Dum dee dum dee dum..
Today's trip to Ubin, and subsequently Chek Jawa, has been a long time coming. I am currently doing a project for a good friend, which requires me to go around various destinations and take pictures, thus I'm not sure if the following pictures will be copyrighted. Back to topic, I have not been to Ubin for a number of years already. The last time, if I remembered correctly, was probably 3 or 4 years back, when I went with some friends to cycle and visit the quarries.
Stepping onto the island is akin to transporting yourself back in time, to a place where life is a lot simpler, yet untouched by modern capitalism, though some form of commercialism has crept into the few trades on the island, mainly the bicycle and minivan rental. The word that best describes Ubin, for me, is definitely, quaint. It is good to know that amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, a peaceful and nature-esque getaway is only a short boat ride away from the main island of Singapore.
While we were waiting at the Changi Jetty for the bumboat, silly me, I realised that I left my handphone in the car. Thus my good friend and me had to walk back to the carpark to retrieve my phone, whilst he made sure he had locked his car (side effects of modern technology). What was supposed to be a time-delaying absent-minded issue turned out to be a little blessing in disguise. We ended up sitting in the same boat as a family of 4 whom were going to Chek Jawa too, which we did not realise at that time.
After we got off the bumboat, and approach one of the minivans to bring us to Chek Jawa, we were confronted by a haggler. He attempted to extort money from my friend and me by charging us $24 for a return trip, which we obviously did not buy his story. He was putting it as if he was doing us a favour, hello, we are tourists, but we also have some sense. We hung around for awhile, until we met the family of 4, and decided to share a minivan with them with another driver on a cheaper price. Bless us all!
It was the virgin visit to Chek Jawa for me and my peace loving, nature loving friend, and we were greeted by various vegetation and marine life on the wet swamp lands
It was a strange feeling I got after visiting Chek Jawa, a little part of me felt that what Chek Jawa was originally meant to be was gone. Chek Jawa is a wet land swamp that is teeming with vegetation and wildlife (or that is what they advertised), and humans are not part of the equation. I personally feel that the erection of the boardwalk for tourists, which I suppose was meant to minimise the impact of human tramplings, has inadvertently affected the ecological system of the fragile environment. I am not an environmentalist, but it does not take an expert to see the amount of human trash that are strewn around the areas, and human activity has affected the biodiversity of Chek Jawa (I may be wrong).
Nonetheless, every cloud has a silver lining. I believe Chek Jawa provides the current and younger generation with opportunities to learn about the beauty and fragility of mother nature, and perhaps use the knowledge to tackle environmental issues that may surface in the future. It has been an enriching and insightful trip for my good friend and me, and I wish to thank the universe for making everything smooth sailing.
Ahhh...what better way to cool off after a long trek than with a nice cold coconut! Slurp! One more thing, many thanks to my friend for accompanying me, and giving me this cute cow piggy-bank (oxymoronic, hehe). Happy Chinese New Year one and all! Huat Ah! =)
Fortune cookie Quote of the Day: "Don't be hasty. Opportunity will knock on your door soon."
