Pulau Ubin is one of the favourite cycling destination for many Singaporeans. With its largely car-free roads, rustic feel and abundance greenery, many locals (often with kids in tow) head to the island during weekends/holidays for a cycling day-trip. If you’re planning to visit the island, here are some useful information and tips for your trip.

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Pulau Ubin Brief

Situated off the northeastern coast of mainland Singapore, Pulau Ubin is a popular day-trip destination for locals. The island host one of the last remaining villages in the ultra-modern city-state and retains much of its forestry and mangrove swamps. It is also home to Chek Jawa Wetlands, one of Singapore’s richest ecosystems.

Other than exploring the natural wonders of the island, popular activities include cycling, hiking, kayaking and camping.

Cycling essentials on Pulau Ubin

Rental bikes are readily available on the island’s main village next to the jetty. Prices range between $8 to $15 for a day’s rental.

Food and water are primarily only available in the main village. There are few drink outlets outside the village and the opening hours could be limited. Thus, it is essential to bring enough food/water for your entire day trip.

Interesting places to stop for a quick photo:

• Pekan Quarry
• Jalan Jelutong Bridge
• Ubin Living Lab (former chalet/resort)
• Ketam Quarry
• Jalan Endut Senin Bridge
• Puaka Hill
• Chek Jawa Wetlands
• Mamam Campsite

Getting there

Pulau Ubin is easily accessible via a 15 minutes boat ride from Changi Point Ferry Terminal. The boat ride is $4 per person per way. The boat-in-queue will leave once the boatman has gathered enough passengers to fill the boat. No booking is required. The service operates from early to 7pm. Though it is strongly advisable to return by mid-afternoon as it might be difficult to gather enough passengers for the return trip if late.

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Our random photographs on Pulau Ubin

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Related posts:

Kayaking at Singapore Sports Hub

Adventure Cove Waterpark VLOG

Bouncy Paradise (Singapore)

Jewel Changi Airport (Singapore)

Jurong Lake Gardens (Jan-2020)

Other related posts (Malaysia):

• Malaysia: Sipadan/Mataking
  • Sipadan Scuba Diving Travel Blog (Sabah, Malaysia)
  • Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog (Sabah, Malaysia)
• Malaysia: Sarawak
  • Scuba Diving in Miri (Sarawak, Malaysia)
  • Bario: Beauty and serenity in the Malaysian Borneo Highlands (Sarawak, Malaysia)
• Malaysia: Tioman
  • Weekend Scuba Diving Trip at Tioman Island (Malaysia, 2016)
  • Tioman Dive Trip (Malaysia, 2015)
• Malaysia: Penang/Ipoh
  • Penang Ipoh Travel VLOG (Malaysia)
  • Penang Ipoh Itinerary (self-drive) (Malaysia)
  • Ipoh Street Art Map (Perak, Malaysia)
  • Penang Street Art Map (Malaysia)
• Malaysia: Langkawi
  • Things to do in Langkawi (Kedah, Malaysia)
  • Langkawi Itinerary and Expenses (Kedah, Malaysia) 
  • Where to stay in Langkawi (Kedah, Malaysia)
  • Guide to Renting a Car in Langkawi (Kedah, Malaysia)

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Singapore Sports Hub is located on the eastern shores of Kallang Basin. Its Water Sports Centre is one of the places in Singapore which offers kayak/canoe rentals. Kayaking in the calm waters of Kallang Basin offers a great view of Singapore’s CBD, Tanjung Rhu district, National Stadium and Indoor Stadium. The following is a brief write-up on our kayaking experience at Singapore Sports Hub in Dec-2020.

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Kayaking at Singapore Sports Hub

During the Dec-2020 school holiday, we decided to have a kayaking session at Singapore Sports Hub mainly due to the scenic backdrop and affordable pricing. As local residents, we paid S$12 (adult) and S$8 (child) for a standard non-peak 2-hour kayaking session.

Water Sports Centre offers a variety of sit-on-top (no certification required) and closed deck (certification required) kayaks for rental. The rental typically comes in fixed 2-hour morning (start 9am-10am) and 2-hour afternoon (start 1pm-2pm) sessions. (Refer to Singapore Sports Hub’s website for the exact schedule of the current month)

Unfortunately, online booking is not available (as of Jan-2021). The reservation office opens approximately 2 hours (refer to the website for exact timing) before the morning session to allow participants to make SAME DAY reservations (with payment). All participants are required to be present in person during reservation due to the need to sign health declaration and indemnity forms.

Our Review

The staffs at the Water Sports Centre are extremely helpful and professional. Knowing that many of the participants are beginners they helped to demonstrate, and in some instances, assist the participants in moving the kayaks into the water. They also teach the participants how to get onto the kayaks from the platform.

The only negative feedback that we have is the lack of online booking and the resulting long queuing time at the reservation office. Participants typically have to start queuing outside the reservation office up to 1-hour PRIOR to its opening to secure a slot in the morning session.

During our visit, despite arriving on time for the reservation office’s opening, we were lucky to be one of the last few participants who managed to get a morning slot after queuing for close to an hour. In fact, the entire day’s slots were taken up before the morning session began.

Having said, we must mention that the long waiting time is of no fault to the staffs who can be seen trying their best to help participants make their reservations as quickly as possible. They were simply let down by the reservation system and the lack of manpower.

*For more info (pricing and timing), refer to Singapore Sports Hub website.

[Information here is correct as of Jan-2021]

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Related posts:

Pulau Ubin Cycling | Singapore

Adventure Cove Waterpark VLOG

Bouncy Paradise (Singapore)

Jewel Changi Airport (Singapore)

Jurong Lake Gardens (Jan-2020)

Other related posts (Singapore/Malaysia):

• Singapore
  • 2016 Full Solar Eclipse Special (Singapore)
• Malaysia: Sipadan/Mataking
  • Sipadan Scuba Diving Travel Blog (Sabah, Malaysia)
  • Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog (Sabah, Malaysia)
• Malaysia: Sarawak
  • Scuba Diving in Miri (Sarawak, Malaysia)
  • Bario: Beauty and serenity in the Malaysian Borneo Highlands (Sarawak, Malaysia)
• Malaysia: Tioman
  • Weekend Scuba Diving Trip at Tioman Island (Malaysia, 2016)
  • Tioman Dive Trip (Malaysia, 2015)
• Malaysia: Penang/Ipoh
  • Penang Ipoh Travel VLOG (Malaysia)
  • Penang Ipoh Itinerary (self-drive) (Malaysia)
  • Ipoh Street Art Map (Perak, Malaysia)
  • Penang Street Art Map (Malaysia)
• Malaysia: Langkawi
  • Things to do in Langkawi (Kedah, Malaysia)
  • Langkawi Itinerary and Expenses (Kedah, Malaysia) 
  • Where to stay in Langkawi (Kedah, Malaysia)
  • Guide to Renting a Car in Langkawi (Kedah, Malaysia)

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Had the chance to briefly explore Jurong Lake Gardens in Jan-2020. Here are the photographs that we took during the trip and a short review of the place. If you’re planning to visit the garden with your family or friends, share this post with them!

(All info in this post are accurate as of Jan-2020)

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Brief introduction: Jurong Lake Gardens

Opened in Apr-2019, Jurong Lake Gardens is located next to Lakeside MRT and is planned to encompass the entire area surrounding (and including) Jurong Lake.

In its final form, Jurong Lake Gardens would consist of:

• Lakeside Garden:
  • Opened since Apr-2019.
  • This is the current park-space that is opened to the public. It stretches from the MRT tracks (between Lakeside and Chinese Garden MRT), along the western shore of Jurong Lake, right down to the edge of AYE (site of the former “Tang Dynasty”).
• Chinese Garden:
  • Under construction. To be completed from 2021.
  • This is the former Chinese Garden.
• Japanese Garden:
  • Under construction. To be completed from 2021.
  • This is the former Japanese Garden.
• Garden Promenade:
  • Under construction. To be completed from 2021.
  • This is the shoreline of Jurong Lake starting from the MRT track, along the eastern shore of Jurong Lake, right down to the rear of the current Science Centre.

As mentioned above, in its current form, only the Lakeside Garden component of Jurong Lake Gardens (note the plural in “gardens”) is opened.

Entry to Jurong Lake Gardens is free.

Various garden features

The garden is divided into a few different zones, each with its theme and purpose. For example:

• Clusia Cove is dedicated to coastal-inspired play-pools for kids.
• Forest Ramble has 13 different zones of nature-inspired playgrounds suitable for kids between 5-12.
• PAssion WaVe is dedicated to water sports on Jurong Lake.
• Grasslands is dedicated allowing bird-watchers to observe small bird species.
• ActiveSG Park has a gym and swimming pool.

(For more garden features, refer to NParks’ website)

Getting to Jurong Lake Gardens (via MRT)

Jurong Lake Gardens is a short 5-minutes walk from Lakeside MRT.

Parking at Jurong Lake Gardens

There are 2 carparks at the garden: North Carpark (map) and South Carpark (map).

The North Carpark is nearer to Lakeside MRT and most of the kids-related attractions (e.g. the water play-areas at Clusia Cove and the play-gardens at Forest Ramble).

The South Carpark is nearer to the AYE slip-road and next to ActiveSG Park (gym and swimming pool).

Parking rates here are the same as HDB carparks.

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 Our images at Jurong Lake Gardens

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Our review: Jurong Lake Gardens

Seriously a great place to bring the family. Especially so for those with kids.

Landscaping at the garden is done well with numerous interesting structures. Many Instagram-worthy spots can be found throughout the garden. With the Grassland (i.e. the bird hides and Long Tree) as our favourite photography spot.

Plenty of open fields and wide pathways that is perfect for games, jogging and cycling.

Most impressive is the wide variety of playgrounds (Forest Ramble) and play-pools (Clusia Cove) that are sure to keep your little ones entertained.

Surely not our last visit!

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Related posts:

Pulau Ubin Cycling | Singapore

Adventure Cove Waterpark VLOG

Bouncy Paradise (Singapore)

Jewel Changi Airport (Singapore)

Kayaking at Singapore Sports Hub

Other related posts (Singapore/Malaysia):

• Singapore
  • 2016 Full Solar Eclipse Special (Singapore)
• Malaysia: Sipadan/Mataking
  • Sipadan Scuba Diving Travel Blog (Sabah, Malaysia)
  • Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog (Sabah, Malaysia)
• Malaysia: Sarawak
  • Scuba Diving in Miri (Sarawak, Malaysia)
  • Bario: Beauty and serenity in the Malaysian Borneo Highlands (Sarawak, Malaysia)
• Malaysia: Tioman
  • Weekend Scuba Diving Trip at Tioman Island (Malaysia, 2016)
  • Tioman Dive Trip (Malaysia, 2015)
• Malaysia: Penang/Ipoh
  • Penang Ipoh Travel VLOG (Malaysia)
  • Penang Ipoh Itinerary (self-drive) (Malaysia)
  • Ipoh Street Art Map (Perak, Malaysia)
  • Penang Street Art Map (Malaysia)
• Malaysia: Langkawi
  • Things to do in Langkawi (Kedah, Malaysia)
  • Langkawi Itinerary and Expenses (Kedah, Malaysia) 
  • Where to stay in Langkawi (Kedah, Malaysia)
  • Guide to Renting a Car in Langkawi (Kedah, Malaysia)

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The post Jurong Lake Gardens (Jan-2020) appeared first on Balukoo Travel Blog.

Bouncy Paradise is Singapore’s largest indoor inflatable playground. This blog/vlog is about our visit to the inflatable playground during the December 2019 school holidays.

Singapore’s Largest Indoor Inflatable Playground!

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Bouncy Paradise Review

We visited 13-Dec-2019 (Friday) at 1pm (it opens at 1pm on Fridays). The crowd was ok at the time. But towards 3-4pm it starts to get very crowded. And a queue started to form outside the playground, waiting for existing visitors to leave before they can enter. The playground (air-conditioned) has a limit on the number of people in it.

An affordable and entertaining place to keep the kids occupied! Definitely a fun place that younger kids will enjoy. More suitable for those younger than 12yrs old. Do remember to bring anti-slip socks. Else they are available at the playground for $3 per pair.

Located in Pandan Gardens, within PeopleUp Hub.

ps: See also our trip to Adventure Cove in Resorts World Sentosa

Related posts:

Pulau Ubin Cycling | Singapore

Adventure Cove Waterpark VLOG

Kayaking at Singapore Sports Hub

Jurong Lake Gardens (Jan-2020)

Jewel Changi Airport (Singapore)

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The post Bouncy Paradise (Singapore) appeared first on Balukoo Travel Blog.

How to drive to Resorts World Sentosa

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Drive to Resorts World Sentosa

We started the video along Telok Blangah Road (towards city direction, in front of VivoCity). Then turning into Sentosa Gateway (i.e. bridge linking Sentosa to Singapore main island).

The vehicular entrance to Resorts World Sentosa is accessed via the left-most lanes of Sentosa Gateway once its reaches the island. Vehicles will drive directly into Basement 1 (carparks, taxi stands, coach/bus bays) of the resort.

Those driving directly to Resorts World Sentosa will by-pass Sentosa’s main vehicular entrance, thus, avoiding the usual vehicular entrance fees for Sentosa. However, the FIRST HOUR parking rates at Resorts World Sentosa is higher to account for the island entrance. Subsequent hour parking rates at the resort is only slightly higher than other public car parks on the island.

See our other blog post on our trip to the resort’s Adventure Cove Waterpark.

Related posts:

Pulau Ubin Cycling | Singapore

Adventure Cove Waterpark VLOG

Bouncy Paradise (Singapore)

Jewel Changi Airport (Singapore)

Jurong Lake Gardens (Jan-2020)

Kayaking at Singapore Sports Hub

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VLOG of our Nov-2019 trip to Adventure Cove Waterpark (RWS, Singapore). Despite residing in Singapore, this is our first time visiting Adventure Cove and it’s worth every single cent! The park was largely empty during our visit and we essentially didn’t have to face any queues. The weather was also very accommodating, only raining (with thunder) when we were about to leave. Awesome trip!

Adventure Cove Waterpark VLOG (Resort World Sentosa, Singapore)

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Adventure Cove Waterpark Review

All the attractions/rides in Adventure Cove are well-suited for children. Though various height/weight requirement does apply. The rides in Adventure Cove are designed more for families with children in mind, as compared to some waterparks that focus on thrill rides.

The lazy river (Adventure River) is one of the longest we’ve seen. A round trip in the river takes ~15minutes and loops around most of the other attractions in the waterpark. Great efforts had also been made to beautify the “banks” along the entire length of the river.

What impresses us is that Adventure Cove offers a good variety of activities, and not just focusing on water rides. There is a maze (Wet Maze), water-based obstacle courses (Splashworks), and even a saltwater snorkelling area (Rainbow Reef). These are on top of the usual waterpark components of rides, lazy rivers, play-pools and wave pools.

Overall, Adventure Cove Waterpark is a highly recommended attraction for families with kids. Just make sure you visit during off-peak periods.

To know how to drive to Resort World Sentosa, refer to our other blog post.

Visiting Tips:

• Avoid weekends, holidays, June/December (school holidays in Singapore)
• Before visiting, check the official website for online promotions. There could be discounts for citizens/residents and off-peak visits.
• If possible, only bring small/collapsible bags so that your belongings can fit into one of the small lockers (i.e. cheaper locker rental).
• Free water dispensers are located through-out the park. Just bring your water bottle.
• As with most waterparks, outside food are not allowed and in-house food are notoriously expensive. Bags will be checked for food during entry. However, you are allowed to leave the waterpark via getting a re-entry stamp (on your hand) from the staffs. Thus, simply make a short walk to the nearby 7-11 to grab some food. Do remember to have your original entry tickets with you when leaving the park, these tickets will be checked (together with the re-entry stamp) when returning to the waterpark.

Related posts:

How to drive to Resorts World Sentosa

Pulau Ubin Cycling | Singapore

Bouncy Paradise (Singapore)

Jurong Lake Gardens (Jan-2020)

Kayaking at Singapore Sports Hub

Jewel Changi Airport (Singapore)

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The post Adventure Cove Waterpark VLOG appeared first on Balukoo Travel Blog.

Jewel Changi Airport (Singapore)

Jewel is a mixed-use development at Changi Airport. Comprising of dining/retail facilities and indoor gardens. The undisputed highlight of the Jewel Changi Airport is its 40m tall indoor waterfall, which is the world’s largest.

The complex opened to much fanfare on 17-April-2019. Offering a great point for both passengers (on short transit in Changi Airport) and domestic visitors for shopping/dining. Plus the chance to appreciate the newest addition to Changi Airport in the comfort of air-conditioning.

Jewel is situated in the middle of Changi Airport Terminal 1/2/3. With the driving drop-off point for Jewel located right across the Departure drop-off point for Terminal 1. The entire Jewel complex is linked to Terminal 1 internally. While there are sky-bridges (air-conditioned) that link Jewel to both Terminal 2 and 3.

The free Skytrain service between Terminal 2 and 3 passes by Jewel. In fact, the Skytrain’s track will pass right next to the waterfall, making it an incredibly great opportunity to view the waterfall from a unique perspective. There are also a number of viewing platforms around the waterfall offering good spots for taking in its beauty.

Unfortunately, during our visit, a number of the viewing platforms and the Skytrain service (between Terminal 2/3) are closed for a private function. Nevertheless, we had a great time exploring the waterfall and the various viewing platforms around it. And did we mention that it is FREE?

Note: There are a number of upcoming additions to the Jewel. Including a “Sky Net” (for both walking and bouncing) that is scheduled to open from late Jun-2019 (fees required).

Video on Jewel

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Update: Images from our visit in March-2020 and July-2020

See also:

Pulau Ubin Cycling | Singapore

Adventure Cove Waterpark VLOG

Bouncy Paradise (Singapore)

Jurong Lake Gardens (Jan-2020)

Kayaking at Singapore Sports Hub

Related posts (Singapore/Malaysia):

• 2016 Full Solar Eclipse Special (Singapore)
• Sipadan Scuba Diving Travel Blog
• Mataking Island Scuba Diving Travel Blog (Sabah, Malaysia)
• Scuba Diving in Miri (Sarawak, Malaysia)
• Weekend Scuba Diving Trip at Tioman Island (Malaysia, 2016)
• Tioman Dive Trip (Malaysia, 2015)

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We (Balukoo Travel) were able to view the eclipse from a vantage point in the middle of Singapore’s CBD, with the world-famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel in the view. The following is our time-lapse video of the sunrise on the day and the subsequent partial eclipse. Enjoy!

Related Posts:

Pulau Ubin Cycling | Singapore

Adventure Cove Waterpark VLOG

Kayaking at Singapore Sports Hub

Jewel Changi Airport (Singapore)

Bouncy Paradise (Singapore)

Jurong Lake Gardens (Jan-2020)

The post 2016 Full Solar Eclipse Special appeared first on Balukoo Travel Blog.