The jungle trek - onward journey

From what I recollect, the insects had already bitten us, our feet had gone numb, and we were soaking wet when I last left you ;) The first track brought us rashes and itches, a prelude to what was coming our way. On our way back we caught up with a Kiwi, no not the animal, a New Zealander, probably standing at 6 feet and a few inches, wiping his face with a towel. Not a word was uttered, but the eyes shared the stories, all three of us had been taken for a ride on that trail to end up with a stinky little lake closed somewhere in the heart of Pulau Ubin ;) It is seldom that one accepts that he'd been fooled, but this time round I don't mind the confession, because had it not been for that trail I wouldn't have resolved to explore the whole island come what may and make the day one that'd remain etched in my memory for a long time.

I do not say that every adventure is worth superlatives, but this one shall remain right up there with the other memorable times in Singapore. Not sidetracking anymore, the hike continued on through more turns, uphill slopes, and downhill slides as we reached the main camping site. Ashen coconuts, and little embers of fire rising into the air before shimmering into ash and falling to the ground again, fishing bait spilt on the ground, and a lingering smell of a barbecue freshly put out enthused the air with a sense of calm and serenity. Into the distance we could see the Malaysian islands, and there they came, the 5 SMS messages welcoming us to the Malaysian shores, and though it may sound kiddish on our part, but we were pretty excited to "technically" be in Malaysia. ;) As we skirmished through the map, contemplating the next road to take, tummies started growling, "The Coffee Bean" had to be given a pass in the morning, and at least one part of our body wasn't too happy about it and it was making its views felt. *Plomp* came the rucksack off my friend's back and out came the glorious chocolate spread, jam and bread. Although it sounds like a poor man's meal, trust me in that scorching heat a heavy lunch is the last thing you'd want.

Unlike actual campers we used knives to spread thick creamy layers of jam n chocolate to gulp down the loaves of bread in counts of 3 and once 4. ;) After the much needed "pet pooja", we relaxed and sat down on the sand, legs spread out, under the cool shade of the overbearing palm tree. A cool zephyr blew in from the west, taking with it the fine grains of white sand, making our lips go salty as we just lay, too lazy to twitch even a muscle to get out of the way. Another 10 minutes before we realised it was about time we made a move if we were to catch the high tide at the mangrove boardwalk. Got up, wiped our shorts clean, took our bikes, climbed back up the rocky descent and landed back on the main track. After cycling for about 15-20 minutes, shifting gears in desperation to save up on energy to continue with the trek ahead we reached a clearing in the woods. It was probably the chirps and squeals that made us stop and walk the rest of the way, to be able to soak in the unaltered sounds of the forest and be captivated by the intensity of the place we were in - true, the best way to explore Pulau Ubin is on foot, but only if you have feet of steel! ;) While ambling through the wilderness, a faint murmur presented itself, a very quaint whisper, and it wasn't long before I realised that there was water nearby - the babbling definitely had to be coming from there.

We got off the walking track and took a detour into the bushy carpet once again, tearing past thorns and avoiding ant hills as much as we could. I was right, though only partially, a stench caught our nostrils and the mind screeched to turn back and head towards the bikes, which now lay on a bed of dry leaves. But we hurried along forward, and there under a small clearing beneath a half fallen tree we could see gentle ripples washing onto the shore seaweed and algae. The smell was unbearable, but so was the ecstasy of supposing we had stumbled upon some unexplored country ;) Only a few souls, I like to imagine, would have actually seen Singapore from this tiny shore and oh sweet moses was the view just breathtaking - lined along the shore small buildings, with tiny specks of boats - magnificence! Some 5 metres away from us lay on a rock, a weird specimen - we poked it with a stick, even splashed some water onto it in the anticipation of it opening up like an oyster - nope no fairytale here, we gave up and walked on. It wasn't long after that short detour that we reached the gates of the Indian Ocean boardwalk.

We parked our bikes somewhere near I don't know where :P I guess the excitement of the boardwalk got the better of us as we even forgot to lock our bikes - but then again its Singapore, and where would one go with the bike - its a friggin' island ;) Anyways, we continued onto the boardwalk - I have been near water a lot of times, I have been knee deep in water a lot of times, I have seen different waters, I have seen 'em all, but I had never seen what I saw that afternoon, and had never been so fascinated with water. A swaying walk over the ocean, fishes, crabs - all visible, it was not so much one thing that drew attention but the whole moment engulfed your conscious state of mind and elevated you into a trance where you just wanted to sit down and stare into the distance. We did exactly that and for moments, nobody spoke, soothing silence, except for the waves crashing against the rocks behind us, the wind blowing through our hair, the wet t-shirts, a shiver running down our spines as the wind got chilly with the incoming high tide. In the distance we could see a small beach, my guess a privately owned one, lined with rocks, rising structures built by nature, carved into the landscape, the kind where a snap does no justice, but a painter's fine strokes on a blank canvas do ;)

Time to move on - we shifted track to the mangrove boardwalk. Don't worry, I won't call this fascinating since I know for the informed reader a talk of science that fascinates isn't all that enticing as is the talk of natural splendour ;) I guess despite 5 paragraphs in this post talk about nothing but Pulau Ubin, words can never replace the feeling you get - to be shooting downhill, as if in free fall, how it just lets the mind loose, and how the child in you relives the past, delving into the immature self and moulding from it a memorable day that made you forget all your worries even if for just a day ;)

To have heard the story of the ocean with your ear pressed against a sea-shell - that is bliss - that is Pulau Ubin ;)