Pulau Ubin or ‘Ubin Island’ in Malay, is the second largest island in Singapore following behind Pulau Tekong, is a recreational spot for many activities such as off road cycling, camping ,fishing, fruit picking and even heritage tours. Hehe, that’s me at the entrance
How to go to Pulau Ubin: The nearest MRT is Pasir Ris MRT Station (Link to the MRT map). Take bus 89 to Changi Point Ferry Terminal nearest bustop is Aft Changi Golf Course. At the Ferry Terminal, there is a bumboat which costs $3 every time you board the bumboat, $6 in total back and forth. Hold up, did the pandemic raise the price up? Oh no it didn’t. Then Covid-19 was like “Oh yes I did” anyways jokes aside, now it’s $4 every bumboat ride, quick Math $8 in total to and fro. That’s how you go to Pulau Ubin.
There’s a few things you need to know about Pulau Ubin: Please bring extra cash around, ATM in Pulau Ubin is equivalent to error 404, yup you heard me right, there’s none. There’s lots of food stalls and bicycle stalls near the jetty when you arrive. A plethora of bike shop owners are gonna call you out “What bicycle you want?”, “Do you want this bicycle?”, “Don’t need to walk, come here got bicycle” and many other creative methods for you to rent the bike. Yes you can walk around the entire island if you like but having a bicycle covers more ground so yeah, depending on how long you are going to spend time in Pulau Ubin, you will decide if you want to rent the bicycle or not.
Time to talk about some monehhhh! Bicycle rental can range from $10-$30+ for the whole day but if you wish to camp overnight at the designated camping spot, then you will need to pay twice the amount for example: Bicycle A cost $10/day and you are camping overnight so you pay $20 and they will take a photo of your IC (Identification Card) for security purposes. If you decide to bring your own bicycle, you pay the bumboat skipper an extra $2 on top of the bumboat ride. After a long ride, won’t you feel thirsty in the blazing hot sun? There you go, a coconut stall in the middle of your cycling/hiking journey charging you $5 for a coconut. Well, beggars can’t be choosers right 😉
What to do in Pulau Ubin? Endless activities! but let’s talk about the juicy one’s yeah? Speaking of juicy, you can start a campfire at the Designated Camping Grounds (Jelutong, Mamam, Endut Senin Campsite) which means you can have sausages grilled over the campfire, caramelizing marshmallows for the classic smores and the possibilities are endless. Be mindful that when you start a campfire please control the fire and burn wood, NOT anything harmful like burning plastic or rubber, you don’t want harmful gases dancing all over you right. Other than blazing campfires, Off-Road Cycling is popular here with avid cyclists bringing their prized bikes to take on the trail of Pulau Ubin black diamond off road madness. I didn’t have the right bicycle at that point of time but I hiked the black diamond path and yes it’s not for the faint hearted, bring the best gear you can get your hands on. There are blue trails which are perfect for those who seek adrenaline but wish to take on an easier level or do not have the best bicycle for off road cycling. This is where, I learned how to drift hehe…
Those are the 2 most popular activities guests of Pulau Ubin come for but there’s obviously more! Fishing, photography, fruit picking (during Durian/Rambutan Season), heritage tours and even school camps are held here! Not very well known here but I have done some fruit picking in Pulau Ubin. I know what you’re thinking,” Muaaz! These fruits are grown by the villagers here and you come here just to steal them?!” Let me explain, when I talked to the villagers here about the Rambutans, Durians and even Mangosteen up in the trees and some that drop onto the ground. The villagers here told me to take the opportunity to grab what fruit you can. I was like “wat”. This couple told me that, up in the trees, there’s lots of monkeys, they will eat the fruits and throw the leftovers (skin, seeds, etc) on the ground which is a hazard if there are people in the range. Instead of up in the trees, the fruits that drop on the ground, will be eaten by the wild boars so either way up in the trees or close to the ground there’s bound to have animals grabbing sweet sweet treasures into their bellies. After I heard what they said, haha it’s time to see what I can find. I threw sticks at the branches of a rambutan tree of course when nobody is around or else I become another monkey causing a falling hazard and guess what, BOOM some rambutans drop down and I couldn’t be happier.
Saving the best for the last here! I wanted to take a seat somewhere after a long day of cycling, photography and hiking. My friend and I saw a blue tarp on the ground and asked the family nearby if we could sit on it. They’re really kind and friendly saying “Yeah no problem take a seat, you must be very tired”
A couple of minutes past gobbling down my water bottle and resting suddenly, the family served us food! Woah I was super delighted when they say “Here you go, this is traditional Nepalese food!” Boy oh boy this is DELICIOUS, there’s spicy, sour and sweet combined amazingly into one dish. There’s a sweet deep fried bread (Sel Roti) with peas and vegetables on the side. The family showed us a box saying this is authentic Nepalese spice only from Nepal no where else in the world. I thanked them so much and after eating the food, I offered them my frisbee to the kids if they want to play it.
After having a nice chat with the kids I roasted some marshmallows for them
We asked the dad what he was doing here is it for work or vacation. He said its his offday from work. Little did we know, he said I’m a Gurkha. I was like YOOOOOO FOR REAAALLLLL?! Then he said yeah I fought in Afghanistan and I have a gunshot wound right here. What are the chances of meeting someone in Singapore who has a gunshot wound.
For those who don’t know what a Gurkha is this wiki here will help. In a nutshell, they are the silent protectors of Singapore, they have one of the most loyal and selfless soldiers in the world and they are not afraid to sacrifice themselves to protect this country. According to an article in The Week , The kukhri, a distinctive curved knife, is an important part of Gurkha culture, used both for work and in battle. Custom dictates that, in the hand of a warrior, “the khukri must draw blood every time it is unsheathed”, says The Kathmandu Post. Here’s another, According to ABC news, the Gurkhas have a fearsome reputation built over the last two centuries and exemplified by their motto “It is better to die than be a coward”
You never know what you are going to find when you’re on an adventure.
Now it’s time to head back to mainland Singapore. Goodbye Pulau Ubin!
