A Trip To Where We Began

I can't tell u too much about what I've been up to in Shanghai (yet, I'll just say it's all good and I'm excited & I WILL share when the time is right!), but I'll share some of my happenings before I left Singapore. ;)

Make a guess where I'm headed. =)

Kelongs. We don't have much of those left. Guessed it yet?

Singaporeans, you might be familiar with this place. Then again, I wasn't. Not really. So maybe not.

Pulau Ubin, even after Singapore has lost most of what it used to have and used to look like, has retained its old rustic charm. Enter a world which was us mainland Singapore just less than 30 years ago...

Bicycle rental..uh huh. 

Gravels, stones and sand line the paths formed from routes trekked, I've heard that it's a challenge to ride bicycles here. I've heard of friends and famous people falling off their bikes, but it could be because we're such city kids long used to smoothened roads and even paths. Falling off bikes could just be an inadequacy. Never mind that you used to grow up in a village like this, city living has changed us. Much. 

$2 bikes. Don't be fooled. Those are bikes for kiddos. Bikes for us adults (and teenagers long achieved reasonable adult-ish height) start from $6 for a whole day. Get the more expensive ones if you're worried about getting a shoddy bike. Then again, the more expensive ones might just be tawdry, looking like a woooo~ but actually a wah nia eh~~~ Lol.

Bottomline - check your bike. Ride on it around the stretch. Test the front and back brakes, the seat height, the gears, whether you're comfortable riding it before confirming your ride. Bear in mind you're going to be using it to get around for at least the next 2-3 hours, so make sure that the seat is comfortable. Ask someone to change the seat for you if you have to. 

Companion for the day - Christine. And her two handsome bodyguards (not shown).

All ready to set off! Christine was a pro. She seemed to know Pulau Ubin well enough to lead the way and know all the meeting points and exactly where to go. I can't remember my last time here. *hides face in shame*

Sorry. No pictures of while we were cycling. Super heh heh chuan (Singaporean slang for huffing and puffing) already trying to cycle uphill and downhill and then up again, did you really think I would have the energy (and the skills) to whip out my camera and take pictures? 

So we stopped at meeting point A (I made that up. I have no idea which meeting point is where or what. Christine said stop and park. So I did.) And walked through a boardwalk across a swamp where we saw crabs and mudskippers. I can't remember my last time seeing a mudskipper! 

It was a nice-weather kinda day, with not much sun, and it wasn't really humid either. The sweat was purely from the workout of cycling and exploring Ubin. I LOVE working up a sweat! Especially when I'm not dressed up or made up. You know how you're wearing a oh-so-nice dress and you're sweating and worried about armpit sweat stains even when you have antiperspirant on and that the makeup just feels...sticky and yucky on your face? 

None of that. The flush on the cheeks were au naturel. No need for blusher~ I can just used my sleeve and wipe off my sweat and nothing gets ruined. Haha~

We were caught in the rain, but who cares. Not when we have a pavilion to hide in, a Subway sandwich (eh hem who-eh-hem caught my eh-hem ad-hem..?), and great company with good-looking people?

Even gorgeous people have our days. 

Christine, I hereby give you permission to post any tak-glam picture you want of me. ;) 

(Note: You'll always be that gorgeous amazingly awesome girl I know~)

When we got back to our bikes, we caught a family of piggies~ Okay boars.

Mummy boar

And her kids!!!

So cute max omg they have stripes when they were little! Better camouflage I assume. From us pork-eaters. Lol~ I wouldn't bear to kill these things though....

I got sniffed while trying to take a picture of Mummy Boar. 

And seemingly arse-grabbed.

(Actually it was a kind soul trying to push me way from her in case she gets too close.)

And our trekker 地头蛇 suddenly went "Hey let's go to that nice place that sells drinks!"

.....

Where? Bearing in mind that I couldn't really remember my last time at Pulau Ubin (I really tried hard to recall, but I just can't remember), I had absolutely no idea what or where she was referring to. There's a cafe on Pulau Ubin? Nice!

And after a few lost turns, we finally found it.

Not hard to miss. You'll know you're there when you see this very Singaporean sign.

Oh how proud I am of my country's own evolved lingo. Love it to the max~ It's something foreigners may never comprehend, much less master, if they don't hang out with us enough. Even then, it may be a bit of a challenge. 

Oh be prepared if you want to use the toilets around the bicycle rental area. Your "stuff" kinda just drops down a hole into the abyss (sea?). Worried about sleazy strange men staring while you do your thing? I wouldn't worry about pervies staring up the hole if I were you. Pee down their faces! (unless they're the kind into that sorta thing....eeewww~)

I definitely felt rejuvenated that day. My arms and butt ached the day after, so I knew I worked some muscles there. More Ubin trips to come?

Hell yeah~!