Flyer at Dawn – Singapore

It felt magical standing on the Esplanade Bridge and seeing the sun rise behind Singapore’s Flyer. The giant structure, which stands at 165 metres (541 feet), is currently the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, although Beijing and Dubai are planning to build even bigger ones. It is 30 metres taller than the London Eye.

I am displaying two photographs of the Flyer, both taken at the same place, but minutes apart. The above photo was captured at sunrise, and the one on the side was taken right before dawn. As seen in both photographs, the Singapore Flyer is located at the southern tip of Marina Bay and the Marina Promenade. It opened its doors to the public only recently, on March 1st 2008.

When standing on the Esplanade Bridge, I felt a certain harmony between all the structures around Marina Bay. The Central Business district to the north, the Esplanade to the east, and the Flyer to the south east were all constructions that defined mankind’s engineering brilliance.

There are 28 capsules around the Flyer, all spacious and air-conditioned. They are exo-capsules meaning that they are attached outward of the wheel presenting a continuously unobstructed view when a capsule is at the peak of the Ferris wheel. The ride lasts approximately 30 minutes and it offers great panoramic views of the city centre as well as to the sea and the islands. Each capsule can hold up to 28 passengers and provides access to wheelchairs.

The photograph on the left was captured during a thirty minute ride of the Flyer. The view wasn’t superb as the time of day was right before sunset and the sun is behind the city. I would recommend taking instead a ride early in the morning to have a different light displayed over the Marina Bay and the surrounding buildings.

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