The rains did not discourage us from camping on Christmas eve. It have been a magical night for us in the past. Once 3 piglets came out from the bush and came near us.

Despite heavy rain forecasts, the rains were however light. We were able to walk to the jetty to see if the anglers were lucky. 2 tourists with luggage were stranded, they arrived late at 10pm and there are no transport to the Ubin only resort 2.5km away. Fortunately we were able make phone contacts which must been a great relief for them.

There was another surprise waiting for us when we headed back to our camp. We found the village square ankle deep in seawater that rose with the tide. This is unexpected as high tide for the night was 3.36m, which is not as high compared the year high of 3.65m on 20 Feb 2011.

Flooding on Christmas eve – Picture by Andy Ho

Tides pushing seawater into Ubin village on 20 Feb 2011

Googling turn out a treasure trove of information. Sea-level at Straits of Johore (between Johore and Singapore) are higher compared to other parts of Singapore due to North-east monsoon winds pushing water and currents into the straits, which is further blocked by Singapore-Johore causeway.

Sea level anomalies higher than 30cm would result in the flooding we observed that night. Checking MPA records for Tanjong Pagar tide station for the same night also confirmed tide anomaly of +0.34m. The reverse of -0.2m would occur during south-west monsoon when the straits become a shelter instead.

We saw earthworms wriggling to higher surface to escape saltwater. The effect can be catastrophic as seawater pushes further inland. Durian trees and other land plants die when their roots are submerged.

Along with global warming and rising sea levels causing frequent floods, monsoon surges is another major factor as our island state struggles to contain and manage.

The rains has started early in November 2012 and December is expected to be just as rainy. We didn’t expect to see much of the eclipse in the poor weather. But heavens was smiling at us and we were treated to a sight of full moon eclipse, with the next one expected in 2014.

We didn’t come prepared with advanced camera gears and long lenses, fortunately my new Nikon V1 point and shoot was just able to capture the enchanting sight.

It was an eye opening trip for the little boy. The sky was lit up with stars with Orion constellation clearly visible.

Here are the fishing calendars for Pulau Ubin based on Garmin GPS. Garmin uses its own secret recipe, something that got to do with Solunar Theory. The periods happen to coincide with the 1st and 15th day of Chinese Lunar Calendar.

Best fishing forecasts for Pulau Ubin.

January 2012
- Sun 08 ~ Wed 11
- Sun 22 ~ Wed 25
Feb 2012
- Tue 07 ~ Fri 10
- Tue 21 ~ Fri 24
Mar 2012
- Wed 07 ~ Sat 10
- Wed 21 ~ Sun 25

For those using traditional Chinese lunar or moon calendars, you can click the links below the lunar date and tide times for Pulau Ubin.

Jan 2012
Feb 2012
Mar2012

But just as sudden, storms appeared and anyone caught out soon got soaked.

The rains soon stopped with soft back-lit scenes and romance in the air.

bumboat ride video

Photography notes: Pictures 1,2,4,5,6 is taken with Nikon’s new V1 camera. Pictures 3,7 with Sigma DP1.

Flashlights

The biggest collection we have tried are flashlights. Gone are the days we would carry heavy flashlights with bagful of expensive batteries and spare bulbs for camping overnight. New and evolving LED technology made flashlights a lot lighter, reliable, longer lasting and powerful at the same time. As tools, we are also looking for ones that is well machined with quality materials, and have been very impressed with SC600 Cree XM-L 750Lm Flashlight 18650 by Zebralight. Update 14 Nov. We have just ordered the new neutral white version (ZLSC600w). Update 28 Nov. We received the SC600w over the weekend and tested at the about to be demolished Bukit Brown cemetery. It emits a huge wall of light. To a group trekking there, its bright as a car with headlights on. Run time is impressive with a single 18650 battery used for a 2 hours walk, lasting much longer with AW 18650 3100 mAh battery which we would soon order. This will be our next durian hunting flashlight, allowing us to take census count of number of durians from the tallest tree, and allowing us to sweep for hours to find them as they fall and roll hidden in the jungle floor.

Digital cameras
It is tiring carrying a heavy DSLR to Pulau Ubin, with dripping sweat and oily repellents gumming up its knobs and switches.

The efforts paid off, like this baby owl taken in extreme low light conditions with a Nikon D3s. (Taken by Andy Ho)

But there are days where we have too many things to carry so our gear needs to be light. Nikon 1 series V1 camera looks promising. What I like so far its its ability to take fast moving subjects in focus. Like these dogs running and playing.

Click for animated gif

Helmet cam

Digital cameras nowadays are capable of motion videos. But few are completely waterproof or as versatile than GoPro 2 which is now available in Singapore. With so many questions from first time visitors about Pulau Ubin, short clips would be useful to get a feel what it is like and for archiving disappearing scenes.

Bumboat ride.Click to play.

Trail Cameras

I haven’t seen mousedeers and otters in Pulau Ubin which others have spotted. Other elusive creatures include swamp mouse with its white colored belly. Maybe I get lucky with this trail camera on special offer by Amazon.


Despite its flimsy looking construction, its small and comparatively cheap. Unfortunately it draws attention due to its blinking LEDs used to take infrared photographs in total darkness. One its first night I gulped when I saw a guy in shadow silently coming out from the direction I set the trail cam. Next the weather turn stormy and it rained heavily non-stop for a few hours. The silent guy have missed it and it survived the rain. Only one picture was taken but no animal was seen. Maybe its too fast. It must have spooked a village dog sleeping near us which jumped in fright and howled in all four directions. Must be a large boar. Hopefully we will be lucky the next time.

Walky talkies

Consumer walky talkies we used so far have been disappointing, with signal breakups just a few hundred metres apart. The Motorola TLKR T7 is designed for outdoor sports use. Then again it may not. I bought it for its included accessories like twin charging bay and that it is approved for local use without requiring a license or paying annual fees. Despite its limited practical use, the kids look forward to play with them during school holidays.

Handheld GPS

The Garmin Montana is a bright touch screen designed for dual function as vehicle GPS which you can use with free downloadable maps for many Asean countries. Although most GPS should work in Pulau Ubin, the Montana proved itself to be very useful when I was in Phuket. Despite pouring rain, I was able to navigate by listening to its spoken road directions through a ear-piece.

For some of us, we would pass through an abandoned building or deserted plantation grove, wondering what was it like, back then when the island was a community of immigrants and natives with its own school, mosque, rubber and pineapples plantations.

Future visitors may not have the chance see any remnants. Everything now has a price for the highest bidder. Despite the island given ‘protected’ status, this blog have been searched for information on buying lands in Pulau Ubin. ‘Land grabs’ of prized locations have already begun. Whole quarry with its scenic lake is fenced off for a tertiary organization. Rumors abound about big boys bidding for restaurant license for integrated resort development. Coastal fish farming with its low environmental impact are told to be productive or be forced to closed for other developments to take its place. The inter-connecting wetlands that stood against bull-dozing tide of human development may be helpless this time if the rumors are true.

Fish farms uncertain future.

Then there are other irks like poachers seeking information how to trap monitor lizards, catching wild pigs and snakes, whatever that are left in Pulau Ubin to be picked over. There are even survivor camps organized to teach kids how to catch them. The assault comes from all fronts, even from its supposed protector. Pits dug to catch pigs for research were not filled posing latent danger. Non-biodegradable PVC tapes wrapped around thousands of trees for census counts are not removed causing fungal rot. New location signs are put up full of misspellings including sungi for sungei, sarau for surau, malayu for melayu.

The preference of getting contractors for park maintenance pose other risks. Their workers have been caught for poaching before. Oysters growing on the rocks at Chek Jawa have been pried loose in large numbers indicating illegal harvesting.

Animal pit left uncovered

PVC tag not removed
As this country frown on anything pagan or any organic community self-expression (recently cancelling the popular Halloween zoo event), I went to Phuket for the vegetarian festival, hoping to get a feel of island culture similar to Pulau Ubin. The trip was worthwhile, with whole local community throbbing alive wearing whites and going vegan for 2 weeks. The procession and the merry-making would be familiar for those now in their fifties and sixties.

Devotees in trance turning on themselves

South West Monsoon weather features according to NEA.

Showers and thunderstorms occurs between predawn and midday.

Intense thunderstorms or squals that last for less than 30 minutes.

Smoke haze is common.

The piglets are still there although their baby stripes are gone.

The rain shelter at Chek Jawa Coastal Walk is one our favorite spot for a lazy afternoon. Here, you can do some bird watching or plane spotting as they land against prevailing monsoon winds.

A white bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) clutching its prey.

Qantas A380 Flight QF10 from London coming to land at Changi Airport

For romance of sea travels, the sight of ships steaming straight towards us guided by Chek Jawa land beacons must be an inspiring sight!

3G connection may be spotty in other parts of Ubin but its good here.

Its dark by the time we headed back. A rare sight of a large scorpion, its size compared to a folded note.

Teochew street opera troupe from Bangkok performance on 14 Aug 2011. The troupe regularly performed at Ubin during 7th Month Festivals.

Chinese people consider 7th lunar month (July 31 to Aug 28, 2011) as time where hell gates are open for hungry ghosts to roam the earth. Since there are many hits this month for Ubin ghost stories and where in Pulau Ubin they are most prevalent, I might as well share mine.

The ghost most commonly heard is usually the lady in white at Noordin beach. It is likely people are repeating urban legends heard since they were kids. For Ubin villagers it is often the ghost that cause them to walk in circles. Heard this when I was a kid too, the ghost will feed lost children with delicious food like chicken thighs but are actually grasshopper legs. The usual remedy is to pull down your pants and waving it over your head as doing so will remove the spell cast by the ghost.

Asian children may be preoccupied with ghosts, but for western kids, its fairy tales with themes of being eaten like Big Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel. Stories which psychoanalysts believe is a way young children cope and confront their own problems and inner conflicts.

In our case, the strange encounter happened while we are picking durians on 9 July 2011. Earlier we caught a distinctive scent of freshly dropped durian a metre or two away near an abandoned house but were puzzled as we just couldn’t find that elusive durian despite repeat searches. For a moment we thought a ghost has us tricked. Later as we doze in our camp nearby, we woke up to find ourselves in pitch darkness despite having our candles lighted. Pulau Ubin is never completely dark at night, even on moonless nights you can still discern the sky and dim outlines of tree shadows and path ahead. For a moment I thought I have gone totally blind until my vision was completely restored a minute later to my relief. Didn’t know we have the same experience until my friend asked if there was a blackout last night.

Although there are no full moon eclipse that night, there is probably some scientific reason for this. For now I am filing it as ghost encounter where we were placed under its spell.

Chinese people believe its bad luck to encounter ghosts. Its must be very bad luck for me indeed. A few days later I met with a traffic accident which landed me in hospital for nearly a week with broken ribs but fortunately no permanent injury.

Jangan Shortfilm is a local Indie production about a group of paranormal enthusiasts who went for a night trip of exploring a haunted place. Their filming on location near our camp at Pulau Ubin makes an interesting night for us. Filming was completed on the eve of Ghost month and their first installment is on Youtube. Congratulations to DslrIndieFilm and its enthusiastic film crew.

Here is one my sister told me. She still remembered all the story details despite watching the movie more than 40 years ago.

According to Ubin villagers. A mini durian season is expected in November 2011. Harvest quality is not expected due to constant rains. For die-hard pickers.

Update 10 July 2011

Its the height of the durian season in Ubin with most of the durians already dropped. Still there are some late bloomers trees which should start dropping in the coming week before the season ends. This year’s harvests has been lower than previous year.

We got about seven durians last night. 2 of them are very good. One was dry with slight bitterness. Another was sweet. Rest have rotted or worms infested.

My friend KP Tan who helped out on the island saw massive crowds who heard of free durians, some carrying scraps of newspapers cutting with maps purportedly showing locations of durians. I haven’t seen the cuttings but if true, such tabloid journalism can put people into danger. The jungle floor near demolished houses contains rusty spikes and broken glasses. There are more than 10 deep boar pits dotted about which have been neglected. The villagers have reported their pets missing so we do not know if they are victims of predators or if they have fallen into the pits. One can easily fall into them and break a leg.

As durian gathering is added fun for a night camping, I am also looking for ways to enhance my enjoyment.

Getting enough sleep outdoors is a challenge. Hard sleeping surface makes one turn about to ease pressure build-up and resulting discomfort. For this I bought a Therm-a-Rest air mattress to improve sleeping comfort. This air mattress is too expensive, bulky and takes too long to deflate so hammocks might be better solution.

As most local ones are cheaply made, its another Amazon shopping spree to get one that works for heavy folks. Shopping with Amazon is excellent with timely shipping and immediate refunds for loss. They are shipped using Vpost to save on shipping (Customer service is poorer with Vpost, but it the only option for retailers who does not ship internationally). Fortunately, they arrived in time for this camping trip and the whole idea worked (although time will tell) and I slept well without backaches.

Here are the details for those interested. I got the Eagles Nest SingleNest Hammock which is able to bear loads up to 180 kilos. A generous safety margin is needed as the whole system is subjected to uneven weight stress. The hammock does not come with suspension ropes to allow for customization. For this I bought military grade 1″ tubular webbings from Sheares Marketing to wrap around trees without strangling or damaging them. 4 meters lengths at each ends should be slip proof and sufficient to wound the trunk a few times. In addition I bought 2 pairs suspension rings from a ship hardware shop in Sungei rd for each end to form a quick release system and to prevent dead knots. As usual, watch youtube videos and read camping forums on how to set hammocks correctly and safely.

Update 2 July 2011

Our friends at Naked Hermit Crabs are planning a Chek Jawa boardwalk nature trip cum durian gathering on Saturday 9 July at 9.30am. Highly recommended. You’ll need to be at Changi Jetty by 8.00am to reach there on time.

Update 26 June 2011.

Durian season has just started in Pulau Ubin. The early fruits are usually premature or rotten ones. We camped overnight as it is fun as always. We brought our newly purchased flashlights to see how they performed in durian seeking department. The latest Surefire 3 cell ‘Invictus UB3T’ did not disappoint, the most powerful yet. It was able to light up durians from the topmost tree for a ‘census count’. The rate the durians fall over the next month will help us determine when it peaks to plan our next overnight camping trip.

We also brought Malkoff high-cri drop-ins. I am impressed by its excellent color rendition, good-runtime and excellent flood. Zebralight headlamps are a class of their own also. More pictures will be posted.

Line-up of flashlights we brought.

For boys and girls, your requests are being heard. Since there are so many search requests for “Ubin ghost”, this is probably how she looks like when we found her. Full details embargoed for now.

Update 12 Jun 2011. Durian season must be in the air. This site got so many hits for latest durian season updates. Went to the trees where I took pictures of its blossoms. It a total fail for one tree as none of its flowers got pollinated with no fruit. The other was a lot more promising with clusters of growing durian fruits. That was two weeks ago and a number of nonviable small ones have already dropped prematurely. Ubin’s durian season 2011 should start end June but no bumper harvest is expected. Meanwhile I went to Giant Hypermart just before closing and bought the “cat mountain king (猫山王)”, custard like and slightly bitter with ample flesh with its small seeds, at half price.

Update 2 April 2011: The full season should start at around July. Durian buds are now appearing. This is the actual photo taken. I will be tracking its growth stages for the next few months.

Update 18 April 2011
Durian flowers blossom at night and by midday they would fall and the grounds will be covered with them. Luckily I managed to catch them at mid-bloom. The air is sweet with their fragrance. And some say they taste great when cooked with curry!

Updated June 2011.