Day Trip to Pulau Ubin Island in Singapore
Pulau Ubin is an island located 10 minutes north of Singapore via ferry (bumboat).
The name Pulau Ubin literally means "Granite Island" in Malay, which explains the many abandoned granite quarries on the island.
It is known as the "last village" in Singapore as the island is very rustic. There are only about 100 villagers that live on the island, most of them are fisherman. They use generators for electricity and wells for water. They have lived this way for many years and prefer things stay as they are.
Kingsley and I decided it would be fun to spend the day riding bikes around the island to check it out.
The bumboat we took from Singapore mainland to Pulau Ubin island. It took 10 min and cost S$2.50.
After arrving on the island and much pleading I finally convinced Kingsley we should rent a tandem bike for the day, I have NO idea why he would be worried about sharing a bike with me!
$2.00 a day for a bike rental seemed too good
to be true and now we know why...
The bike we rented was probably older than I am, the front gears did not work and the left brake was a little twitchy but despite it all we had a great time!
We spent the day pedaling along rustic roads under swaying coconut trees, exploring gravel trails in overgrown rubber plantations, and checking out a mangrove forest.
Infront of an old granite quarry with our bike "big blue". Near this quarray they have a huge mountain biking area with lots of amazing trails. Although tempted to check it out, I just wasnt sure our bike would make it through the rough terrain. We will have to come back and explore the area further when our mountain bikes arrive from Seattle.
We also saw monkeys (long tailed macaques) on the island. I heard there were monkeys on the island but that it was not very common to see them so I was very excited when we randomly came across them.
Hornbill bird
The home of a fisherman in Pulau Ubin
We ended the day with an amazing seafood dinner on the beach then took the ferry back to the main island. It is hard to imagine that such a quiet and scenic island is located just 10 minutes away from a big city like Singapore.
The name Pulau Ubin literally means "Granite Island" in Malay, which explains the many abandoned granite quarries on the island.
It is known as the "last village" in Singapore as the island is very rustic. There are only about 100 villagers that live on the island, most of them are fisherman. They use generators for electricity and wells for water. They have lived this way for many years and prefer things stay as they are.
Kingsley and I decided it would be fun to spend the day riding bikes around the island to check it out.
The bumboat we took from Singapore mainland to Pulau Ubin island. It took 10 min and cost S$2.50.
to be true and now we know why...
The bike we rented was probably older than I am, the front gears did not work and the left brake was a little twitchy but despite it all we had a great time!
We spent the day pedaling along rustic roads under swaying coconut trees, exploring gravel trails in overgrown rubber plantations, and checking out a mangrove forest.
Infront of an old granite quarry with our bike "big blue". Near this quarray they have a huge mountain biking area with lots of amazing trails. Although tempted to check it out, I just wasnt sure our bike would make it through the rough terrain. We will have to come back and explore the area further when our mountain bikes arrive from Seattle.
We also saw monkeys (long tailed macaques) on the island. I heard there were monkeys on the island but that it was not very common to see them so I was very excited when we randomly came across them.
Mangrove forest.
Mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics
Hornbill bird
The home of a fisherman in Pulau Ubin
We ended the day with an amazing seafood dinner on the beach then took the ferry back to the main island. It is hard to imagine that such a quiet and scenic island is located just 10 minutes away from a big city like Singapore.
Labels:
Living in Singapore
Sounds like you had a great day. Your bike looks massive. Who rode up front?
Monkeys!! Oh the ENVY!!! I would of stayed all day trying to coax the monkeys to do tricks. Sounds like another day in the adventurous life of Lynn and Kingsley, love it!!