Off the Beaten Track (not quite)

We're quite an outdoorsy kind of family, if you have not figured out by now. When we have nothing planned for the weekend (ie. shows or activities), we would almost always go walking, cycling, rollerblading or have a picnic at the parks.

So it's not at all surprising that one weekend we found ourselves heading towards Pulau Ubin. That place brings back lots of fond memories of my many many camping adventures during my JC days.

Getting there is easy & part of the fun. Take a bumboat from Changi Point Ferry Terminal (which has been renovated & not as rickety has I remembered). You will be approached by one of the bumboat uncles to ask how many in your party & once there are 12 passengers, he will set off. $2.50 per person each way & $2.00 for your bike. There is a queue of bumboats & the uncles seem to know who goes next even if nothing seems to be organised officially.

A quick 10-15 min ride gets you to the island. Right after you walk out of the jetty, you will feel like you have stepped back in time. Balik Kampung.

Kampung houses

Fisherman

Even the bike rental place is *relax*

Cycling Tip : Due to the bad roads, make sure you check & double check the brakes before you pick a bike. We brought along The Girl's bike but hired ours there. They will provide you with a map of the island & advise you which trails to take. Even though some were advised to be difficult, our 7 year old did alright, as did the adults but expect to walk up with your bikes for some of the steeper slopes.

Quaint, charming, I'm already loving it

There are vans that will take you around the island but what's the fun in that ?

Nothing is a rush here

We took the Western trail, past the Celestial Resort (didn't know there was one on Ubin but it's not exactly your Capella Hotel) in the direction of the Outward Bound School. It's a dead end & we had to retract part of the way back to the east for Chek Jawa.

Not sure what this is but the old guy who runs the stall below was drying these in the sun & claimed to have medicinal value & invited us to try his special concoction

Love this sign

Very Bob Marley Very Kampung Very Ubin

We did as the sign said & stopped for a coconut

He had a whole garden of herbs & plants

And was preparing these for his special soup

It wasn't quite ready yet & we weren't quite so adventurous to give it a try

We met a guide for a group of MBA students

who showed us an unmarked path to a great view of the quarry

The last of the kampung houses

If you are in Ubin, you can't miss Chek Jawa Wetlands

The website lists timings for tides cos the best time to go is at low tide so that you can see all the beauty under the mangrove. It was high tide when we were there & now that I look at the website to see what we had missed, I plan to go back again

A wild boar that caused quite a ruckus amongst the visitors

Another reminder that we are not in concrete Singapore

As per my title, Ubin is off the beaten track but it's not exactly undiscovered, there were throngs of tourists & Singaporeans alike visiting the island. Most hire a van to take them to Chek Jawa whilst others head for the seafood restaurant. We had a modest but delicious meal at the Malay restaurant right next to the jetty.

I really enjoyed our day out & would recommend it for anyone looking for something different to do in Singapore.

Mad about Lego

It all started when my sister in law gave the kids Nano bricks for Christmas.

That got The Girl all excited about Lego.

That got me looking for her first Lego set.

That had X make the declaration he had never played Lego as a kid *gasp*.

So now we each have our own Lego sets to contend with.

The Girl, Lego Friends

X, Lego Technic

Me, VW Camper

NY eve dinner

We're lucky there's a chef in the family so celebrations are generally done at home. We didn't make any plans for Dec 31st so it was a last minute "let's go to Sheng Shiong & see what's there" menu planning.

The seafood there is always fresh but you never know what is available. Pity they don't deliver cos to my surprise, they have quite a good selection of wine.

Here's our New Year's eve dinner

Lobsters in butter garlic sauce

Pepper shrimps

Clams in white wine sauce

We love our seafood

& fresh seafood is so easy to prepare

A magical garden

It doesn't seem right but I'm posting it anyway. I drafted this in December & only just realised I had not posted it. A few months late.

Hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. We most certainly are. It's good to be back celebrating it with my family here in Singapore. On the other hand, I miss white Christmas (tropical Christmas just doesn't have the same feel about it), the oysters (a must for every year end celebration in France), the food (foie gras, charcuterie) & my French family.

Instead of jostling with the crowds along Orchard Road to see the Christmas lights, try doing it in Botanic Gardens. For the month of December, some 300 trees are lighted up in an event called Trees of the World. It's quiet, tranquil & just a little bit surreal. We had a picnic there one night & it was so much fun. It felt like our own private garden.

Nathaly's own creation

Wrapping paper for her Christmas present to me

Experience a moving masterpiece

I'm embarrassed to admit that I have not heard of what is otherwise known as the Mona Lisa of China - the legendary Qing Ming Shang He Tu. Shame on me especially since I can rattle off dozens of Western paintings & artists.

Over Christmas eve dinner, my brother raved about this exhibition & so we decided to check it out on Chrsitmas & I am so glad we did. It was really an amazing experience.

Qing Ming Shang He Tu (translated : Along the river during the Qing Ming Festival) was painted during the Song Dynasty some 900 years ago by Zhang Zhe Duan. It is a panoramic scroll painting of 5 metres & what makes this special are the details - a record of everyday life at that time - merchants, artisans, wine shops, camels, horses, sedan chairs, story teller, doctor, children.

For the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, the painting was digitally re-created with animation into what is known as "Moving Masterpiece" & making it the star attraction at the China Pavilion. The installation, 30 times bigger than the original, really has to be experienced. It's now in Singapore - after making its rounds to Taiwan & Macau.

The exhibition is divided into Pre-Show Hall - water, fire, earth, wood etc - gives visitors a background to life during the Song Dynasty - the commerce, the scholarly pursuits, urban & country lifestyle. Be sure to get an audio guide (part of the entrance fee).

Description of the Boat Men

Entertainment

Ingots

Given that the painting is a National Treasury & insurance would have run into millions, the original is still in the Palace Museum in Beijing. This is the Stone Gate from the "Golden Scroll" copy.

Wholesale wine shop

Next stop, main hall. I was in awe - WOW the painting came alive. You could hear the sounds of the boat men, the characters moving around, the laugher of the children as they run around.....I was instantly drawn to the size of it. What is also amazing is the fact that they did both a day as well as a night scene.

Day Scene

Night Scene

The rainbow bridge

scene where a boat almost capsized

As with all Chinese scripts, you work from the right to left. The painting starts with the quiet countryside of willow trees, cottages, village & small boats. Moving along to the busy outskirts & then to the capital of Kaifeng.

I was so mesmerised. I stood at each section looking at both the day & night scenes.

The audio guide is excellent in drawing your attention to the details.

Follow the camel procession

The majestic city gate

The city well & the pharmacist

The horse drawn carriage

The bustling wine shop

Awesome

Magical

Once in a lifetime experience