a step back in time

**we apologize but we forgot to bring our camera on this trip so i've used some links i found on google to help narrate our day**

Amidst the bustling concrete jungle of Singapore lies a natural wildlife sanctuary a mere 1 kilometre away (or less!) away called Pulau Ubin. Pulau means "island", and Ubin means "Granite" in Malay. Seeking some adventure, Jeff and I visited this island that has been described as "Singapore in the 1960s". We were trying to get a sense of just how large, or small, it really is and the best way we can describe it is that it is most likely the size of Stanley Park in Vancouver (about 10km in circumference)



To get there, we had to hop on a 10 minute bumboat ride from Changi Village Ferry Terminal (on the east side of the country) to the other side. The high-rise buildings, HDB flats, and shiny new cars faded behind us as we headed towards this island known for its preservation of mangrove forests and other wildlife native to what Singapore once was. We knew this was going to be an adventure.



We arrived and quickly oriented ourselves with a bicycle and a map. The local bike man told us to not go near the Police Cadet Training area as it was, "not so nice". Darrell, if you're reading this - did you do some of your training on Pulau Ubin?? That said, we knew where else on the island we could go and we set on for a visit to the Chek Jawa.



Chek Jawa is known for its seagrass coastal line. This furry ocean carpet is home to thousands of species, and is vital to the ecosystem. To my ignorance, i never really knew that seaweed served such an important purpose in the oceanic environment. The coastal trail connected us to a mangrove trail. Our first sighting of mangrove trees was as our bumboat was pulling in..a full sized tree stuck out of the ocean..the salty ocean! We saw more along this mangrove trail. These eery trees with long extended limbs resemble long legs that dive deep into the ocean to root itself. within the network of trees is yet another ecosphere of fish, crab, and other ocean critters. we saw a number of these things, and had no idea what they were until we read somewhere that it's known as "atap chee". Dad Lim, i remember this term from when i was a kid...what is it and did we get it from something that looked like this??



along the route, we saw a few Malay houses known as "kampong houses". They are built on stilts to withstand the surrounding water.



After a couple of hours of biking and walking around the island, we called it quits, mainly because we were sticky from head to toe. We treated ourselves to a couple of coconuts, sambal squid, and a noodle dish. within half an hour, we were back to the mainland hopping on a air-conditioned bus headed back for a shower and a rest.



but wait - Jeff was craving mangosteen! he had tried it before during Chinese New Year's at my parents' and he really liked it. so we hoped that a market nearby would have some and they did. we bought some mangosteen, jackfruit, and mangos to share with the family. for those of you who are unfamiliar with what a mangosteen is, it is a fruit. the outside is a firm, shell-like layer, with the inside of the fruit resembling a clove of garlic. sounds strange but tastes delicious! it's got a flavour similar to a mango but more tangy, and i'd say it's like a berry mango if it's possible to say that.



dH