Saturday, June 13, 2015

Lazarus Island - An Incomplete Exploration @ The Southern Islands [Singapore]

In the past, going to a local island in Singapore involves taking ferries. Nowadays, there are a few modes of access and in the case of Lazarus Island, you can choose to walk over; yes, as in using your feet across the man-made dam and bridge that linked the island to Saint John's Island. 

Standing on Lazarus Island - frankly, with this physical connection that combines the islands, it may be appropriate to rename the islands as a whole rather than keeping to their existing names which might be confusing to the later generations. 

Not far from the hut, on our right, was a pond. 

Okay, i presume it was a pond given the concrete bollards and a wooden platform by the water. 

Brown, dirty water with dry leaves, i am surprised there were still living creatures (note the red eared terrapin) inhabiting its polluted premise! 

In comparison, the water at the bay looked way much inviting! By the way, this was the same bay we docked at for the yacht trip last year!

We didn't know the route to Singapore's best beach and figured going straight on the tarred road was our best option. It helped that there was another group far ahead on the same road.

This tree towered over the rest and forgive me for not knowing its species; am no arborist. What i did know is that its crown would shade us well on a hot day.

Found the beach! Note, it is termed as the best beach in Singapore, not the best beach in the region. For more photographs, click here

Blessed with some time to spare since we didn't have the intention to snorkel / swim, our adventurous streak enticed us to check out the quieter path.

Facing the popular Kusu Island, many boats traversed this narrow strait and hence, this side of Lazarus Islands didn't attract any beach-goers for safety and cleanliness reasons.

Campers, however, were a different story. Though the area smelt strong of natural rustiness, it was a shame to see campers without a hoot for nature.

Man made path to the pavilion; my only worry was to have a snake in the middle, ready to strike. The scenario has happened before and the memory remains vivid! 

The empty pavilion with another pathway.

Of course we followed through and found these super light seashells. Not sure how they got onto the top of the breakwater; guess some visitors have been collecting them and decided to leave them there. 

The island wasn't big but we still managed to catch some spectacular scenery. Put in a few deer and i bet many of you might thought this was a nature reserve!

Further down was the end of the path. Just like that, without much fanfare or a surprising find / information to reward us for walking more than usual beach goers.

A secluded beach that directly faced the jetty of Kusu Island.

A raft? Was there a Robinson Crusoe story that took place in the little red dot? Not too sure but despite the size of our nation, there were stories of illegal immigrants, homeless individuals who managed to live undetect.

The above was a better example of treating nature better. An enhancement would be in the form of bringing them out of the island when you leave! On second thought, that same aluminium tin can be reused for the next batch of BBQ users. Not the mesh though.

A wooden bench appeared out of nowhere; quite scary if night falls and you find a lady in white seated there while combing her tresses.

Really hate litter bugs!! 

Walking back to Saint John's Island for our ferry back to mainland Singapore. 

A scene that seemed to reflect autumn even though the weather in Singapore is absolutely summer throughout with high humidity that resulted in an attire making up of bermuda bottom, slippers and sleeveless top as our unofficial  'national' costume. 

Kon had a nickname for this; the breast. 

Melting under the hot sun and was in a dilemma as in whether we should jump into the water to cool ourselves! I guess it would be worthwhile to bring the two kids here to spend the weekend. 

Pieces of corals were mixed into the cement for the road, impressing onto visitors that corals were in fact in abundance long ago. 

This shall mark the end of my journey to Lazarus Island even though i didn't cover Seringat Island which was considered as the extension of Lazarus. Oh well, there is always a chance for revisits! 

=====

How to get to Lazarus Island?
Take the ferry from Marina South Pier to Saint John Island. Each ticket cost S$18 for an adult and S$12 for those below 13 years old. From Saint John Island jetty, walk 5-10 minutes. 

Ferry Schedule 
Click here.

No comments:

Post a Comment