Total EKlipse

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NORMAN P. AQUINO

PASSENGERS about to get strapped into the EKlipse. — NORMAN P. AQUINO

By Norman P. Aquino, Special Reports Editor

RELUCTANTLY, I stepped forward. The ride attendant secured our harnesses and gave us a thumbs-up. As the countdown began, I shut my eyes, my heart hammering in my chest. The ride lurched upward, slowly at first, but with each second, we went higher. My stomach twisted as the world blurred around me. Then, the EKlipse spun.

The massive pendulums of Enchanted Kingdom’s (EK) newest ride swung high, revolving and tilting as it threw four riders fastened back-to-back to each gondola on both ends into the air.

I could hear the grunts from my nephew and grand-nephew behind me — their screams of terror echoing through the park and later turning into laughter. The thrill of weightlessness, the rush of the wind against my face — it was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Below, the park lights shimmered like stars.

Riding the EKlipse felt pretty much like riding the Octopus — a popular amusement park ride known for its rotating arms and suspended seats, resembling an octopus with multiple “tentacles” that swing in various directions — in peryas during my pre-teen years.

Like the Octopus, riders experience centrifugal force and weightlessness while on the EKlipse, except that guests stay upright throughout the experience. You also won’t feel like you are falling from your seat because your body is tightly secured by padded metal bars.

But the resemblance was striking, especially at night, when two rows of round white LED bulbs covering the EKlipse “tentacles” light up, resembling octopus suckers.

It never really felt like one of the four arms I was on would hit another, but after watching the EKlipse operate while not riding it, it definitely seemed like it might as the arms passed each other in synchronized motions.

As the ride slowed and finally stopped after about two minutes — the preparations took much longer — we stumbled off, breathless.

The EKlipse, designed and manufactured by Italian company Antonio Zamperla S.p.A., targets pre-teens and teenagers, and parents too, as long as they’re bold. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart — as you enter the gate, you are warned that the EKlipse is not for people with a weak heart.

EK launched the EKlipse on March 30 as one of their inaugural gifts for their 30th anniversary this year. It’s the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, and before its installation at Enchanted Kingdom, the EKlipse was recognized by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions in 2019 as one of the best rides globally.

Enchanted Kingdom is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays through Sundays. It is located along RSBS Boulevard (San Lorenzo Road) in Santa Rosa, Laguna.