Day 18: Biking Through Pulau Ubin, Singapore (Monday May 29th, 2023)

Today I woke up early at 5:45 to get out to the bum boat ferry terminal by around 8:00. I struggled to wake up, getting up around 6:05 and quickly getting ready to leave by 6:30. I got ready, packed a breakfast and lunch, and headed out the door by 6:35. It was a 1:30 bus ride from the apartment to the ferry terminal. I arrived and waited in the queue. The boats don't leave until there are 12 people. So by about 8:30, we were off. 

We arrived at Pulua Ubin by 9:00 and I set off to get a bike rental for the day. This seems to be the best mode of transportation to see the whole island. 

I found a gravel bike to rent for $10 SGD which seemed like a good deal to me. Then I was off! I headed to the sensory Trail first. Which, I'm not quite sure what makes it sensory, but it was pretty. It went through the jungle where there were buzzards buzzing and birds chirping. 

I came to a beach, which seemed like a good spot to eat breakfast! I hadn't ate yet because 6:00 was too early and I was scrambling to get out the door. Then I couldn't eat on the bus or ferry. I had packed a peanut butter banana sandwich for breakfast and cheese and crackers for lunch. But I figured the sandwich would last better than the cheese and crackers, so I had those for breakfast. More like a morning snack. 

I continued on towards the southeast, going counterclockwise around the island. I passed a pond and fruit orchard along my way, although I didn't see any animals or fruit. 

After the sensory Trail, I took the road out to Jek Jawa which are the tidal wetlands. There was an old 1900's Englishman's restored house that was turned into a museum. 

It also had a boardwalk that jetted out into the bay. The tide was high though, so I couldn't see much of the wetlands. Just a few birds at shore. But the views of the harbor were still good. 

After the Jek Jawa Jetty at the English House, there was another boardwalk that did a larger loop around the Jek Jawa Wetlands around the bay. This had better views of the tidal mudflats where I saw birds, lizards, crabs, fish, etc. 

Although the boardwalk was in the direct sun, with the ocean breeze, it was the coolest I had felt (outside) in Singapore so far. I used the opportunity of a covered bench while being cool and not sticky to reapply sunscreen. 

At the end of the wetlands, the boardwalk went into a jungle of mangrooves. This reminded me of Mexico, especially doing the boat tours outside of Rincon de Guayabitos with Papa. He loved taking this yours, looking at the mangroves, houses on stilts, turtles, crocokodils, etc. Thankfully this mangrove jungle didn't have any crocodiles. 

But I did see one of the Malaysian water lizards up close! I was worried at first because I am not familiar with them and didn't know if they were aggressive or not. But a kind man informed me that they're tame and just foragers. The shade from the mangroves was also a nice repreeve from the direct sun out on the wetlands boardwalk. Although, I did miss the cool ocean breeze.

 

Part way through the mangrove forests, there was also a lookout tower. This was scorching hot in the sun without a breeze, but the views were incredible. 

After the mangrove jungle, it looped back to the information center where I had left my bike. I went to continue on counterclockwise around the island; however, that road was closed. So I bikes back out the way I came. I went to take another road, but it was closed to bikes. I eventually made my way to the northwest side of the island towards some campsites. Not that I was planning to camp, but I wanted to explore the whole island while I was there. I wasn't impressed by this spot as it was a bit smelly and the views were blocked by a fence in the water. I'm curious what the purpose of the fence is. If it is for fish, or trash, or what. But even if it didn't smell, I still don't think I'd camp in Singapore. It's too hot. 

After the campsite, I continued on and ended up at a pond reserve and butterfly hill! 

This seemed like a good lunch spot with a covered shady hut. Plus, it was a gorgeous view and so peaceful being surrounded by butterflies. 

After lunch, I continued on to finish my tour of the island. As I went to leave butterfly hill, I was accompanied by a family of monkeys! They all came clamoring down the trees and crossed the road. I stopped biking and stood patiently watching as I waited. I didn't want to bike through them and risk getting between the adults and babies. I watched for about five to ten minutes, until most of them had crossed the road. They were coming down the tree, across the road, up the fence, and then going further down the road. Which didn't really help me, because in the end they were all scattered all over the road and I had to bike around them anyways. But by then, they were at least all settled and picking bugs off of one another instead of running everywhere. 

I headed towards the west side, towards the mountain bike park. I wasn't exactly feeling like mountain biking today, the bike tour of the island was enough for me (it ended up being about 17mi total). But I went past it until the road dead ended and then turned around. I followed another road at that side of the island too, only for it to dead end without any views or destination. By now, there was only one road on the island that I hadn't gone down yet. But unfortunately for me, it was another dead end without any views or destination. 

Now, it was time to head back to the village. It was about 2:00 and I was hot, sweaty, and tired. So I got a cold coconut at one of the restaurants on the water to enjoy with the view. It was the perfect refreshing drink and snack. 

Afterwards, I caught the bum boat back to the mainland. 

Once I was back, I walked around the little market area while I waited for the bus. The bus ride back was a nice reprieve from the heat. It also felt good to relax and sit for a while. Once I was back at their apartment, I took a long cold shower. 

I had plans to go to dinner with Michael and Van around 7:00 as my last dinner in Singapore and to try chicken rice. It was about 5:30 now and the apartment was quiet and empty. So I took a nap on the couch. I woke up around 6:45 and got ready for dinner. Van and I walked there to meet Michael since he was coming from a work event. 

The chicken rice was good! The rice is cooked in chicken broth and the chicken is steamed or roasted. I got roasted as it has more flavor. 

After dinner, Michael walked Van to work because she was working the night shift and I stopped by the grocery store to pickup some snacks for my bus the next day. I also wanted to get a souvenir since I hadn't gotten anything from Singapore yet. But nothing really stood out to me. 

Back at the apartment, I packed and got ready for bed. I would be getting up early tomorrow for my bus to Malaysia.