The distance by road from Ubin Jetty to Chek Jawa takes about 3.6 km. At a brisk walking pace it takes about 1 and a half hour. Make sure you factor extra time for heat and rest, and time enjoying the views. Here is a travel distance table of other parts of Ubin for your convenience.
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Photo courtesy of Nparks
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.
Trail cameras are used by hunters. They are also also used by wildlife researchers. My friend lent it to me and I am hoping it can help capture pictures of rarely seen mouse-deer and leopard cat.
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.
Most scenic pictures of Ubin we see in the web are taken in the evening. There are very few pictures of sunrise unless you are a Ubin islander and is at the jetty every morning.
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.
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