Due to the travel restrictions as a result of the pandemic, I have actually visited Pulau Ubin more often this year; ever since circuit breaker ended, I have been there twice and there might be another panned visit coming soon!
I am no stranger to the island and there were three times when my role was more a tour guide for my family and friends since I know the place pretty well. Having said that, I have yet to explore everything; one place I was unfamiliar with was Puaka Hill.
Finally got to checking it out in my last visit and I was expecting it to be boring since the tallest hill we have in Singapore is less than 200 meters and this Puaka Hill is way shorter at just 74 meters high.
Nonetheless, let's start the climb on comfortable, purpose-built path.
Which gave way to rugged ground shortly after. Please remember to wear a good pair of shoes; I was, as usual, on my Crocs, and almost sprained my ankles on a few occasions!
In less than 3 minutes, we arrived at the viewing platform; safely equipped with metal railing to prevent people from falling over the cliff and the placement of warning signs.
Nice, vantage view but nothing to scream about. So is that it? 3 minutes' just to see the water-filled Ubin Quarry? Well, it should be easy to finish the posting for the blog.
Not so fast! There was a narrow path on the side that seemed to go higher up!
Terrain was harder to climb; those bringing the older generation should be mindful of their safety as there's no metal railing on the side for support and to break their fall in the unfortunate event they trip.
Pocket of window on our right showing the now quiet Changi International Airport.
Another clearing in less than 2 minutes; it was blocked by those blue-red tape so I am guessing access would likely be restricted. But one section didn't have the tapes....
Being the obedient Singaporean who always follows the rules and regulations of the little red dot, I stepped forward via the path without the tape and this was it; the second viewing platform. This time, it didn't have the metal railing!
One misstep and you can say bye bye. Having a phobia for heights means I love to play safe by not pushing my boundaries. Call me a scaredy-cat but I am standing my ground.
Panoramic photograph of Ubin Quarry.
Another path leading upwards! How much higher do we need to go and how many more viewing platforms are there?!?! Well, only one way to find out; continue to climb!
A worn out danger sign. While it's good to have such warning signs, we can never deny that the weather elements can render them useless sometimes. Hence, always exercise your own judgment; we can't always blame the authorities when things go wrong.
I can already hear my mom complaining of the high steps if she were to come with us.
In front of me and behind me! Still got some way to go.
Pathway was rather narrow and I can't imagine if we come on a weekend as I presume there would be a lot more people, especially when we can't travel out of the country during this period of time.
Final destination; imagine the surprise on my face when I saw people beyond the metal railing! It's quite rare to find such blatant disregard of rules in Singapore!
The sign was clear as day; "no climbing over".
No warning sign near the huge, graffiti-laced boulder so I guess it would be fine for me to climb up for a better angle! Yes, I still have a fear for height but the area behind the boulder is quite wide and chances are low that i would fall down the hill.
See the number of people beyond the railing! And from what I gathered, three different groups.
This would be something I would never do even if it can capture the attention of new followers to my Instagram. One wrong move and my family members would be grieving for me. What's worse is if I were to become paralyzed and suffer for the rest of my life.
According to my sister's friend, this is supposed to be an Instagram hotspot! I didn't know at all since I hardly scroll through the Instagram feed.
Ah, I finally know how they got past the railing; initially, I had assumed they climbed over. Turned out the railing didn't cover the entire perimeter and you could leisurely walk across to the other side. That's stupidity to the max for design!
There's still an adventurous streak within me and I do what the rest had done. Cross over to the other side where the instagrammable spot is.
The furthest I would go; if you scroll through instagram with the hastag #puakahill, you would definitely recognize the same rock as the one in the above photograph. I didn't take any selfie but maybe I would next time with my new iPhone!
Panorama again; albeit at the highest point of Pulau Ubin.
Want to check out the instagrammable spot? Remember the above red arrow. p.s. as the spot is trending on social media, there's a chance the authority might extend the fencing soon. You just need a concerned citizen to feedback and we would be back to the boring views behind the railing.
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Puaka Hill,
Singapore
No bicycles up Puaka Hill; in addition, no open fires and no camping!
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