Post-Valentine Cycling at Pulau Ubin
The FM can’t just get enough of fun during the Valentine’s Day Special Social Nite on Feb. 14, Saturday night that we planned to go for a cycling trip on the following Monday (Public holiday) to Pulau Ubin. And so with our backpacks filled with food, water, towels and with wide grins on our faces, more than 20 excited “cyclists” accepted the challenge to scale the rough trail of the Pulau Ubin Island.
The meeting place was at the Changi Village ferry boat terminal early in the morning and it was interesting and wonderful to see that not only the singles were there but families of the Estrellas, Nicols, Prietos, Serranos and even the de Leons! The kids were more excited than the adults! We boarded the ferry boat that took us 15 mins. to the island. Everybody was ecstatic and just can’t help laughing and talking with the sea scenery and the adventure that awaits them upon landing on the island. For some, it was their first trip to Pulau Ubin and for those that had been there several times before, the adventure is always new and unexpected with the new group of friends they are with.
Upon reaching Pulau Ubin, first thing we did was to rent our bikes, replenish our “must haves” or rations and those are water and some snackbits and most importantly, answer the call of nature once and for all, for there are no toilets provided in the middle of the cycling trails. Then our social vice chairman in charge of the activity, Joel, took over, gave us some important points, the itinerary of the day and then led the way to a beautiful, serene beach spot where we held our morning devotional. Pastor Igan started the day’s activity by supplying us with the spiritual food and inspiration we needed to face our”cycling adventure”.
We cycled the whole morning till the afternoon, only stopping by a beautiful beach spot again to eat lunch, rest and play some fun games. By early afternoon most of our butts are sore, some had a hard pedaling twice as fast to catch up with the rest of the pack and all are sweaty! But there are good sights and sounds that just keeps us all going when the road gets tough, like Joel reciting the poem, “DON’T QUIT”, when some can’t continue the steep trail anymore . And the most unforgetable picture of beauty, strength and stamina is the sight of Sabeth, in her flowery, straw summer hat and big, bulging, tanned biceps as she confidently strode along the difficult steepy trails carrying JK behind her without a single complaint!
The best part of the cycling trail was when we detoured and visited the cool and breezy boardwalk beside the beach, climbed the tower overlooking the beautiful seaside scenery and seen the different creatures and plants that thrive on the marshes. It was amazing and a refreshing site! Finally our butts can rest but then our knees where trembling, as we need to switch from pedaling to walking! Only those that persevered managed to reach this trail and we are less than 10 in number! Those who decided to rest and wait for us only heard the stories we shared with them on our way home.
Indeed it was a wonderful experience that everybody wants to do again in the near future! The next time, everybody should be there to feel, see and hear the excitement because it’s totally different to be part of the experience! We went home tired, tanned and yet still, with grins on our faces! See you again, Pulau Ubin! (shiela p.)
