After all the excitement with the marine life we saw earlier, we were fascinated by these mangroves. There were like a forest of them. Mangrove trees are adapted to being covered in seawater at high tide and to grow in soft mud. The new boardwalk into the mangroves bring us closer to these trees as well as the marvellous Nipah palms. We saw so many nipah plams or what we locals called them attap chee. We used to eat these in our Ice Kachang (local dessert). Overripe fruits fall to the ground. Wild animals on this island are able to find plentiful of fruits in the forests so the more we should not feed the wild animals.
We took the van from the Jetty to Chek Jawa. It cost us S$2 per person one way and the driver will collect only when he comes and fetch us back to the jetty. He gave us a name card and to call him when we wanted to return after finishing visiting Chek Jawa. The van will move only when there are twelve passengers but we are a group of seven, he still take us.
You cant cheat him cause he can see you if you leave Pulau Ubin cause the vans parked just next to the jetty hahaha. If you cycled, you have to park your bikes outside the gate so as to protect the marine life and beach. It is just a short walk from the gate to the information kiosk. Do remember to spray insect repellant cause most of the places are mostly left untouched and lots of greenery and wooded. You might encounter some wild boars and monkeys but please do not feed them as they are wild.
There are plenty of food for them in the forests for them to fend for themselves.
Originally there were plans to reclaim Chek Jawa but it was saved by some nature loving group. Some nature-loving members of the public found and helped save a beautiful beach on Pulau Ubin called Chek Jawa. Their efforts led to a rare policy U-turn in Singapore.It was by chance that botanist Joseph Lai, 41, stumbled on the lagoon and sand bars of Tanjung Chek Jawa in January. He was acting as a volunteer guide for some students from Raffles Girls' School, who were exploring the coastal forests in the area. They just happened to be there when the tide was low, and he remembers that the richness of the marine habitat left him 'speechless with wonder'. You can read more from source. On reaching the information kiosk, you can collect map and brochures. Behind the kiosk is a house which I will tell you more about it later. The house is now a visitor centre. Follow the map and you can come across a boardwalk or a bridge above the water. The boardwalk was built so as to protect the beach and marine life on the beach during low tide. You can walk on the bridge above the beach anytime without registering but if you choose to walk on the beach during low tide, you need to register online and most of the time it is full.
They have limit the number of people on the beach to protect the marine life in there. But we still can see some marine life from the bridge during low tide. Too bad when I was there, the tide is not low enough otherwise I can see some crabs even without stepping on the beach. I zoom on the another part of the beach from the bridge where I was standing. I saw several mud skippers on the lower part of the beach. We were so excited hahaha. Can you spot the mud skippers in the above photo (circled). Saw many crabs further down the boardwalk. Some are hiding in the holes. Please do not capture or collect anything from the beach cause when you take the bumboat back to mainland Singapore, your bag have to go through the scanning machine at the ferry terminal at Changi Point. Anyway, I believe the marine creatures wont live long even if you capture them, they can only survive on sea water and not fresh water.
For photos on other parts of the world, please visit Our World Tuesday Meme. Thanks to the team of Our World for giving us the opportunity to share my world with the rest of the world.
Before touring the island, we decided to pray at the Tua Pek Kong Chinese Temple. It is a taoist temple and been around for a long time. Worshippers praying for good luck, good health and for their wishes to come true. The opera stage has been around since the sixties and most of the time, the stage is empty and used only during religious festivals. An incense burner next to the temple.
Upon reaching the island, we saw so many bicycles for rent. The only way to move around the island is either rent bicycles, take the van which acted as taxi/cab or walk.
Many choose to cycle but can be a challenge cause the roads are not even and there are cases of people who got injured while cycling on unfamilar and uneven roads. As my group consists of senior folks, we choose the van to go to Chek Jawa (will tell you more when I come to the post).
Singapore has about 64 small islands but not all islands are accessible to the public and some small islands have been merged to the mainland.
Last weekend, made a trip to one of the islands, Pulau Ubin. Pulau Ubin is a small island located north east of Singapore. Only a few hundred villagers still lived there. The name Pulau Ubin literally means "Granite Island" in Malay, which explains the many abandoned granite quarries there. The granites are used to make floor tiles in the past. See more information from source.
We took the bumboat from Changi Point Ferry Terminal to Pulau Ubin (you dont need passport to go to Pulau Ubin it is part of Singapore). The ride is only about 10 mins ride and the boat will move only if there are at least twelve passengers. The fare is only S$2.50 per person and you pay to the boatman. The signboard "Welcome to Pulau Ubin" is the first thing we saw on reaching the island. Pulau Ubin is so different from mainland Singapore. There are no tall buildings or shopping centres on this island. The road are not even and cycling on these roads prove to be a challenge. You can rent bicycles on the island or bring your own bicycles.
On weekdays, the island is mainly very deserted and quiet except for the villagers. Singaporeans, expatriates and even tourists love to come this island for the nature, cycling, photography and seafood during weekends and holidays. But you got to take care when cycling cause there are many people who got injured cause they are not familar with the roads on the island. For other sky watchers, please hop over to Skywatch Blog.
