I thought i would never get to part 2 of my cycling trip to Ubin! Blame it on procrastination! For those who are interested to read part 1, please click here.
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Part 1 ended with a disappointing lunch at Season Live Seafood. The above was a view of the crowded jetty taken within the restaurant. A weird phenomenon as it's hardly sufficient to cover Ubin Island within half a day!
Guess there were many visitors whose main aim was purely to cycle at Ketam mountain biking trail, which was opened four years ago in 2008.
Not that hard to guess when you can see many cyclists with mountain bikes caked in mud! For those who are bringing your own bikes, there are jet sprays you can use for a nominal fee to clean off the mud and dirt.
We took to our trusty bicycles again; not an easy feat when we were extremely tired from all that cycling in the morning and also feeling sleepy after lunch. This time, we shall be covering the Western route.
It didn't take us long to reach Pekan Quarry lake. There are five such quarries on Ubin and Pekan is the nearest to town.
Among the quarry lakes in Ubin, Pekan Quarry was the least impressive. The lack of any massive rocky terrain made it no different from a typical lake like Tampines Pond.
In the past, Jalan Jelutong was a comparatively busier road in Ubin; not due to cyclists but vans ferrying visitors of a generation above me!
For thirsty cyclists who have forgotten to purchase water from the town, fret not! There are numerous drink stalls like this affectionately named one; Ah Ma (means Grandmother) Drink Stall.
Came upon two wooden bridges which provided the additional purpose of damming the rivers.
Apparently, the bridges were good spots for fishing! Anglers were patiently waiting for the fishes to bite their expensive prawn baits under the bloody hot sun!
Sungei Jelutong (Jelutong River) - murky water always makes me feel that a crocodile is lurking within and ready to pounce! Cold comfort for the man on the tiny boat!
This drink stall was pretty famous even though most of us have no idea what the name is. However, we can instantly recognize the sign outside the stall with the words "Y U So Like That"; a classic Singlish catchphrase.
Opposite the shop were two signage pointing to the Goddess Of Mercy rock (观音石); i had to climb up (it's only a few steps) for a better look!
I only found a rock that could barely make it as an image of the benevolent Buddhist goddess! Of course, imagination is required just like the face of the monkey god on a tree trunk in Jurong.
Snorkeling in Singapore?!?!?! This got me excited as we are aware that Singapore's world status as a seaport means that pollution is a given and water can never be crystal clear!
There is no restriction to enter the Celestial Resort and we happily cycled into the quiet resort. I would have loved to pass you a link for more information but it seems the link has information only for the newest resort located next to Ubin Town.
Time to turn back! Celestial Jetty is another entry point to Pulau Ubin and unlike the town jetty, this only serves the resort's customers and available exclusively under private charter.
Could you see what was so unusual about this picture?
Oriental Pied Hornbill! And it was a lucky day as far as animal sightings are concerned as we spotted not just one but a pair of stunningly beautiful hornbills!
Our journey almost ended when we came to the above no-entry sign! I figured they were specifically for motor vehicles (for normal visitors like myself, the signs would have the words "NO ENTRY" spelled out in full)!
I would have been devastated should it be a no-go for anyone since my purpose of cycling so long (40 minutes in fact) was to visit the famous Thai temple or whatever that was left of it. In addition, this road leads to the Chinese cemetery i touched on a few months ago. Click HERE for the post! The road name, Jalan Wat Siam, was in reality given with reference to the temple.
Durian lovers who enjoy picking them in the wild would be comforted to know that there are durian trees in the vicinity! Be careful of your head despite the popular belief that durians have 'eyes'.
We were nearing the location of the Thai temple. I had ridden along this road countless times in the past and it was weird to have it so empty and to a certain extent, gloomy.
The Y-Junction; this was where the right lane led straight to the temple before converging with the left lane towards Kekek Quarry.
Sadly, there was nothing left of the Thai temple except for its foundation. It would have been so much more interesting to find an empty temple full of island history.
A long ride back to Ubin Town. Would have preferred to explore Kekek Quarry but dad was worried for my sister who was 'dumped' at a pavilion for raising the white flag after knowing she had to cycle more!
The return of my rented bike!
Some people have asked me which would be a good bicycle shop to rent a bicycle. To be honest, i have always patronized the same shop (out of convenience) even though i cannot say i am 100% satisfied with the service of its staff.
The jetty was not as crowded as before and it didn't take us more than five minutes to board the bumboat. By the way, be prepared to pay S$2.50 per pax for the ride back.
It was a good yet tiring trip for my dad. His last visit was in his 20s and i have no doubt this would have brought back much memories on his younger days.
Would i be back? Obviously yes!
I would like to revisit Kekek Quarry!
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