Pulau Ubin, the island off Singapore

It took a 10-minute ‘bum-boat’ ride to get body and soul out of Singapore; to leave the glitzy high-rises and land in nature’s lap on a tiny, 10 sq km, boomerang-shaped island called Pulau Ubin. Pulau Ubin is, in a sense, what Singapore is not. It is one of the last rural — or kampong — communities in the nation. The island’s name is derived from ‘granite quarry’ in Malay, which is what its claim to fame was till the 1970s. Its population, which was over 2,000, dwindled to about a hundred villagers after granite extraction stopped. In 2012, the count was a mere 38.

Most humans departed, but they left behind lush greenery and, for a small island, incredibly diverse flora and fauna. Over 30 species of mammals, 225 of birds, 45 of reptiles and amphibians and 185 of butterflies, that teem in a knoll developed as a ‘butterfly hill’, constitute most of Pulau Ubin’s denizens. After the quarries shut down, five islands were joined together with bunds to form ponds for prawn farming. The few locals left now cater to tourists who come here just to ‘leave their worries behind’, as the islanders tell us. They also tap some rubber and grow some coffee. About 3 lakh people visit Pulau Ubin annually.

There is a legend about the island. It seems that once upon a time, a pig, an elephant and a frog entered into a race to reach the shores of Johor, in southern Malaysia, on the condition that whoever failed would turn into stone. In the event, all three failed. The elephant and the pig then together turned into Pulau Ubin while the frog became Pulau Sekudu, or the Frog Island!

The island has well-maintained hiking and biking trails. Most of its business consists of cafes and bicycle rentals. The Ketam Mountain Bike trail is about 8 km long and meanders through terrain ranging from open meadows to thick jungles. Some sections have steep climbs and descents, all well-marked with signs indicating the difficulty level of each section.

The island’s wooden houses and jetties, rich wildlife, abandoned quarries and unspoilt nature make it the last vestige of the old Singapore that existed before modernity and development took over. Shrines, such as the Fo Shan Ting Da Bo Gong Temple, which houses statues of local deities, still retain their pristine charm.

We were warned that the hike to the top of Puaka Hill would be quite challenging. “It is 74m high!” said one of the locals. That did not sound very tough. What she forgot to tell us was that it was a sheer path over rocks and boulders. I was sweating profusely by the time I reached the summit. But while waiting to catch my breath, I could see in the distance the skyscrapers of one of Asia’s most prosperous cities — a striking contrast with my current location.

The Chek Jawa wetlands, which host varied marine wildlife, lie about 3 km from the jetty and are best done on a bicycle, because walking can be uncomfortable if the sun is shining bright above. Although shady recesses are aplenty, cafes like the Ah Ma Drink Stall on the trail bring relief to parched throats. This one belongs to Madam Ong Ang Kui’s family, the Choos. Her daughter Ivy runs it. It lies close to a mangrove swamp where once they ran a prawn farm.

Food stalls on the island offer a delectable array of local cuisine which, not surprisingly, consists largely of sea food. These are mostly family-run eateries. As one scans menus, which may even be handwritten, the whiff from the kitchens next door whets the appetite even further. A beach resort and a camping ground in the midst of a forest clearing even offer the option of spending the night in Pulau Ubin.

Some unusual fauna that can be spotted on this island includes the dwarf crow, which was rediscovered here after it became virtually extinct in Singapore; the white-bellied blind snake; the mousedeer that has not antlers but canine-like tusks; the sea cow and the blue-spotted fantail ray. Nature lovers will drool over Pulau Ubin.

— The writer is a freelance journalist

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