CNN Travel's series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile. However, CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy. Despite being more than four decades old, Singapore's Sentosa Island is a tourist attraction that knows the importance of reinvention. In recent years, it's become the top destination in the city for those in need of a fast adrenaline fix, thanks to a huge cluster of adventure activities, from surfing to indoor skydiving. It also presents a great opportunity for someone like me -- fainthearted, petrified of heights -- to conquer their fears. I recently spent a weekend on Sentosa doing just that -- or trying to -- on the scariest thrill rides and adventures I could find. To gauge my terror during each exercise, I slapped on a Polar FT7 heart rate monitor watch during the trip. I also devised an ad hoc "nausea level" rating. These are my normal heart rate readings. Average resting heart rate: 77 bpm (beats per minute) Maximum resting heart rate: 87 bpm Average nausea level: 0/5 (though certain movies and TV shows can push that to 2/5) More on CNN: Best new restaurants in Singapore

ClimbMax

The ClimbMax sent me on a 45-minute journey of self-questioning, regret and skyrocketing heartbeats, followed by immense joy when I felt my feet touch something solid.

On the top of Sentosa's largest hill, the rope course consists of three levels, with heights up to 12 meters.

Knowing I was safely secured and seeing 12-year-olds enjoying the course a level below me didn't do much to calm me, particularly when I reached a section that involved jumping across a gap between platforms.

At that moment, my heart raced to 177 bpm.

In the end, I couldn't finish -- I didn't have the strength, nor courage, to continue to the highest level.

Conclusion: This is an intense exercise to combat fear of heights. And embarrassing if you're concerned with what those on the ground below are thinking as they watch you struggle.

Average heart rate: 135 bpm

Maximum heart rate: 177 bpm

Nausea level: 4/5