Through virgin eyes

At a grand old age of 25 years, 10 months, and 14 days... I lost my virginity. Uhm... Oh scrub your filthy minds. It's not what you think it is.

Today (6 July 2008), in the company of wonderful friends, I made my virgin trip to Pulau Ubin. Yes, believe it or not, despite my line of work and some love for the outdoor, I had never set foot on this little island, located a mere 7 minutes away from mainland Singapore via bumboat.

Stepping off the jetty, I was struck by the rustic surroundings. Despite the short distances involved, and the fact that this is still part of Singapore... There is a world of difference between the two. Although there are a couple of new buildings here and there, the old charm of the kampungs is still very much alive here. I suddenly felt like I had been transported back in time (also geographically... it felt like I was in the villages in Indonesia again!)



Coconut trees... something not in short supply on this island!


A quick look around showed the main livelihood of the last remaining villager-Singaporeans... Food&Drinks and... Bicycle rental! Numbering in the hundreds and in a variety of sizes from child to adult full-sized mountainbikes, there is a two-wheeler for just about anybody that comes here for a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Pedaling out of the main village at the jetty we headed West. On account of the company we were in and the fact that I got myself a real creaky bike (which was more effective than a bell in warning people I was approaching!), we gave the Ketam trail a miss, but instead continued on to the end of the road which was Wat Siam... or what was left of it. Not fully aware of the history behind the demolition, I felt it was quite a waste to destroy an old temple just because they have decided to move elsewhere. At any rate, the deed was done, and all we could see was the remnants of the flooring where a temple once stood.

Re-tracing our route back to the central area, this time we headed northwards via Jalan Batu Ubin. After hitting the long up-slope... in a moment of glee the 3 of us in front foolishly speeded down the down-slope immediately after... Wind in our hair... grins on our faces... and also completely oblivious to a certain Gorilla hollering at us from behind to STOP AND TURN LEFT! We only realised our folly when we reached the bottom and saw the signboard that read "Jalan Ubin" and not "Jalan Noordin". Good grief! The pedaling back up the slope ensured we learned our lesson well!



Gorilla on two wheels


Noordin Beach itself... well... It was nothing special, though the stakes planted just a little off the coastline would make a pretty picture, and for the birders, this would also be a good place to frame a shot of the egrets which seem to have taken a liking to perching themselves on top of the stakes.

After some confusion initially on which was the right trail, we happily went on our way into the forest. Only to realise when we emerged that the trail was actually closed due to some danger or other! Apparently they had happily marked one end of the trail with orange netting and signs... but there weren't any signs where we entered. And well... the orange net was on the ground! (which we promptly rode over. LOL!)

After a rest and much needed drinks at the "Cookie Monster" house, we proceeded on to the final part of our trip - Chek Jawa. Maybe it is just me, but somehow I found the construction of the boardwalk has blemished the natural beauty of the place. Sure it has opened up the area and made it more accessible to visitors but the artificial feel of walking on it seems somehow wrong to me. Perhaps the memories of the swamp walks in the mangroves of Temburong Brunei have made my view biased. That aside, it was a pleasant enough walk in the late afternoon sun, and we were treated to a sighting of "Singapore's only wild population of the Oriental Pied Hornbill". Some orgasmic noises were made as we (Ok, actually only one person... You know who you are! LOL!) oohed and ahhed over the really unique looking bird.

In some 3 hours we had covered quite abit of ground as far as exploring Ubin goes... But this is merely scratching the surface as we had stuck mostly to roads and established trails. Some additional walking and biking should be able to let us appreciate more of the nature.

In the warm glow of the setting sun we returned to the main village and how could we depart without having sampled some of the local cooking? Special it is not, but as far as the standard of cooking goes, it was delicious enough for our ravenous appetites after an afternoon of biking.

Return trip? Definitely. And this time round to schedule the visits to coincide with the tide and rising/setting sun to capture some really beautiful photos.