Manage your air-speed, maintain your altitude and watch where you’re heading,” says the first officer as I lift the Boeing 737 off the runway! I’ve been strapped into the captain’s seat of a massive passenger aeroplane. With no experience in flying, I press all the buttons in a panic and advance the thrust levers in a sudden rush that sends the aircraft tossing about while losing altitude at high speed.

By now, all the passengers should be screaming but thankfully I’m only in the commander’s seat in a state-of-the-art flight simulator that offers a fully-enclosed cockpit with full functioning avionics. The experience is definitely not for the faint-hearted as the photo-realistic visuals gives you the feeling of really being in the air.
 

Singapore is a world full of unlimited manmade charms. From attractive architectural marvels like Gardens By the Bay that houses the tallest artificial waterfall to Sentosa Island where Universal Studios is located, the island country has a lot to offer. The simulator is one of the newer attractions at Singapore Flyer (the world’s largest giant observation wheel).

The city is a magnet for travellers from around the world. I found myself travelling alongside a group of students from India who’d won a quiz organised by Thomas Cook India’s Travel Quest, in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board. The Board, incidentally, is keen to show off the fact that the city is always changing and that it always has something new to offer.

We all were in the upscale Marina Bay Area when one of the students yelled in amazement on spotting huge, 18-storey high Supertrees! These are vertical gardens with a range of ferns, vines, orchids and other plants that creep over colourful metal structures.

Situated in the Gardens By the Bay, one of the most popular destinations, these Supertrees have large canopies that come alive with an exhilarating display of light at night with the help of photovoltaic cells that also generate energy to run the park. 
 

Gardens by the Bay has two water-cooled conservatories. One is the Flower Dome, which showcases an assortment of plants from the world’s arid regions while the Cloud Forest is home to plant life from tropical highland regions. I was overawed by the gigantic 35-metre high indoor waterfall that’s touted as the tallest of its kind in the world. Standing right under the falls, I was enveloped by the mist that was a welcome respite from the hot and humid weather. And since I have no fear of heights, I braved a skywalk on a suspended bridge strung between two Supertrees. It’s safe but I must confess — a bit scary.

Another manmade architectural creation that really had me impressed was the NEWater sewage treatment plant created by the country’s public utilities board. This plant recycles sewage — yes that goopy, smelly stuff — to provide clean water for both drinking and industrial purposes.

Though I was a bit sceptical about the concept, by the time I finished the walk-through, I had enough confidence to down the contents of an entire NEWater water bottle and packed a few more for friends and family back home! 
 

You can’t leave Singapore without stopping at Sentosa Island, another manmade destination that promises to entertain you till you drop.

I headed to the Battlestar Galactica, the tallest duelling roller-coaster ride that’s just reopened after almost two years. I made sure I got the front seat to engage in the ultimate inter-galactic battle between good and evil. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, don’t miss the blue ride (evil) whose intense manoeuvres will leave you holding on for dear life. From plunging into a deep pit filled with artificial fog to a near-miss with the ground, you have to take the ride to know real fear. For an extra dose of excitement we headed for Transformers, a hyper-realistic 3D experience.

For a quieter time on Sentosa Island, we headed to watch marine life at the state-of-the art SEA Aquarium with its 800 species of marine animals. In the evening we plonked ourselves at Sentosa beach for a spectacular laser show called Wings of Time set against the majestic open sea. The fireworks and water display were magical.

My fellow teenaged travellers had naturally fallen head-over-heels for Sentosa. And we all thoroughly enjoyed Singapore Zoo as it had organised a special behind-the-scenes session for all of us to know more about the animals. 

I found myself busier over a few days than I’d ever expected and — hey, I also received a flight certificate for landing that plane safely! 

READY RECKONER

♦ How to get there: A number of airlines like Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Drukair fly directly from Calcutta to Singapore.
♦ Where to stay: The hotels in Orchard Road in the heart of the city are good options.
♦ What to see: Gardens of the Bay, NEWater plant, Universal Studios, SEA Aquarium, Singapore Zoo.