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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I stumbled upon these insects last year at Marman beach. Curious, I checked up wikipedia and wow! we have some fascinating creatures here. Apparently they behave in robot-like manner in their nesting behavior and were cited in philosophical arguments.
I went back to take more pictures but they aren’t there anymore. I guess I would have to wait until their next mating season.
As luck would have it. They are found in large numbers as in last week (28 Feb). You can photograph them in mid flight like what one of my party member did. Sort of aerial and macro photography rolled into one.
Photo by Kelvin Tan.
These wasps are natural agents in the control of grubs in the soil. These digger wasps do not sting people unless they are aggravated or captured by hand. Spare them by not complaining to Nparks who will dispatch foggers to annihilate them. Fogging is done indiscriminately in Singapore to control dengue fever and is doing serious damage to other insects and animals that feed on them.
Update: June 2010
Large grouper caught at Marman river and steam cooked for our delight.
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Update: 7 Feb 2010. Extremely lucky guy caught a large sea-bass at Marman beach.
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The best chance to catch fish is to paddle some distance away from shore.
Unfortunately Ubin marine life is slowly choked by pollution. The water cannot renew itself by tidal directions due to the causeway cutting off the straits. Water run-offs from ship repairs contribute to the pollution also. Sea-horses have long since disappeared. Flower crabs have not returned when it was abundant more than 2 years ago. During heavy rains, salinity levels dropped so much that fish farms lost their livestock. They can’t sell their fish anyway as the water is declared unclean by the authorities.
Below picture: Serene beach at Outward Bound School (No trespassing). Pasir Gudang Port can be seen in the background.
Ubin disused granite quarries are fenced up and trespassing is not allowed. Good fishing spots if they are opened to public. Snakeheads or Toman fish are seen there including Kois.
Its hard to get lost in Ubin. But many got disorientated and need help with directions. Perhaps Nparks should have useful signs pointing the direction back to the jetty. You can get free maps at Nparks’ information kiosk. There are basically 4 main directions. East, West, and two separate directions towards north.
West
The West ends at Kekek Quarry (4km by road/track from Ubin jetty), where ‘Thai temple’ once stood. This important landmark is now lost forever except for the road named after it – Jalan Wat Siam. The distance is longest and is best visited on wheels. There are less shade so it can get very hot. Some would swim at Kekek Quarry to cool off. But it’s considered illegal trespass. The long downhill slope near Bubut hut probably see the most nasty bike falls so please be careful. Also, one should stop midway at ‘y u so like dat’ for drinks and a scenic view of Ubin Quarry.
Picture below. Thai monk sitting in front of his demolished temple.
East
The path East ends at Chek Jawa (4 km by road from Ubin jetty). You are under cool forest cover so walking is not as tiring. First timers should go there first. Especially when tides are at their lowest.
North (Marman beach)
From Chek Jawa you can make a side trip north towards Marman beach (2.1km by road). You may feel tired due to the long but gradual incline but one can always take a short-cut through “Orchid Farm” and visit Jack if you have never seen a wild boar before.
One should stop at the Malay Kampung for refreshments and a relaxing view. There is a gaggle of hornbills that make their appearance around 5pm.
North (Noordin beach)
The other trip north (3.2km by road from Ubin jetty) ends at Noordin beach (Seen on Googlemaps). The view at the beach itself is marred by fences. Its popular among anglers and campers however. On Saturday nights you can hear dangdut music blaring away from the Malaysian side. Mosquitoes can be a nuisance due to nearby mangroves. A spooky place. Was referred as Noordin kampong on old maps. Used to have a Muslim cemetery nearby.
Old map of Noordin beach(1000 metre scale)
NPCC campsite is also located at Noordin Beach. Its also probably the most environmental unfriendly place in Ubin. On Google Earth you can see its all built up with its own concrete parade square. Its floodlights are turned on the whole night, disrupting roosting birds. The camp is fogged regularly for mosquitoes, exterminating other insects and affecting its natural predators. There is a lightning detector that runs loud warnings on an endless loops. It should seriously consider relocating back to the mainland.
Click on the map below to enlarge.
wild happenings Naked Hermit Crabs wild shores of Singapore teamseagrass Sheewai