Pulau Serangoon

Sungei Dekar, a part of the Punggol coastline

Coney Island had been opened to the public for about two months now and I finally managed to find a bit of time to visit the place. The place seemed to hide many secrets when it was still closed to the public behind its heavy metal gates, protected by CCTV cameras and concertina wires along its southern coastline. 

Before the island was officially opened, a couple of friends and I actually hatched a hare-brained plan to canoe across the waters of the Serangoon Harbour and land on the northern coast of the island to gain access. This of course never materialised due to the numerous logistical challenges like getting our hands on actual canoes, training to canoe over a distance with our gear on board and evading a possible tête-à-tête with the Coast Guard (since it was technically trespassing even though we had a plan to claim that we got lost on our way to Pulau Ubin if we ever got stopped.

Nice to finally be on the other side.

The entire island is intentionally kept in a rustic state with no power or water supply save with few (modern) man-made structures. Visitors from the mainland (Pfft. Mainlanders.) are either here to cycle, jog, hike or hoping to see the lone Brahman cow. On the other
hand, Urbexers would make a beeline to the abandoned beach villa which used to belong to the Aw Brothers of Haw Par Group fame.

As I trudged along the main path, cleverly named the "Main Path" (You have to hand it to the guys at NParks), I wondered if I had unknowingly walked into a SAF training ground. Everything around me seemed so familiar; the dirt tracks with sharp protruding rocks, tall grass with the occasional stalk of lalang, sand flies which seemed to bite with a vengeance and my nemesis, the Culicidae, otherwise known as the common mosquito. Given its proximity to Pulau Tekong, I wouldn't be surprised if the mozzies here had snouts that could pierce through a SAF No. 4, let alone my thin cotton tee. The only thing missing was the smell of "Pasta in Tomato Parsley Sauce" from the combat rations menu 1, wet feet stuck in Gore-Tex boots and the sound of my RSM barking at everyone to stop using CB leaves (or Simpoh Air for those who'd like to know the actual local name for these oversized leaves) for our field camouflage.

Fork between the Coney Island Main Path and the track which leads to Beach Area A

While I certainly enjoy visiting old buildings such as the Haw Par Beach Villa, I decided to just take a relaxing stroll today and take some photos of whatever indigenous flora and fauna that came my way.

There were more people (mainly cyclists) than any other form of life on the island and while it was nice to have company on an island that was off limits just three months ago, it was annoying when some cyclists zipped by with loud music blaring out of their phones. I mean, classy music is okay but seriously, who plays Celine Dion at full blast?

Changeable Lizard (Calotes Versicolor)

For those of you are keen on a nature ramble but haven't been to the island yet, don't stick to the main path like I did. This 2.4 km dirt track has little to offer in terms of scenery unless tall grass and sandy tracks are kind of your thing.

I made a turn at the fork to the broadwalk, which leads to Beach Area C, hoping to catch some a glimpse of the famous cow or some other local wildlife in action. And was I glad I did so.

I saw them from afar. A group of four, or five, I wasn't sure. The reflection of the sun gleaming on the water's surface made it hard to see how many there were, but one thing was for sure. I was fortunate enough to spot the island's resident family of Smooth Otters having a swim in the water off the northern coast of Pulau Serangoon.

Smooth Otter (Lutrogale Perspicillata)

One of them spotted me and started calling out to the others. I stopped in my tracks, hoping not to alarm them. Another, snacking on a fish it just caught, remained oblivious as the others started darting away in the water. I raised my lens. It continued devouring its fishy snack.

When I finished shooting this lone otter, I looked up and realised that the rest of the pack were some 50 metres away. This guy sent out a shrill call (as if to inform the rest to wait up) in the midst of finishing up its meal. I began to walk away slowly in order not to alarm it and a few seconds later, it disappeared under the water before reappearing near the rest of the pack. I never knew that otters could swim so fast.

Northern Coast of Coney Island.

Wild boars were also spotted before on the island, though their origins seem questionable like the Brahman cow. Did they swim over from Malaysia or Pulau Ubin? (Can wild boards even swim?) Or did someone introduce them to the island? Nonetheless, I spotted some fresh boar tracks on the beach, confirming that there were indeed wild boars living on Coney Island. This also brought to mind the stories I heard about the resident three legged boar named "Tripod".

Fresh boar tracks imprinted in the sand.

The rising tide was making it hard to walk past Beach Area D without getting my feet wet, and with the wind starting to howl in tandem with the dark clouds starting to loom above, I decided to make my way back to the west entrance of the island. While my trip was cut short by the impending storm, I was (like a MP) glad to have met a few residents of the island during my short walkabout.

I'm going to camp around for the Brahman Cow the next time I'm here. Who's with me?