Straits Times Forum 6 Nov 14;
THE idyllic Pulau Ubin has long been my place of solace when I need to unwind after a hectic week ("Wanted: More modern facilities for Ubin"; Monday).
Since the 1970s, I have made countless trips to Ubin to trek, camp, cycle and swim. Any future development should seek to preserve the natural flora and fauna of this precious island with its scenic, disused granite quarries.
The toilets at Chek Jawa are well maintained but not those at Noordin Beach and Mamam Beach. Chek Jawa has attractions such as the Nypa fruticans which gives us the "attap chee" in our ice kachang.
Noordin and Mamam should be open to the public for swimming and camping, as these are popular haunts for our students. The rugged terrain is ideal for cycling and the tracks are a far cry from our flat roads in Singapore.
It is a bugbear for me to use my mobile phone, as most of the time my line shows the word "Maxis" or "Digi". I hope SingTel, M1 and StarHub can improve their network coverage as Ubin is still part of Singapore.
Ubin has some rare flowers such as torch ginger and tiger claw which grow in the wild; when they bloom, the forests are transformed into a Garden of Eden.
Chek Jawa is replete with aquatic life even at low tide. I invariably see hordes of mud-creepers clinging on for dear life on the tree trunks at low tide.
I have met many foreign tourists who have visited Ubin as they are drawn there by its granite quarries, the rare bird species, the beaches, the temples, lotus ponds, rubber plantations, and even the quaint coffee shops near the pier.
They find Ubin an ideal place for cycling and swimming; even sipping a glass of beer at the coffee shop is an unforgettable experience on an island where time has stood still.
Let us keep Ubin for what it is and not transform it into another Kusu Island, Pulau Tekong or Sentosa.
Heng Cho Choon
