Ubin Day turns Pesta Ubin!

Last year we wrote about the revival of Ubin Day in 2014, more than a decade after its inception in 2002. Since then, Ubin Day just kept growing! In 2015, it became Ubin Day Weekend where the non-stop activities were held over both Saturday and Sunday. But all of us Ubin lovers just couldn't get enough of it and so this year 2016, Ubin Day has become a five-week long Ubin open house known as Pesta Ubin, from the month of May to June!

Pesta, pronounced ‘Pays-ta’, is Malay for festival or party. Pesta often describes festivities that bring a community together, such as a wedding; or a cultural celebration and there is no better word to describe how this wonderful event is bringing the community together!

This is not just a specialised niche event reaching out to nature lovers, or an outdoors adventure event, or yet another heritage event. It has something for everyone who loves something about this wonderful granite island or has something to do with this last wild frontier and rural kampong - from delicious seafood to farm tours to heritage and temple celebrations to world premiere of new movies! From the kayakers to the stargazers, there is just something for everyone. And nothing brings together people from all walks and all interests together in the same place like Pulau Ubin.

For the past 2 ubin days, I was only able to help out behind the scenes as the social media manager, updating and coordinating updates to facebook and the blog from home, away from the action in Ubin as I was pregnant one year, and juggling an infant the next. This year, the Ubin Stories team is one toddler stronger and we will be guiding at the Balik Chek Jawa event on Sunday 5 June! This will be the son's first sojourn to ubin with ubin grandma and mummy! I am looking forward to being reunited with the fibre glass dugongs from the 2008 May Day Dugong Ambassadors Outreach at Chek Jawa as well as friends involved in Chek Jawa since pre-reclamation deferment till today! From old friends such as the pedal ubin guides who will be helping to bring you on bicycles to Chek Jawa and the Naked Hermit Crabs who will be wandering as guides throughout the boardwalks, to new friends such as the Restore Ubin Mangroves (R.U.M.) Initiative which was started in 2014.

With my mom with me at Balik Chek Jawa, we hope to share stories about Ubin, maybe meet old classmates, neighbors (or relatives I never knew I had!) and hope to collect stories you have on Ubin! If you have or had family and relatives from Ubin, bring them and we hope to meet you at Balik Chek Jawa to hear your stories. See you there!

Trail to Chek Jawa closed

Notice of Track Closure for Improvement Works posted at the bike rental shops in the main town area. Photo taken in December 2008

Regular visitors to Pulau Ubin would long have noticed that one of the access roads to Pulau Ubin, an off road trail, has been closed for some time now. This is the trail that passes by the Balai Quarry via the Northeast of the island. For cyclists, this was once a treacherous track. Many accidents, falls and spills had taken place on this trail.


The trail in question, Balai Quarry on the right of photo. Taken in June 2007.

As such, NParks is now conducting large scale maintenance, trim and fill of the trail. Some parts of the trail have been filled up with soil up to 2-3m high! While it is undergoing maintenance, cyclists are strongly advised against using this trail for their own safety! The alternate route to Chek Jawa is via Kampung Melayu through the southeast of the island.

The trail is expected to be reopened in February 2009.


Balai Quarry, June 2007.

Ubin Lodge is now open!

In February 08, I reported that the former Civil Service Club Chalets were renovated and ready to be open for corporate bookings according to the caretaker.

2 weeks ago, a lil bird told me that the former CSC Chalet is now known as Ubin Lodge is open for public bookings! Rates are relatively cheap, near the Ubin Jetty and perhaps this might be a good boost to the visitorship on the island. Perhaps finally there'll be an excuse to visit the island more often! More overnight stays too perhaps?

This place is definitely memorable as I will always remember the stories of how Ria Tan booked the old Civil Service Chalets for the volunteers helping out with Chek Jawa in 2001. This was when Chek Jawa was still about to be reclaimed, prior to deferment! Low tide was at unmentionable hours and volunteers need to be there whenever the tide calls so that they could survey the flora and fauna of CJ! I'm sure those volunteers would have many stories to tell about the civil service chalets!

Related Reads:
Ubin Lodge Official Website
Civil Service Chalets on Ubin, WildSingapore
Former Civil Service Chalet, Pulau Ubin Stories, 18 February 2008
Bed & Breakfast or resort likely on Pulau Ubin as first public tender called on island, Channel News Asia, 14 December 2006

May Day Dugong Ambassadors Outreach at Chek Jawa

On Labour Day (1 May 2008), I joined the homeschooling community and a group of staff from Intel at Chek Jawa. The event was the brainchild of Joseph Lai and held in conjunction with the International Year of the Reef 2008.

The event was a full day of activities from a guided walk by us volunteers (from NSS and Naked Hermit Crabs), followed by mural painting, beach cleanup and an outreach exercise from the dugong ambassadors!


Children painting mural! You can see the mural at the Chek Jawa Visitor Center at House Number 1.

After guiding in the morning, I helped out with the seagrass station by the dugong ambassador from Team Seagrass, Siti! The Dugong Ambassadors are made up from the Intel group, the homeschooling group and some of us volunteer guides. We are supposed to share with the public who visit Chek Jawa about Dugongs. At my station, We were joined by a young friend from the homeschooling community who was more enthusiastic than us! I am full of admiration for him as he did not know anything before joining us and after we went off to check out some cool GPS gadget, Tin took over the whole station by himself! *Bravo!* I wish all youths of today are like him :)


Our industrious and enthusiastic young dugong ambassador, Tin at work.

I had a whole lot of fun on that day. It was not my first time working with this group of children and I enjoy every single experience with them. While we were at the seagrass station, a reporter from Lianhe Zaobao (LHZB) approached us and asked me and Siti a few questions. Yesterday (11 May 2008), my mom called me up and informed me that my photo and quote appeared in LHZB! The article was the center-spread of the LHZB equivalent of the ST Life! Section. You can see the article below. Unfortunately it is in Mandarin Chinese. Perhaps some kind soul with some time on their hands can help to translate this.


Excerpt on Naked Hermit Crab and me.


The full article. Click for full size.

More photos from the event can be seen here.

Related Articles:
"Shore extravaganza: Dugong Ambassadors at Chek Jawa", Wildfilms, 1 May 2008

35 new plant and animal species recorded in Singapore

07 July 2007 2312 hrs
ChannelNewsAsia

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said 35 new plant and animal species have been recorded in Singapore in an ongoing two-year survey by National Parks and its volunteers.

Seven other species, thought to be extinct, have also been rediscovered.

And now, nature lovers can go on DIY tours of the Chek Jawa Wetlands on Pulau Ubin after new facilities were launched by Mr Mah on Saturday morning.

These facilities include a visitor centre with a viewing jetty, a boardwalk and a viewing tower.

Altogether, S$7 million have been invested by the government to protect the fragile eco-systems at Chek Jawa.

Environmentally friendly features have also been integrated into the designs, such as energy-efficient lights, motion sensor lights and solar-powered battery cells.

Reclamation plans on Chek Jawa were put on hold in 2001, following appeals by nature lovers.

Since then, more than 20,000 people have visited it.

Significant care was taken to ensure construction work on the new facilities did not affect the wildlife there.

Mr Mah said: "During the conversion of the former British cottage into the visitor centre, extra care was taken to protect a family of rare Malayan False Vampire Bats that had made the old watch tower its home for many years.

"To protect these bats, the old watch tower was left untouched and a new one was constructed. A family of Pouched Tomb Bats was also found roosting in the chimney of the cottage. Work near the chimney was carried out with extra care. I understand that both species of bats are still around."
- CNA/so

Development of Chek Jawa wetlands

Interesting bit of communications from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore regarding Chek Jawa. According to this notice, works will be carried out at Chek Jawa till August this year but the launch of the boardwalk is scheduled to happen around July 2007!


Boardwalk in progress at Chek Jawa, taken by Dr Chua Ee Kiam on 25 Feb 2007

According to some sources, the boardwalk is pretty much complete, awaiting the recovery of our beloved intertidal area. Either way, a bit of buffer time and alertness amongst mariners passing by Chek Jawa is always good. We definitely wouldn't want any ships accidentally bumping into our reefs!


Boardwalk in progress at Chek Jawa, taken by Dr Chua Ee Kiam on 25 Feb 2007

In a notice released to mariners on 19 February 2007, the Port Marine Notice No.24 of 2007 was reproduced by PORTWORLD on 21 Feb 2007.

"Works for the development of the Chek Jawa wetlands at Pulau Ubin will be carried out from 21 February to 21 August 2007.

According to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's Port Marine Notice No.24 of 2007 dated 19 February 2007, the works will be conducted 24 hours daily - including Sundays and Public Holidays - at Pulau Ubin, within a working area bounded by the following coordinates (WGS 84 Datum):

1) 01 deg. 24.487'N / 103 deg. 59.333'E
2) 01 deg. 24.370'N / 103 deg. 59.357'E
3) 01 deg. 24.383'N / 103 deg. 59.420'E
4) 01 deg. 24.432'N / 103 deg. 59.410'E
5) 01 deg. 24.447'N / 103 deg. 59.465'E
6) 01 deg. 24.427'N / 103 deg. 59.497'E
7) 01 deg. 24.427'N / 103 deg. 59.548'E
8) 01 deg. 24.447'N / 103 deg. 59.575'E
9) 01 deg. 24.468'N / 103 deg. 59.585'E
10) 01 deg. 24.517'N / 103 deg. 59.585'E
11) 01 deg. 24.530'N / 103 deg. 59.573'E
12) 01 deg. 24.550'N / 103 deg. 59.597'E
13) 01 deg. 24.598'N / 103 deg. 59.552'E
14) 01 deg. 24.598'N / 103 deg. 59.458'E

Replacement of the existing jetty and construction of a coastal boardwalk at Chek Jawa wetlands will be carried out within the working area.

Craft involved in the works will exhibit the appropriate local and international day and night signals.

When in the vicinity of the working area, mariners are reminded to:
(a) keep well clear and not enter the working area
(b) maintain a proper lookout
(c) proceed at a safe speed
(d) maintain a listening watch on VHF Channel 21
(d) communicate with Sembawang Control on VHF 21 for assistance, if required."