Ronak and Myrna, still full of energy, at the bus stop.
Armed with are bags of take away teh haliah we are ready to head to sea.
The tiny ship was not tossed, in fact the trip was so short we hardly knew we were asea.
From crowded S'pore to rustic Palau.
It was hot (insert into every Singapore post), Ronak was sweating, Myrna was walking...
Jungle girl shows the city boys that food can grow on trees!
Now that's fresh and coconutty.
The quiet simple life of the island
Some crabs - closer to being on a plate then to getting back into the ocean.
Singapore is a small island. The two most popular pastimes are shopping and eating. When people aren't shopping or eating they are usually working. Locals often work 6 or 7 days a week. When people want to get away they usually go to nearby spas and resorts in Bali, Phuket and Batam. For a more rustic half day getaway there is the tiny island of Palau Ubin.
Ubin is a small isle off the East coast of S'pore. It's part of S'pore and about 7 km long by 3 km wide. Last Saturday my friend and colleague Ronak Patel, Myrna and I ventured out for some exercise and adventure.
We set out at about 8:15 a.m. by subway, met up with Ronak at one of the stations, proceded to the Tampines stop and transferred to a bus which took us to Changi Village. The village is close to the airport and on the seaside. On the way to the little ferry terminal we stopped at a hawker centre for a morning Teh Haliah. Teh Haliah is a Muslim ginger tea - very tasty. It was Ronak's first one and both of us were happy to feel local by getting the tea to "take away" in the traditional Singaporean plastic bag with a small handle and a straw. Myrna warned us of the dangers of taking the tea through the straw too quickly as it was very hot. Hot drinks and straws are not very common for us Americanos, but we handled it without incident.
The ferry terminal is small and there are two options - Ubin or some other nearby island we think is part of Indonesia. The Indonesian island required a passport so we passed. The drill for Ubin is simple - its costs $2 each way and the boat leaves when there are 12 people ready to go. If you want to be a big spender you can fire up the full $24 to get a private ride. There were enough people there so we got the $2 ride. The little boat pulled off the dock and 10 minutes latter dropped us off at Ubin.
The island has a few permanent residents - fishermen and shopkeepers mostly - - a few cars, vans and cycles and lots of bikes. The two block town is made up of about 6 bike rental places and a few small restaurants. After much study we selected the first bike rental place we passed. The shop lady said "all day $12 but for you $10". It was a deal. Unlike in the US where you would have to put down a deposit, sign a waiver and release, wear a helmet, and leave your license and firstborn to rent a bike here they said -"ok, 3 bikes, put your name here, no need for all the names, have fun."
So off we rode on our newer but well used mountain bikes. Ronak's chain was making noise and Myrna was not quite sure how to shift the gears. We headed in a random direction on a nice paved road. About 2 minutes later we were on a dirt road going up a big hill. Ronak and I made it to the top but I felt like I was going to pass out (it was the usual sweaty 88 degrees). Myrna ended up walking the bike the last part of the hill. We then all rallied - I got my breath back, Myrna figured out the gears and Ronak (who works out every day) mastered his clicking and clacking bike chain. We pretty much covered most of the island in about an hour. We kept ending up at the same place but we were having a good ride. Singapore people don't get going to early in the AM so it was rather quiet on the trails but for the odd couple or school group.
We happened upon an area called the secret garden. We got off our bikes to walk around. Many of the spice and fruit plants were marked, although Myrna knew most without the labels. We saw a curry tree and sampled the leaves (not like Indian Curry which is a blend of spices), sugar cane, Yams, lemongrass, ladyfinger (what we know as Okra), and many more. The two city boys were enjoying this view of edible nature. There were coffee plants and lots of coconut trees. Many coconuts were on the ground. Nature girl Myrna showed why she would survive and we would not if we ever got stranded. She took a coconut pounded it on a rock and started to tear away the outer shell. Once that was accomplished she poked a hole in the smaller nut and handed it to me. I drank some of the juice - it was really good and fresh. Ronak tried some but had a hard time extracting it until Myrna told him the trick. After we drank the refreshing juice Myrna easily broke the inner nut into three and we each took a piece and started on the sweet white fruit. It was really really good - best coconut ever!
We moved on and saw a few jumping fish and two lizards of unusual size. Myrna also scampered into the brush to pick a fresh papaya and introduced us to another edible fruit called Manzanita (a small berry that tastes like a sweet apple, hence the Philippine name which is the same as the Spanish word for "little apple")
The two and a half hours of riding had wiped us out so we rode into town and had lunch by the waterside. After that refueling and a short ride to burn a few more calories we boarded another tiny ship and headed back to the hustle and bustle of the main island.
Ubin is a small isle off the East coast of S'pore. It's part of S'pore and about 7 km long by 3 km wide. Last Saturday my friend and colleague Ronak Patel, Myrna and I ventured out for some exercise and adventure.
We set out at about 8:15 a.m. by subway, met up with Ronak at one of the stations, proceded to the Tampines stop and transferred to a bus which took us to Changi Village. The village is close to the airport and on the seaside. On the way to the little ferry terminal we stopped at a hawker centre for a morning Teh Haliah. Teh Haliah is a Muslim ginger tea - very tasty. It was Ronak's first one and both of us were happy to feel local by getting the tea to "take away" in the traditional Singaporean plastic bag with a small handle and a straw. Myrna warned us of the dangers of taking the tea through the straw too quickly as it was very hot. Hot drinks and straws are not very common for us Americanos, but we handled it without incident.
The ferry terminal is small and there are two options - Ubin or some other nearby island we think is part of Indonesia. The Indonesian island required a passport so we passed. The drill for Ubin is simple - its costs $2 each way and the boat leaves when there are 12 people ready to go. If you want to be a big spender you can fire up the full $24 to get a private ride. There were enough people there so we got the $2 ride. The little boat pulled off the dock and 10 minutes latter dropped us off at Ubin.
The island has a few permanent residents - fishermen and shopkeepers mostly - - a few cars, vans and cycles and lots of bikes. The two block town is made up of about 6 bike rental places and a few small restaurants. After much study we selected the first bike rental place we passed. The shop lady said "all day $12 but for you $10". It was a deal. Unlike in the US where you would have to put down a deposit, sign a waiver and release, wear a helmet, and leave your license and firstborn to rent a bike here they said -"ok, 3 bikes, put your name here, no need for all the names, have fun."
So off we rode on our newer but well used mountain bikes. Ronak's chain was making noise and Myrna was not quite sure how to shift the gears. We headed in a random direction on a nice paved road. About 2 minutes later we were on a dirt road going up a big hill. Ronak and I made it to the top but I felt like I was going to pass out (it was the usual sweaty 88 degrees). Myrna ended up walking the bike the last part of the hill. We then all rallied - I got my breath back, Myrna figured out the gears and Ronak (who works out every day) mastered his clicking and clacking bike chain. We pretty much covered most of the island in about an hour. We kept ending up at the same place but we were having a good ride. Singapore people don't get going to early in the AM so it was rather quiet on the trails but for the odd couple or school group.
We happened upon an area called the secret garden. We got off our bikes to walk around. Many of the spice and fruit plants were marked, although Myrna knew most without the labels. We saw a curry tree and sampled the leaves (not like Indian Curry which is a blend of spices), sugar cane, Yams, lemongrass, ladyfinger (what we know as Okra), and many more. The two city boys were enjoying this view of edible nature. There were coffee plants and lots of coconut trees. Many coconuts were on the ground. Nature girl Myrna showed why she would survive and we would not if we ever got stranded. She took a coconut pounded it on a rock and started to tear away the outer shell. Once that was accomplished she poked a hole in the smaller nut and handed it to me. I drank some of the juice - it was really good and fresh. Ronak tried some but had a hard time extracting it until Myrna told him the trick. After we drank the refreshing juice Myrna easily broke the inner nut into three and we each took a piece and started on the sweet white fruit. It was really really good - best coconut ever!
We moved on and saw a few jumping fish and two lizards of unusual size. Myrna also scampered into the brush to pick a fresh papaya and introduced us to another edible fruit called Manzanita (a small berry that tastes like a sweet apple, hence the Philippine name which is the same as the Spanish word for "little apple")
The two and a half hours of riding had wiped us out so we rode into town and had lunch by the waterside. After that refueling and a short ride to burn a few more calories we boarded another tiny ship and headed back to the hustle and bustle of the main island.
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