Day Six: While most of Singapore is a modern urban jungle, there are a few small areas that have not become concrete-dominated and still resemble a pre-industrialisation way of life. One such area is a small island off the north-east coast, Pulau Ubin. To get there, we took the MRT east as far as possible, and then a bus to the coast at Changi Point. Changi Point itself is quite an interesting little village and quite different to the other parts of Singapore we had visited. Among the many large trees were a number of birds, including many Long-tailed Parakeets, and a few Oriental Pied Hornbills, which were very exciting to see. We headed down to the ferry terminal, which is less a terminal and more an old jetty. Here, we caught one of the small, rickety bumboats that can carry 12 passengers to Pulau Ubin, but only do so when the boat is full. Fortunately, we turned out to be the eleventh and twelfth passengers, so paid our $3 each and departed immediately. After a ten minute ride across the choppy water, we arrived at the island’s main village where we rented bikes and set off to explore. Pulau Ubin has few roads, and most are gravel, so we biked on these mostly, as we went around the eastern portion of the island. The trail took us past a few homes and plantations, and then through some tall rainforest, before we arrived at our first stop - Chek Jawa Wetlands. We parked our bikes, and walked down to the Visitor Centre, which contains apparently the only working fireplace in Singapore and a range of natural history displays. Just down from here is a long jetty with views back to Singapore and along the coast. Amazingly, we spotted a large, loud family of Smooth-coated Otters swimming and watched them feeding and playing. Definitely a major highlight. The rest of this area is a boardwalk that first loops along the rocky shore, before passing over the intertidal mud flats, through the mangroves and finally returns through coastal rainforest to the start. There was a fair bit of wildlife here, including heaps of (unidentifiable) swifts circling above. Noticeably absent were seabirds, especially gulls. There was a small shorebird, I think a Common Sandpiper, but proper ID would be appreciated (photo below). Other birds included Oriental Magpie Robin and White-bellied Sea Eagle. We also saw Water Monitors, Long-tailed Macaques and a small herd of Wild Pigs. After cycling back to the main village where we had lunch, we set off to explore some of the trails in the island’s centre. This was less forested and featured several abandoned quarries that are now lakes. Although there were many Grey Herons through here, and the occasional feral Red Junglefowl, there wasn’t much else of interest. We headed back to the jetty, and returned to Singapore. It started to rain as we approached, so we didn’t look around much, just went back to the hotel. This was our last full day in Singapore, so we organised our gear before heading into the city. This was also New Year’s Eve, which meant we got to see Singapore’s impressive fireworks display, and welcomed in 2016. Photos below show: bike rental on Pulau Ubin; two of the Smooth-coated Otters feeding off Pulau Ubin; unknown shorebird (maybe Common Sandpiper); boardwalk at Chek Jawa Wetlands; fireworks at Marina Bay as Singapore welcomes in 2016.
lucky person, seeing smooth-coated otters! I have been to Pulau Ubin a few times and never managed to see them there! Some comments on wildlife: *the red junglefowl on Pulau Ubin are genuine wild birds, not feral domestics or introduced. (The wild pigs are genuine wild pigs as well). *the wader is indeed a common sandpiper. *are you sure about the long-tailed parakeets? They are found at Changi, but moustached parakeets are much more common there in my experience so if you were seeing loads of them they were probably moustached.
There were six (or maybe seven) otters swimming across the water, and then along the coast. Awesome to watch, but very hard to get decent photos of! I didn't realise the Junglefowl were proper ones, I don't think I got any photos of them. Thanks for the Sandpiper ID. The Parakeets were probably Moustached then, there were good numbers of them around Changi, but again I didn't photograph all of them as I assumed they were all the same thing! I'll double check the photos tonight.
Day Seven: This was the first day of 2016, and the last day for us in Singapore! After a late start, we left our gear at reception and took the MRT back down to Marina Bay. Unsurprisingly, the area was starting to get busy, as it was a public holiday and our destination, Gardens by the Bay, was very popular. I had hoped to meet up with Zooish here today, but as we were stretched for time I had to cancel that. Apologies to Zooish, who was very helpful with trip planning! We spent a little time exploring the Heritage Gardens that each display the different major cultures of Singapore, and picked up the first birds of the year – although all had been seen in the previous week. But our main destination here were the Garden’s two major attractions, a pair of massive conservatories. While most of the Gardens are free, the conservatories cost $28 to enter, which is comparable to many of the other attractions in the city, but worthwhile. These are massive glass structures, each covering around a hectare. The Cloud Forest was the first we entered, and this is spectacular, dominated by a 35 metre tall central mountain with a huge waterfall tumbling down to the ground. It is covered and surrounded by plants from montane rainforests in South-East Asia and South America, and is ascended via elevator. From the top, you travel down via interior stairs that lead past exhibits about the natural history of the habitats, and external boardwalks that jut out from the mountainside and give views of the plants growing there and far below. This is a very impressive display, with a vast and diverse plant collection. One of the highlights was a collection of carnivorous plants – pitchers, fly-traps and Rafflesia – all made out of Lego. Very cool. However, my favourite part was actually beneath the mountain, an interactive display about the effects of climate change, which was very hard-hitting and informative. After late breakfast at the Garden’s McDonald’s, we visited the Flower Dome, the larger conservatory (in fact, the largest column-less glasshouse in the world). This features plants from Mediterranean climates across the planet, starting with Africa, and circling through Australia, Europe and North American exhibits. While not as amazing as the Cloud Forest, the displays here are excellent, with a wide range of species and some very impressive specimens. These include large olives, baobabs and palms that are clearly much older than the glasshouse they live in, and create a surprisingly immersive environment. This was somewhat tempered by the temporary central exhibit, a garish Christmas garden. Overall though, another spectacular attraction, that is definitely worth visiting next time you’re in Singapore. With little time left, we briefly visited the Sun Pavilion (desert landscapes), Victoria Lily Pond, and the Big Fish Aquarium, a single large tank featuring mostly South American fishes (Black Pacu, Red-tailed Catfish, Alligator Gar) as well as Pig-nosed Turtles. This was a surprise, it seems to be a rather hidden attraction at the Gardens, although I’m not sure why. We then sped through the World of Plants gardens, and returned to our hotel via MRT, and then took a shuttle to Changi Airport. We checked in for our flight and explored a bit of the terminal, including the Cactus Garden, before bidding farewell to Singapore and boarding a flight to our next destination – the island of Borneo. Photos below show: the carnivorous plants display in the Cloud Forest Dome; the Cloud Forest Mountain and elevated walkway; display within the Flower Dome; and the Big Fish Aquarium at Gardens by the Bay.
$28 each, or $28 together? I am looking forward to this bit of your trip. Borneo is such a fantastic place.
$28 for both conservatories per non-Singaporean. So similar to the Zoo, but you wouldn't spend as long there. I don't think you can get separate tickets for the conservatories unless you are a resident for some reason (at least they aren't advertised). The Borneo part may be even slower than the Singapore section. Its currently a case of so much to do, so little time for me I'm afraid.
I've only just caught up on your interesting Singapore reports, and I'm also excited to hear about your Borneo experiences.
why don't you go to Borneo this year too? There is some easy wildlife viewing, and also several captive animal collections.
I'm hoping too Australia and Borneo are top of the list - I might need to visit South America next month though, so I'll see. I've also had a number of persuasive job offers so I might have to settle sooner than expected.
Thanks devilfish, if people are interested it makes me more likely to post reports If you do get a chance to visit, you should go for it, Borneo is AMAZING.
I have started a new thread for my trip to Borneo. Check it out here: http://www.zoochat.com/249/zooboy28-goes-borneo-438947/#post938009
I think a lot of people are very interested in reading the travel threads, but don't necessarily have anything they think is worth contributing as a post. So the numbers of posts made by readers aren't reflective of overall interest. I know for me it is a lot easier posting on threads where I'm familiar with the topic (e.g. Asian travel threads versus North American travel threads), and I don't tend to leave comments if all I'm saying amounts to "I like this thread" so I try to think of some way to leave a more interactive post (like asking a question).
That's a good point Chlidonias, I realise I have been reading the travel blogs of both devilfish and laughingdove, but don't think I've commented!
Part of the trouble with the travel threads is the level of commitment to a great length of time and effort in writing posts and uploading photos - it's fine if you know there's interest, but if you're expecting people to be avidly following your every move and you end up not receiving any comments for weeks then it can make the thread less of a priority for you. I agree - I think many people follow these threads, and some others will keep checking them and just scan through the text. I am, however, very happy to post something to the effect of "I like this thread" if I have no questions or specific comments just so that the writer knows that someone else is reading with interest. I like to read thoroughly though, which is why I'm often very far behind with these threads and don't get the chance to comment until some time after the post.
I don't know much about seeing wild pangolins in the rest of Southeast Asia, but the pangolins in the Western part of Singapore regularly forage in a university campus that is adjacent to forest.
Have you been able to see any wild pangolins there, Zooish? That would be a spectacular wildlife sighting.
Unfortunately no. Sightings have been reported by students who stay in the university's hostels, but the school isn't too keen on outsiders loitering around in the wee hours!
