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Published: March 3rd 2012
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PULAU UBIN (UBIN ISLAND), SINGAPORE. Thursday 1 March, 2012.
Today we went to the nearby Metro station to find out how we could get to Changi Village. We were told by a very surly guy sitting in the Information Kiosk that we could catch a bus from a bus stop opposite the metro station and that it was not possible to get there on the train. We caught the first bus of the correct number almost immediately but had to disembark just as swiftly because we needed to have the exact change. After M had purchased an unwanted ice cream in order to secure the necessary correct money, we took the hour bus drive to Changi Village. This trip had been recommended to us by our good friends Richard and Patsy who we had met on an Amazon River Cruise a few years ago. From Changi village we took the local 'Bum-Ferry' over to Palau Ubin. The island is largely made up of granite and it is believed that the island derived its name from "Jubin" the Malay name for a type of floor tile made from granite.
This island is maintained by the Singapore National Parks Association. There
were up to 6 granite quarries on the island, the last of which ceased production in 1999. These quarries are now filled with water. The tidal flats are mangrove swamps and managed ecologically as are the beaches.
We had to wait at the ferry terminal until there were 12 pasengers waiting to cross. The boat would then depart. We just missed one on the way over and were left behind as we were the 13th and 14th passengers (D was not a happy bunny!). The crossing to the island took about 15 minutes. After we arrived we walked to the nearest village where we hired two bicycles. The bike lady provided us with a map and we started our ride around the Island. Our first stop was one of the water-filled quarries which is now home to many birds.
We continued to cycle through secondary rainforest. M saw what she thought was a domestic cock (male chicken - for those who are wondering), but it turns out that this is a rare relative of the domestic birds (which we know and love) which live on the island. Our second stop was the beach on the north coast. We
then turned around and retraced the path in order to go to the Wetlands Boardwalk at Chek Jawa which was a branch off the path further back.
We continued on to the Mangrove Boadwalk at Chek Jawa. We had just started the walk when the heavens opened. We dashed back to the ranger's hut at the beginning of the walk to sit out the storm. The ranger kindly provided us with chairs and gave D a nice feather to put in his 'Cuban' Hat. We spent about an hour just chatting to other tourists and the ranger, waiting for the rain to stop.
After the rain had stopped we went to the visitor centre before starting again on the Mangrove Boardwalk. This was very interesting with the lateral roots of the mangrove trees very visible. There are three types of root called stilt, pencil and knee roots which allow the trees to breath above the waterlogged soil. The smell of the mangrove swamps was also very strong. Mangroves still line most of the tidal rivers and streams on Ubin, contributing about 20% of the islands vegetation cover. Scattered elsewhere there are remnant patches of original coastal forest. There
was also a particular species of palm tree - the Nipah Palm - that has adapted to growing in the Mangrove Swamps and is the only true mangrove palm.
After we had completed the Mangrove Boardwalk we went on to do the Coastal Boardwalk. This was also very good. We could see the passing maritime traffic and also the coastal forest mentioned above. There were also areas where sea grass grew abuntantly, supporting all kinds of different wildlife below the water. About 600 species of native plant can be found on Ubin including many rare coastal species such as Jamba - a locally endangered species of orchid found nowhere else in Singapore. We returned to the Ranger's hut and were delighted to see a young wild boar hanging around the vicinity. We know it was a youngster because it still had the faint white stripes in its hair. We continued up the path to collect our (now soaking) bikes and were treated to a sighting of more wild boar. There was a whole group of them, males, females and piglets. One piggy couple started the process of making new piglets right in front of our eyes.
We cycled
back to the village, returned our bikes and then proceded to the ferry dock where, of course, we just missed a full boat and got held back again. D was furious. When we were 12 we crossed back to the mainland, had a Tiger and caught the bus back to Clarke Key where our hotel is located.
Once back at the hotel we had another Tiger and a rest. We went out to eat in China Town and found a restaurant where there was a huge queue of locals waiting for a seat - so decided to join them. We were the only white faces in the restaurant. There were no knives and forks - only chopsticks. Lucky we can both use them quite competently. The food was absolutely fabulous, one of the best meals we have had yet.
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