Ubin’s hell guards (黑白无常). Their job is to catch ghosts and send them back to hell. Link warning. Scary pictures.

We hoped to make a spirit themed walk to Bukit Puaka area, a place considered by Ubin islanders as being haunted. Residents tell stories of being lost even in broad daylight in places they were familiar since childhood.

Despite being skeptics, we are hoping to be caught up in the same paranormal phenomenon. But this time with high tech tools to help us. My GPS is logging the location of every step we made. Its recording will show if we have been walking in circles or taken to Mars by alien probes.

We are also armed with the latest flashlights. This time with RA clicky high CRI LED lights fitted with longer lasting 17670 batteries. The lights also enable us to take better colored photographs. I also brought a Thrunite 300 lumen P60 style XP-G R5 3 mode drop-in. This drop in allows me to use Surefire 6P heads with forward clicky, fitted on Solarforce 18650 tube. They would be our high tech amulets against ghosts.

The walk was leisurely while taking nature photographs along the way.

Located 100 meters away from Malay Kampong, this bamboo clump was inhabited with interesting creatures including including a scorpion, slugs and insects that crowd and move together.

The village provision shop was still open late into the night. We soon found ourselves engaging in swapping ghosts stories. The one told about Noordin famous white ghost with a baby on her arms is most frightening. Another is sightings of a blue colored giant mountain spirit walking the hills of Bukit Puaka. And that was way before the movie Avatar came out.

Time passed, we decided to postpone our ghost trail after allowing ourselves to be spooked, discretion being the better part of valor.

We went to Ubin jetty. Fish were biting and this angler landed a snapper.

On the way back we heard mewling high up the trees. It turns out to be a rarely seen spotted wood-owl. It’s a juvenile bird calling for its parent. Adult wood owls emits a loud and eerie frightening sound which is commonly heard at Malay kampong area.

Pictures above are all taken illuminated with RA high CRI clicky flashlights by photographer Andy Ho using a high iso Nikon D3s camera.

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In the sixties, British forces personnel adopted a colony of otters living on a small islet off Changi. A servant working at China Sea Beach Club (rebuilt into SAF Ferry terminal) would row over and feed them fishes bought from the wet market. The islet is long gone, the area reclaimed when Changi airport was built. The otter colony was abruptly dispersed and dead ones were caught on fishermen nets.

Otters are slowly making its comeback. They have been spotted at Sungei Tampines, Paris Ris Park (lon/lat 1.379849, 103.953285),

These lizards used to be commonly seen in Ubin. You can now see them up close at Chek Jawa as they are used to humans visitors. When startled, they climb up to the nearest tree. Their natural predators are dogs so make sure your pets are leashed.

These lizards are not prolific breeders, their numbers declining, being easily trapped by poachers, who include “snake head biters” commandos who like to show their prowess biting off heads of live snakes.

If you are a student and being entertained by one, remember that wild animals are protected in Ubin. Tell your instructor that you have already seen how its done and set the creature free instead of eating it. There is cautionary story of a SAF army commando who is a Ubin regular. Happens about 14 years ago. He subsequently died of blood poisoning after drinking wild reptiles blood. Monitor lizards are scavengers and carrion eaters. They swim about eating dead carcasses and are known to burrow into freshly dug graves and eating dead bodies. Malaysians regard them as filthy animals.

Singapore CDC, Nparks, school principals please take note. Here is an actual experience related by a trainee while in Ubin.

Anyway monitor lizar do taste good. confrim nicer than chicken esp those farm bred ones we eat nowadays. Choose the ~0.5m long ones. Smack bugger on the head until tongue drop out sideways… hang on fence or pole, slit the skin from throat down to tail with a razor…and just peel it off like piece of clothing until the claw area and chop if off. All their fats are concentrated in one area at the belly (yellow lump). Just pull it off and the rest are all lean meat. Serious! If you are in the jungle and there is no cooking oil, just melt this fat back and stir fry the chopped up lean meat from the rest of the body. Throw away the head and neck. Jungle cooking, make do with what u can find lor..pandan leaves, chilli or even small fruits. Above was really what me and some buddies did during jungle survival @ Ubin many moons ago.

Source

Shopping for your first flashlight can be a bewildering experience. There are many considerations choosing the right one for you.

1. Throw. Lights that shine far are heavier as they require extra batteries. Before the latest LEDs flashlights arrived, incandescent lights such as Surefire M6 would hold as many as six expensive CR123 batteries. Such lights tends to have large reflectors which make them bulky also. That said, powerful throw lights are useful for shock and awe value but not much else. Users’ vision is reduced due to bright reflection from nearby objects. Views at longer distance are hampered by night mist and fog. New LED lights are being made that are good throwers. One of our favorites is 4sevens Quark Turbo. They are bright enough for us to count durians or spot wildlife high up in the trees.

Durians illuminated by throw lights.

2. Flood. Floody lights are great for lighting up the forest floor or close range illumination. Headlamps are also in this category and Zebralight LED headlamps are my favorites.

3. Throw and flood lights. Most LED lights come with bright hotspot for throw with side spill for flood. Deeper reflectors have greater amount of throw while dimpled or orange peel reflectors give better floods. Newer designs come with TIR optics that bend the light beams just right. The trick is to get one just right for you by trusting your own eyes. Avoid lights which allows throw to flood by zooming. Maglite is one bad case with its plastic reflector and lens, ringly beams and projected artifacts.

4. EDC (every day carry) lights . These are small and pocketable one-cell lights designed for daily use while working reliably. It should not switch on accidently or have its threads come loose easily. Besides sufficiently bright, it should also include a low brightness mode for better runtime and preserving night vision. Our current favorites include Surefire LX2 and L1, Ra clicky.

5. Multiple stage lights. Early models include Surefire U2 using a dial knob to adjust brightness settings. It’s a expensive 2 cell light currently selling for $250 at Amazon. Since then there are many more brands coming out with different UI, awkward ones included. Cheap ones even come with 5-8 stages including strobe functions, but you have to cycle to the right setting which is slow and impractical. Get the best if you can afford it. Recommended lights include 4sevens Quark lights.

6. Incandescent lights. Incands are ideal for jungle use as it differentiate greens better. Unfortunately it uses up batteries quickly due to heat and get uncomfortably hot. Although becoming obsolete, they are fun to use besides being handy for relieving insect bites. You can also buy cheap drop-ins (see point 11 below) from DealExtreme for one cell or two cells lights.

7. LED lights. Cree LEDs are now very common with every chinese manufacturer stamping “CREE” on their brands including cheap soldered ones. There are versions such as XR-E R2, XP-E, MC-E. XP-G is the latest and is said to be the brightest and most energy efficient. LEDs tend to give an unnatural color cast in jungle environment so our preference are for LEDs with warm white tint or high CRI LED.

8. Construction. Good quality flashlights are usually built tough and durable with hard coated aluminum (HA III) with “O” rings waterproofing and tempered glass lens.

Many Chinese made lights come standard with strike bezels that tears up jeans pockets. Their thick aluminum tubes make them heavy on the pockets or neck wearing. Reverse clicky switches come mostly standard and are often cheaply made and unreliable with screw threads that easily come loose.

9. Mix and match parts. This is another way of getting lights that is cheap, reliable and fun. You start by ordering cheap Surefire flashlight (6p or G2) or Chinese made surefire clones online. Your purchase is future proof by ordering the latest “drop-ins”. Both sku 32953 and sku 17593 are recommended options. You can also order a UV drop in for scorpion watching.

10. Batteries. The batteries of choice are usually Lithium CR123 which can be expensive. Flashlights enthusiasts are turning to rechargeable li-on batteries with advantages of lower running costs. These batteries can set itself on fire if carelessly handled.

I have at least 3 different flashlights when camping. My current favorite is one CR123 battery, dual brightness Surefire L1.. The cheaper Zebralight HC50 is also another favorite.

Anatomy of a good flashlight.

Surefire flashlights are super reliable but expensive. You can buy cheaper Chinese made CREE LED flashlights on-line (make sure you check user reviews as quality control are often sub par).

Buying Surefire lights. Surefire lights are built for combat situation so its designed to be simple to operate. The manufacturer recommends only disposable CR123 (expensive) cells to be used. Do careful research on their high end lights as you may find them too specialized for EDC use. You should definitely try them first by visiting Sheares marketing who is their local agent. Look out for faithful color rendition (some beams are puke green like my L4) and by asking if you can test them on surrounding dark areas at night. Sheares is also local dealer for better brands like Fenix, Thrunite btw.
Updated: 13 August 2010. Surefire will soon be releasing 4 new models (G2X, 6PX). The new models are brighter and cheaper than the current ones. They should retail for around S$100 or less. Here is a youtube report.

Brands I have used and liked.
Surefires
Jetbeam
Fenix
Quark lights
ZebraLight

Brands with mixed results.
Streamlight, Princeton Tec (breakable plastics); Nitecore lights, Quark lights (intermittent failures).

Online-stores I bought from that ship to Singapore
Lighthound
4sevens
bugoutgear
zebralight
dealextreme

For rechargeable AA/AAA cells, my favorite is Sanyo Eneloop brand. These batteries do not drain down while unused compared other common NIMH rechargeable batteries. Mustafa Centre prices are very competitive compared to most retail shops.

You need a charger too. I prefer to use cheaper slow 8 hrs charger. They prolong battery life as they are cooler and safe even if you leave the batteries charged for weeks or even months.

Not so with quick 1 hour chargers. The batteries get hot while it is being charged and get really hot when its near full. The charger’s circuitry detects this and switch to 200mA trickle charge. That depends on QC which is questionable for most cheap China made knock-offs. Have a bucket of sand ready if it catches fire.

Lithium Batteries
The next step up are disposable CR123A Lithium batteries which Surefire flashlights use. These batteries carry up to 3 volts with its multiplier effect of 6 or 9 volts in series. They can last unused for up to 10 years and do not leak battery acids compared to alkalines, the common cause for flashlight failures. They are expensive but you can buy them in bulk at Sheares Technologies. Some camera shops will sell you in box of 10 for $2.80 each. Try Max Photo at Pagoda Street. Its not advisable to mail order them as it may be held at customs due to higher risks of fires if packed poorly. CR123A batteries cannot be recharged.

Rechargeable li-ion
Many new flashlights allow the option of using rechargeable li-ion batteries. They operate at higher voltage at 3.7volts with higher current draw. They are less safe if used in series and knowledgeable handling is needed to prevent small explosions or fires. Please visit candlepowerforums and take your time to read its faq.

You will need to know important details like different cells sizes, their capacity differences, protected or unprotected, current drain.

Cells size are given in 5 digit number schemes. The first 2 number prefix indicate battery width and last 3 number suffix indicates battery length. A 18650 battery is therefore 18mm wide and 650mm long, about twice the length of R123 or 16340 cell.

Larger capacity means longer runtimes. But cell capacity are mostly over optimistic so don’t fall for manufacturer claims.

Protected cells have built-in circuits to prevent dangerous over discharge or excessive current drain. The term tend to be loosely used so buy from reputable manufacturers (hard to do since most batteries are made in China). Look for cells with vent holes which help release pressure if the temperature rises and gas expands.

Discard any cells that shows signs of leaking or cracks if dropped as they can be fire hazards. Promptly recharge any drained cells to at least 3.7volts to avoid permanent damage. Keeping cells unused for prolong periods at full charge of above 4.1 volts reduce its normal life span.

Finally, the cell positive end may be button or flat top, an important distinction as some flashlights contacts only work with button top cells,

You may order online through a HK online dealer or through dealextreme. Again, read reader reviews and users recommendations before you purchase such batteries and chargers dedicated for them.

Li-ion batteries by AW are very popular among flashlights enthusiasts. They can also be ordered from Lumen factory with fast shipping from Hong Kong. Order the black colored ones. The orange ones needs carefully handling due to its high current draw.

Other than online orders placed with Hong Kong or China which ship via Hongkong Post, never ever place your orders with shipping via Singapore vPOST. vPOST is a useful service for magazine subscriptions, ebay shipments containing garments or ladies handbags. The US Federal Aviation Administration issues guidelines that batteries must be properly packed for transportation. vPost go to the extreme by refusing acceptance of anything containing batteries including those of safe chemistry including alkalines and NIMH. They even go to the extent of refusing to accept if they believe there are batteries when there aren’t any.  Your orders will be stuck in some US post office for rejected delivery waiting to be claimed. So spare yourselves the hassle and do not tell your ebay seller to ship to your Vpost USA address, be it flashlights, laptops or mobile as nearly every electronic equipment that are battery powered.

Chargers
The nimh chargers I am using now include Lacrosse BC-900 which seems to be reliable so far. My experience with Maha chargers is mixed (read cheap parts).

As for li-ion cells, I like to know what is happening so I bought an expensive Triton hobby charger. You can find many expensive sets at RC (radio control toys) shops concentrated at Fook Hai Building. I am now testing the icharger 106B+ which allows PC monitoring. This unit was ordered online from Hobbyking. Their service is fast with affordable express shipping.

Update: 20 May 2010. The icharger 106B+ failed to work and I have to send it back.  It took more than a month and plenty of hassles to get a replacement. Online orders are full of such pitfalls. Other than that it is a well featured charger and am very pleased with it.

There are plenty of China made chargers for li-ion cells which are cheap but reliability is a question mark. Runaway charging may even cause flaming and explosion. Make sure you buy a multi-meter, take out the cell from the charging cradle and measure its voltage. It should not be above 4.2 volts when charging is complete. A multi-meter is best for measuring remaining capacity of your li-on cells.

Capacity guide
4.2V = 100%
4.1V = about 90%
4.0V = about 80%
3.9V = about 60%
3.8V = about 40%
3.7V = about 20% (for long term storage)
3.6V = empty
<3.5V = over-discharged

DealExtreme multimeters are cheap and popular among on-line buyers sku #619 and sku 9636.

The rains also brought in mosquitoes in huge numbers, we covered ourselves with expensive spray repellents and planted no less than 10 mosquito coils around our camp area, having run out of egg cartons to burn.

Although the harvest is plentiful, we were contented with 7 durians. Other diligent groups got more. Their latest high tech addition include electric bikes, criss-crossing the island revisiting each durian grove. There are small shelters built under the trees, keeping the occupants dry and safe from falling durians.

Durian night hunt

The durian that nearly hit us.

Updated: 10 July 2010
Took leave. Camped overnight for the past 2 weekends. We heard that Ubin durians are beginning to fall and were excited. Unfortunately we were too early. There were unriped durians on the grounds with teeth marks. Like us humans, monkeys are also excited and plucked the durians too early before they ripen. We sheepishly accepted durians from Mr. Lim, a Ubin villager staying at Marman “Orchid farm”.

We were again unsuccessful on the second week. There were durians pickers camped under the trees. One sat motionless for hours, coming into life on the sounds of durians dropping. They would race towards the spot where they heard the durians drop. These people must have heard tales of thousands of dollars earned picking free durians. There is a family of 10 brothers earning $10,000 picking free durians or $1,000 for each brother. Small sums for many but there are lots of poor folks in Singapore.

We only managed to get snatch one before they did. During to the rainy season and the cooler weather, the durians are watery and bland, quickly fermenting within space of several hours, unlike the previous seasons where they tasted a lot better.

It looks like we have to go to remote parts of Ubin for our durian hunt.

Updated: July 01, 2010.

Previous post:
Durian seasons come to Ubin twice a year. The major one lasts a few weeks and no one knows the exact dates. The first sign is the abundance of durian flowers, giving signs that its due in a few months.
Some durians will fall earlier but these are usually premature durians. Fully ripened durians will fall a few weeks later and lasting for about 6 weeks. Other tropical fruits also ripen at the same time including rambutans, mangosteens, dukus and langsat.

Picture of durian tree. Click to zoom in.

Ubin durians are a treat. In the midst of the hot season, the durians are expected to be more fragrant too They are your organic varieties having been left abandoned by islanders who resettled a long time ago. Being older varieties without the benefits of modern cultivating techniques, Ubin durians are tough to open with flavors that vary from tree to tree. Use gloves and a “durian knife” to pry open.

During durian season, entire families would converge heedless of snakes that may hide in the bushes. Ubin villagers usually wear “phua chu kang” boots to protect themselves while gathering durians. Some even use umbrellas to protect themselves from falling durians.

As durians usually drop at night, there are brave ones who stake out at cemetery waiting for the loud thuds of durians falling. You need a trained eye plus a strong flashlight to find them as they roll into shrubs and bushes.

Update: 19 June 2010.
Durians are beginning to fall and we were excited for a night of adventure and durian hunting. Have bought a couple of new flashlights to try out including my favorite lights. They include:

Zebralights H60 Headlamp 18650 Flood.
HDS CR123a Ra Clicky ExecutiveTM Flashlight (General purpose)
Quark CR123x² Turbo (For throw)

I am bringing LED lights for its weight, excellent run-times, super brightness, and good color rendition. Qualities that are essential for durian searching.

If you intend to find some. Just follow your nose and look for them on the forest floor. Sometimes you hear a lucky thump of durians which has just fallen. Make sure you rent a bicycle with basket, like this lucky couple did. You also need repellents to deter mosquitoes from feasting on you.

Don’t congratulate yourselves too soon if you find durians on the floor. They are probably bad if they are discolored and smell a bit off, Those with bites marks are from frustrated monkeys who cannot get through the though shell.

Unseen, the wild boars are waiting too. During the night, they would push the durians against the forest floor with their tough snouts until the durians split open like flower petals. By morning only empty husks remained. Many ‘ghosts encounters’ were results of mistaking these pigs or islanders trying to scare people away from collecting durians.

Although durian gathering can be fun, there are ‘geylang types’ from mainland Singapore who act as if the trees are theirs. They would intimidate others including Ubin villagers who come near. Avoid them as there are plenty of other durian trees around.

We took late boat to Ubin on Saturday (May 8, 2010). At 9pm there were people going fishing or camping on weekends. The van driver was contacted ahead to pick us on arrival.

We headed to Chek Jawa to camp at Punai Hut. The spaced rows of rubber trees nearby would give the camera unobstructed view and allow us to learn its functions. This time, I am hoping to get pictures of wild boars and if lucky, get pictures of mixed domesticated/wild breeds. These have short legs and look closer to pot bellied pigs. If we are extremely lucky, we may capture pictures of an albino or white haired boar which some villagers claimed to have seen.

Unfortunately, it rained heavily earlier and air is dense with humidity which carried noisy sounds from jets taking off from Changi Airport three km away. Most animals including boars tend to be less active on wet weather.

We only managed to catch pictures of ourselves with the trail cam. It was just as well as the camera was angled too high.

Initial impressions. Despite being an expensive Reconyx trail camera, its main failings is narrow point of view, cumbersome size and lack of picture preview. Such cameras are not ready for prime time and expensive at more US$600 considering the lack of local sales support.

Our night is not wasted however. We met young campers trail walking with laser pointers looking for glow-in-the-dark mushrooms and fireflies. There is always something interesting to do in Ubin.

Soon it was dawn and the jungle is alive with bird calls especially of Ubin jungle fowl with its distinctive choked crowings. Chek Jawa is open from 8.30am to 6pm but you can talk to the caretaker for permission to visit earlier. Took pictures of the famous English bungalow House No. 1 which is restored and converted into a visitor centre. Chek Jawa is worth a visit for its coastal view and organized walk on its mudflats. Entrance is free for now.

The first visitors started arriving from 9am. This time there were about 50 retired ladies on a field trip organized by Sembawang Community Club. One lady was a nurse midwife who was stationed for a 2 years in Ubin in the early 60s. There is a dispensary at Ubin village now converted into a restaurant (Ubin First Stop). She recounted the number of babies she delivered during her time when Ubin numbered more than 2000 residents then.

Colorful flags

Backstage

Showtime

The Chinese opera stage has been around since the early sixties when it was built for community use by a rich timber merchant. Empty most of the time, the stage is lighted up 2 times a year during religious festivals.

Opera shows are held to honor Chinese dieties housed in the temple opposite the stage. According to local elders, this is a ‘reflection’ temple built for convenient access. The 150 years old original temple is further up a few hundred metres away and its dieties carried down ceremoniously to be entertained during festival periods.

Colorful lanterns and bright colored flags adorn the jetty. Great opportunity for photo-shoots. Unfortunately I didn’t know that a festival was on and got time for a few shots.

Tiger Diety 虎爺

Different forms of tiger dieties

The pictures here are taken by Mr. Moh. Mr. Moh and his wife have lived in Ubin for the last sixty years. Together they operate van taxis services on the island and we are one of their regular customers. Early this year Mr. Moh asked for my help to get him a digital camera. I got him a low cost Nikon camera.

As it turns out, Mr. Moh pictures were beautiful, especially morning scenes while waiting for the first arriving customers. Sometimes there will be large ships crossing the narrow Johore straits under cloudy blue skies which make wonderful postcard pictures. Below are pictures Mr. Moh have taken. Click on them to enlarge.

Cruise liner along Johore Straits

Sunrise over Ubin

Wooden jetty in soft morning light

Shore birds flying

Curious monkey at Chek Jawa

No so shy boar at Chek Jawa

Mr. Moh van taxi rates are reasonable. You can also arrange bookings for early pickups or night trips. His mobile number is 97317629.