Ubin on Good Friday

There were crowds at Pulau Ubin last Friday. Crowds! We actually had to queue to get on a bumboat, the bicycle rental shops were packed and the restaurants were full even when lunch hour had long passed. Don’t know if it’s a good thing or bad. Most weren’t locals though. Mainly bunches of gweilos and mainlanders (or PRCs, as they call them here).

Much has changed since I last went to Ubin, which, according to my records was in December 2004. For one, Chek Jawa was still relatively untouched. Now it’s got that boardwalk… and House No. 1 has been turned into a visitor/heritage centre. There’s that Ubin Green House, SEC/GVN’s eco-house, and the newish Ubin Volunteer Hub. The potent mozzies still wouldn’t leave me alone, though. Among the four of us to have gone there that day, I suffered the most bites. Others came through unscathed. Sigh, the unfairness of it all.

Saw the hornbill there at long last, and caught it in flight, too! Pekan Quarry is a lovely place to relax and lie in wait for passing birds. It might become my favourite spot there yet.

Not sure why I’m feeling so lazy to type right now. It’s one of those periods when I’m dry of words. Budak has written up entries on it – this and the preceding six posts.

Robber fly with damselfly prey

Digger wasp, Bembix sp. (Sphecidae)

Glossy starling

Oriental pied hornbill

Pekan Quarry

Mutt

Full moon