Oops, can't believe I totally didn't explain what /where/why is chek jawa! As described by wikipedia, chek jawa (aka Tanjong Chek Jawa) is at the south-eastern tip of Pulau Ubin. It has several ecosystems in one place, namely mangrove, sandy and rocky beach, seagrass lagoon, coral rubble and coastal forest. In 2001, the Singapore government abandoned plans to reclaim the land and leave it untouched for the next 10 years, after a successful petition led by Joseph Lai. Check out the link for more info. What is significant about the chek jawa story, is that public petitions do exist in Singapore, and the government does listen and accede to your request! If you know Singapore culture, we are known to leave things to the government, don't bother petitioning because the government has already decided. Hopefully the chek jawa turnaround can inspire more such cases. Maybe save Pulau Ubin itself from redevelopment.
We continue the Pulau Ubin exploration. First up, nipa palm. These mangrove plants have horizontal trunks, how cool is that?? And they are under the mud, what you see if just the leaves and flowers. Nipa palms have many uses, probably most commonly known is their leaves are used to make the roofs of houses (attap house) and the immature fruits....ATTAP CHEE!! Found in sweet local desserts such as ice kachang and chendol.
