no roof, no sides, and no handrails. The staff strapped safety belts from our shoulders to our groins and around our waists. Slowly, the ropes attached to the two towers tightened, like a slingshot ready to launch a bullet. Twice, smoke was released from the chair, for some unknown reason. Just as I was about to hold my breath,the chair was launched 60 meters high at 200 km/h! Scientifically, you can feel 5 G-Force, the same as racing in a Formula One car. There was nothing I could do but scream. The seat spun 360° several times as we were tossed up and down repeatedly! What a rush!!!
Battlestar Galactica, Universal Studios (4)
There’s another exciting ride, but unfortunately, Universal Studios hadn’t opened at the time of writing this. It’s called Battlestar Galactica, which I saw from the Tiger Sky Tower. Based on the track design, I’d say this is a level 4. This double-track roller coaster claims to be the tallest in the world. They say it reaches speeds of 90 km/h up to the height of a 14-story building.