~ Chek Jawa Boardwalk Tour with our Kiddos - Part 3 ~

Truly enjoyed the natural beauty and clearer waters. Quiet and away from the city buzz.  

The children seems to be having fun so far. Not really bothered about the red ants,  mosquitoes and heat from the sun. 

A Wild Junglefowl (according to Ria) was spotted at the coastal edge! We got our cameras ready before we lost sight of the chicken. :)

Further down the trail, one of the kiddos spotted this bird. After checking with the other experts on what kind of shorebird this could be, it seems it is a common sandpiper.

Shelter ahead and it is a great spot to take a rest and have some snacks!

We met Ley Kun on the Coastal broadwalk and she walked us through the trail for Hornbill. Earlier, she took a nice shot of the papa bird and briefed us on it's nest box too.

We saw the artificial nesting home for the Hornbill but did not get to see the bird. :( Maybe next time.

Flowers and assorted coloured fruits can be spotted along the way.

Chek Jawa's Visitor Centre - This beautiful Tudor style cottage was built in the 1930s.  It was used as the visitor centre in 2006. The most interesting feature of this building is its fireplace, as it is probably the only working fireplace left in Singapore.

The children gathered and had a mini drawing session at the cottage. They were encouraged to draw what they saw and experienced in Chek Jawa so far! Cool!

We left the cottage and headed back to wait for the van. We were lucky to see some wild boars! Mummy boar and her 2 little ones are out for a walk. :)

Two cutie piglets

Mama Boar

We got on the van and passed by the quarry. Crystal clear waters!

Alright! We were back at the Ubin town for our lunch. I am feeling famished after the 2 hours walk!

Quick look around Ubin town...

On our way to take the bumboat ride back to Singapore island...

Bidding farewell.... and we are on our way home.

It was an educational and fun experience at Chek Jawa. Really a great experience not to be missed and it will be fun to bring your children along to feel and enjoy the nature! Here are some details:

Chek Jawa Boardwalk Tours is conducted by the Naked Hermit Crabs. The guided tour is held every 2nd Saturday of the month and you need to register first. :) - http://nakedhermitcrabs.blogspot.com/

Bumboat rides - $2.50 per person (about 10-15minutes ride from Singapore to Pulau Ubin)

Van rental - $4 per person (to and fro trip)

We will be back to explore Chek Jawa again in JUNE for another guided tour during the low tides! We are expecting it to be even more exciting! Stay tune!

~ Chek Jawa Boardwalk Tour with our Kiddos - Part 2 ~

Our journey continues.... next on - taking the broadwalk around the mangrove zone. This is where we keep our eyes open for CRABS! The eyes of our kiddos are really sharp and they can spot the colourful fiddler crabs, tree climbing crabs and mudskippers!

This red and black fiddler crab is spotted by Denver. It is only about 2cm long and it's amazing how observant he is to spot this beauty! I need to change my glasses!

Tree-climbing crab

More crabs!

 Mudskipper. We spotted a couple along the way.

As we are in the mangrove area, this is also the place where mosquitos are most commonly found. We sprayed a lot of insect repellant but still fallen prey to these commandos. Nevertheless, that did not dampen our mood. Everyone kept a lookout as we took on the broadwalk. Squatting down and calling out when they spotted a creature of the wild. It's like a treasure hunt to see who can spot the most!

Our guide, Ria also pointed out the Nipah palm that is found within the mangroves. Ihe palm's sap is rich in sugars and can be tapped and fermented to produce alcoholic beverages. Its most recognised use locally is its edible young seeds (attap chee).

Mangrove forests is found along the coast and the edges of rivers. During high tide, the roots of the mangrove plants are fully immersed in seawater and exposed to the sun during low tide. Just take a good look at these roots!

Hmmm... what are they looking at?

Keep a good closer look and you will notice more crabs on the fine sand! They are so small that I nearly missed it! Notice that one claw is bigger than the other?

This is probably one of my favourite - The Coastal Broadwalk. I love the sea breeze, the ocean and the greenery! A relaxing and cooling walk with the aeroplanes flying above us past every other minute.

We avoided touching the railings as fire ants were spotted! Lots of them! It will be extremely painful to be biten by these little creatures!

A close-up look at the red ants.... scary...

I love the surroundings of the coastal broadwalk! The tide was getting higher and we probably missed out seeing some of the animals during lower tides. But I am looking forward to another guided walk in June where we will be exploring the shore again!

Denver and Gladys are having fun snapping away. Watch out for our Part 3 write up on the Broadwalk tour!

~ Chek Jawa Boardwalk Tour with our Kiddos - Part 1 ~

What can be a better way to begin the March school holidays than having a fun and educational tour with 3 families at Chek Jawa Wetlands!         

We managed to register for the Chek Jawa Boardwalk Tours conducted by the Naked Hermit Crabs. The guided tour is held every 2nd Saturday of the month. Check out the dates on their website!
http://nakedhermitcrabs.blogspot.com/2012/01/2012-free-chek-jawa-boardwalk-trips-on.html

Special Thanks to the Naked Hermit Crabs, who have committed to do the free monthly walks for the public, our families have benefitted a lot through this wonderful experience!

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It was my (as well as the kiddos') virgin trip to Pulau Ubin. We arrived at Changi Point Ferry Terminal where we will be taking the bumboats.

Each bumboat's maximum capacity is 12 passengers and charges $2.50 per ride. ($10 for our family per boat ride). It took about 10-15 minutes to reach Pulau Ubin and we were feeling excited along the way!

 Glimpse of Pulau Ubin.

 Enjoy it's peace and serenity.

Andy's and Johnny's families have arrived too! We always enjoy having each other's company on such a big group excursion. It makes the whole trip a lot more FUN with more kiddos around!

A brief introduction of Chek Jawa (extraction from Wikipedia), it is located on the south-eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, and is among the last few places left with a natural rocky shore. Within this small area, several ecosystems can be observed - coastal forest, mangrove forest, rocky shore, sandy shore and sand bar, seagrass lagoon and coral rubble. We were indeed intrigued by its nature and the plants and animals that are not commonly seen in the mainland of Singapore.

Our guided tour for this trip is Ria and Ley Kun. Thanks to them, we learned so much on this trip! Upon arrival at Chek Jawa, the children had a brief introduction of the rubber trees (by Ley Kun). Our kiddos also get to touch the rubber and learned how it was collected.

Before we begin our tour, the kids spotted a spider web but could not find the spider. Our experienced guide, Ria told the children that it could be hidden under the leaf. True enough, a little spider was indeed hiding within! Amazing!

We gathered at the Information Kiosk where everyone went for their final toilet break before we start our boardwalk tour!

The tides information are updated daily.

It's fun to take a group of children! They are always bubbly and curious!

We had a great start by spotting the Hornbill! It got all of us excited as we 'chase' after it! There! There! There! The large, black and white bird with a yellow beak swerved through the trees eating the fruits. It's a pity that I did not get a good shot of the beauty!

Moving on, we headed towards the seven-storey (20m) viewing tower - Jejawi Tower. All of us are climbing up the stairs including our little young adventurers.

The panoramic view of the surroundings is superd! We get a good view of the tree canopy as well as an eagle soaring in the blue sky!

Unfortunately I did not catch the eagle on my camera but do check out Andy's photo on his facebook page.

Taking a group photo before we make our way down. :)

Catch our broadwalk tour in Part 2 - to be continued...