Pulau Ubin, a Glimpse at the "Old" Singapore
On Monday, a group of friends and I headed over to Pulau Ubin, which is a small island off Singapore that is only accessible via ferry. Despite the fact that Pulau Ubin is part of Singapore, it takes about 2.5 hours to get there, which is quite a long time considering how efficient Singapore's public transportation is.
Essentially, a trip to Pulau Ubin is like taking a time machine back to the 1960's. Many people go to Pulau Ubin to get a unique opportunity to see what parts of Singapore were like in the 1960's, before it underwent the rapid development that has made it into the advanced metropolis it is today. Currently, Singapore has roughly 5.4 million people and ranks as the 3rd most dense country in the world. Pulau Ubin, on the other hand, has a population of only about 100 people (meaning there are probably more wild boars on the island than people).
Anyway, it was really refreshing to escape from the hustle and bustle of mainstream Singapore and enjoy the nature, scenery, and quietness of Pulau Ubin. We biked around the island, ate fresh Chili Crab, and successfully avoided encounters with venomous spiders.
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| It was quite the ferry ride to get to the island |
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| My fellow exchange students: Jawara from the US, Chris from Canada, and Eduardo from the Dominican Republic |
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| One of the few buildings in Pulau Ubin |
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| We got to choose the crab we ate! |
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| Chili Crab, a Singaporean favorite |
Itineraries, Itineraries, Itineraries
A major reason why people choose to study abroad in Singapore is to have the opportunity to easily travel around Southeast Asia and experience many different cultures. In order to travel though, one must acquire a student pass from the Singaporean Government, which takes a couple of weeks from the time you arrive on-campus to arrive. I finally received mine, so I can finally begin traveling!
This weekend, I'll be heading to Malaysia to see Kuala Lumpur and Malacca, and the next weekend I'll be heading to the Philippines to see Manila and Boracay! It is quite the challenge to balance classes, travel planning, and my extracurricular involvement here, but I'm doing the best I can to make sure I get the most out of this experience and to explore Southeast Asia beyond just Singapore.
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeletePulau Ubin seems like a little slice of paradise! Great pictures, were they taken with your phone or a camera? Glad to see hear you will get to travel to a number of Southeast Asian countries, you should compare and contrast the different cultures with Singapore when you get a chance. One last question, out of curiosity, how difficult is the class workload for your study abroad? I start class tomorrow for my study abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica, so hopefully we can both come back with 4.0's. La cena es casi listo aqui, asi voy a firmar por ahora.
Safe travels,
Isa
Hi Isa,
DeletePulau Ubin was indeed a paradise! I'm glad you like the photos; I took them with my iPhone 6. I like your idea of comparing and contrasting the different cultures of the countries I travel to, and I will be sure to let you know when I post that blog.
As for the difficulty of the classes here, the National University of Singapore is notorious for being a difficult school. While I would love to come back with a 4.0, that may be wishful thinking, especially considering my travel plans for the semester.
How are your classes shaping up to be so far? I saw that you made a blog! Maybe we could give each other feedback over the course of the semester. Hope you're enjoying Costa Rica!
Hasta luego,
Mark
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