pulau ubin – eastern side

Going to Pulau Ubin was definitely the highlight of our trip to Singapore. It’s a small island with not much to do besides hike, bike, enjoy nature and have some genuine food in these small huts.
My husband and I opted to rent bikes, the sign says «$ 3 but then they put you on a bike that is worth $ 15» what the hell? Ah well, whatever. Getting here was pretty cheap so I can’t complain, we took the small boat over for $ 2.50 cash.
We biked around the island and quickly learned that the island is bigger than what it seems. We saw lots of bamboo, sugar cane, durian trees, coconuts, etc. An hour into our bike ride, the chain on my bike fell off and we were stranded in the rain and we were eaten alive by mosquitoes. It truly tested my marriage with my husband at that point, we were getting angry at one another.
Then finally my husband got the chain back on my bike and we rode back but we were so far in, it was hard to find out which way to get back. Being on the bike was nice because it gave us a bit of breeze in 85% humidity.
On our way back, a durian fell so close to my husband’s head, he went back to pick it up and took it back with us. It was his first time having durian so I warned him that it stinks.
Finally, we got back and stopped in this little house that served us some prawn soup, it was delicious and people there were really nice. We had a refreshing cold lychee drink to end our meal.
After 4 hours at Pulau Ubin, it was time to get back on the boat and get back to the main island.

Pulau Ubin deserves more than just one entry: it is the most relaxing placed in Singapore, and many expatriates have found it (last weekend, it sounded like a French colony). The Eastern part of the island takes you via some beautiful gardens with local plants and herbs (better walk here) to the wetlands reserve. You can of course follow the tarmac road, but there are so many little tracks waiting to be explored, and they will reward you with beautiful butterflies (the biggest ones I ever saw: black-​blue monsters!) and varans sleeping in the sun, and the muddy hills made by mudlobsters. So far, I haven’t seen a snake but better be careful. Some views take me back to Somerset Maugham days — like the house on stilts — but notice the solar panels.