Jan/Feb is a good time to do an overnight stay in Ubin. Migratory birds are still around and the rubber plantation we stayed at were full of bird calls.
With very little rainfall there are less mosquitoes to bother us. But tension can be felt as Ubin villagers anxiously wait for rains while watching their wells dry up. Trees shed leaves on the parched earth with added dangers of bush fires, one which broke out 10 days ago, burning an area about 5 basketball courts size at Ketam cycling trail. Durians trees are vulnerable if the drought continue, their flowers fails to bloom and, as happen before in 1997 and 1981, some of these majestic trees may even die as their roots dry up.
The above concerns aside, our night at Ubin is filled with memories of the sixties as we watch the filming of Fighting Spiders 2, a local TV production. Ubin malay kampong is the only kampong left in Singapore left almost untouched by developments.
The scientific name for our local fighting spiders variety is Thiania bhamoensis. Ubin field report by adult fighting spiders enthusiasts here.
