Pulau Ubin - Mar 8 2015

 Some months back, I was asked in a survey about Pulau Ubin about what I would like it to become. My answer was to just leave it alone. By that I meant that there should be no resorts, restaurants or hotels built on that rustic little island of ours because it is the last vestige of our idyllic past. Leave the coconut trees alone, leave the old bicycle shops, the wayang stage, the temple, the vegetation alone. Thank goodness that when I visited Pulau Ubin yesterday, nothing of the sort that I had feared was introduced into the island. The improvements made were the re-surfaced roads that made cycling safe and kept the cyclists where they should be. The coconut trees were left as they were in the past and the ponds were covered with lilies and lotus leaves with enough blooms to make a pretty picture. We were also insect hunting and that was disappointing because the insect life was dismal. Only spiders seemed to be thriving and I wonder for how long more. The greatest surprise was discovering that there was a healthy and thriving community of migratory birds, mostly herons, in the old quarry. I guess they found an alternative holiday place to Sungei Buloh.