Pulau Ubin has remained surprisingly rustic for a country like Singapore, where all states of disarray and unorderliness have to be straightened. Traces of alignment had seeped in, the white-washed visitor centre, the timble built jetty, but the town has otherwise been left quite untouched, and left to the owners’ own devices.

Pulau Ubin is a favourite camping site for school children, especially those in the Uniformed Groups like National Police Cadet Corps. There is an Outward Bound School on the west side of the island, making it literally and figuratively out of bounds to all other visitors. But even with the remaining half, there is a still a lot for you to see and walk to enjoy a day away from the city.

I like to kickstart my day in Pulau Ubin with a cup of teh-si, two pieces of Roti toasted over charcoal, layered with butter and sugar and 2 half-boiled eggs. I usually have the the eggs first. The way to do it is to break them open and pour them into the saucer and flavour them with some soya sauce before you eat. Only then will I eat the bread, and use part of it to clean off the remnants of the egg in the saucer. I enjoy the crispiness of the bread together with the crunchiness of the sugar melting in my mouth. Finally I will sip my teh-si slowly to wash down my breakfast. Enjoying the traditional breakfast in the morning breeze, in a Kampong setting really brings back my nostalgic childhood.

Less than 30 years ago there were still quite a number of people living in Pulau Ubin, and children took the boat to the mainland for their lessons. But no young people will want to live on the island now, as time is of essence, and it is so inconvenient to go to school or work from the island. So only the grandparents have chosen to stay behind on this island. The people living on the island make their living from the visitors that flock here during the weekends. Some continue to fish and farm, while others make a living from the rental of bikes and sale of food and drinks to the visitors. Many locals have also started to flock here for seafood, which Singapore is also quite famous for.

One can get quite good bikes for a reasonable low rental per day. But if you are not in a hurry, you will get to see more on foot rather than on two wheels.

First and foremost would be the plants that grow along the way. There are many types of local fruits that are growing along the paths, papaya, coconut, cempedak, durian, guava, cocoa and cotton. These plants grow on their own, fertilised only by nature and sunlight, and you can imagine that they are totally organic. Though man has meddled with nature to allow flowers to bear fruit at all time, Pulau Ubin has kept touched with nature, and the type of fruits and flowers you will see really depend on the season that you are there.

Secondly, walking around on foot will give you a better insight into the old kampong lifestyle. Pulau Ubin is one of the only two kampongs left in Singapore. One will never get to see these wooden huts anywhere else in Singapore, with tendrils growing on their fences, or the little lot of land that they tried to grow their own plants. If you are interested enough to learn about them, you will be rewarded with a courteous sharing of their lives.

The main attraction of Pulau Ubin is Chek Jawa. It used to be a swampy area, home to the wetlands community. But the discovery almost threatened its survival and the National Parks Board of Singapore has stepped in to protect the wetlands community. Hence a boardwalk was constructed around Chek Jawa, and anyone interested to see the Chek Jawa during low tide, can try to book a guide with the National Parks. The small fee that you pay the guide is well-worth what you experienced if you are there during the low tide.

Next to Chek Jawa is House No 1. An unusual sight to be seen on Pulau Ubin, if not Singapore. It is an architect’s confusion as a chimney was constructed as part of the house. Singapore is hot throughout the year, and I doubt the chimney has ever been used. Though the house is an oddity, is a great place to relax and oversee the sea and the mainland.

There are also a few quarries left in Pulau Ubin. The deep blue water may look tempting but is now off-limits to the visitors. The walk is tranquil and if you want to catch the early birds in Pulau Ubin, you will have to spend the night here. There are a few campsites that you can camped out or there is also a resort at Pula Ubin that offers challenging hideouts for the adventurous.

Pulau Ubin offers you a weekend getaway without the causeway jams, without the jostling of the crowd up and down the plane.

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