Ubin Life!

Please Note: This short extract belongs to a current photo coffee book I'm currently slogging myself thru the nights to get it published, so here's the story:-


What initially was meant to be a two-day holiday trip to Pulau Ubin turned out to be a field trip for me, as documented by my recent adventure on Singapore's last kampong bastion through the lens of my camera, accompanied together with this short writeup.
Located off the northeastern coast of Singapore, this petite island - whose stature solidly remains unchanged after all the ballyhoo generated on mainland Singapore over the past few decades to keep pace with the extensive changes of this world, is nonetheless, a favorite weekend haunt for cyclists and nature lovers to allow themselves to unwind from the fast-paced metropolis lifestyle.
Once a bustling settlement and home to some 250 settlers who preferred the traditional way of earning a living by fishing and farming, Pulau Ubin is now transformed into a nature reserve, with much of its original heritage preserved to allow it's visitors to enjoy her rustic atmosphere.
Upon arrival at the Marina Country Club’s Pulau Ubin resort jetty at approximately half-past one together with my boyfriend, Ricky Wang, my hunger for food finally emerged with a deep growl from the pit of an empty stomach hours since I left home without taking breakfast.
I was craving for a sumptuous meal of hotplate toufu and steamed fish with rice.
But first, we had to unload our baggages and next, settle for a pair of rented bicycles from the resort’s bicycle rental store before we could travel out from our holiday resort to the main jetty centre located on the far end of Pulau Ubin.
Getting there by foot would take us approximately half a day’s time.
Once we mounted on our bicycles, we peddled down, fast, on the roads leading us towards the main jetty centre.
Amazingly, I felt as though I was embarking on a historical journey back into the 1960s, the time when cycling was rendered as the layman’s mode of transportation which takes you to all destinations far and wide, save for the wealthy who could afford the luxury of cars.
Not to mention the splash of kampong houses powered either by diesel or power generators along the main roads, growing with a mix of colourful carnations, morning glories and bright red hibiscus.
Jeez! Indeed, it was a journey back through time.
As soon as we were approaching the main jetty centre, the smell of pan fried oil coupled with a mix of other spices wafted through the island’s thin air. I was immediately tantalized by the sweet-smelling, spicy aroma of hotplate toufu from a nearby coffeehouse restaurant, lined under an impressive display of rustic ‘kampong’ houses which are homes to a variety of coffeehouse restaurants and bicycle rental stores encircling the jetty centre.
After deciding on the type of food we each would like to have for lunch, we finally settled down at the Ubin Seafood Restaurant for a luxurious meal before embarking on our adventure ride down to the Check Jawa wetlands and other explorable areas such as the mangrove and coastal loop boardwalk.
Lunch consisted of a widespread of four medium sized dishes - salted fish fried rice, black pepper beef, baby kai lan and of course, my all-time favorite hotplate toufu.
Mmm...what a casual and splendid meal it was, while being able to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of rural Singapore!
How I wished I was back in the 60s'.
And once we were done, it was time for us to head out into the bucolic areas of the island, where the adventure begins.