Wonderfully wet Chek Jawa!

How nice to share Chek Jawa with families who braved the rain to join the Naked Hermit Crab's monthly free guided walks! Here's my group at the Jejawi Tower next to the towering Jejawi fig tree!

'One, two, tree!' and we have a great group photo, and an introduction to my many lame jokes.

We arrived at Pulau Ubin in a mizzle (miserable drizzle) but the jetty and Ubin Town was already dressed up for National Day. With cheerful flags everywhere.

The kids are fascinated by the wild boar, which wander harmlessly around the Chek Jawa Information Kiosk.

If we patiently keep still without shouting or waving our arms, the babies will come closer!

Everyone had a great time taking photos of and with the wild boar!

As usual, it's the little ones that spot the animals on the boardwalk! There were blue-spotted mudskippers, and little water striders and crabs and more!

Pei Yan and Chay Hoon are way down below on the mangrove boardwalk. Some late comers eventually joined us and Chay Hoon took them the rest of the way.

Oh, the Mangrove Trumpet tree is fruiting, producing long curly pods that eventually burst to produce seeds that remind me of tiny biscuits! The flowers are white trumpets.

Pei Yan points out a small Giant mudskipper that is pretending to be just another lump of mud.

Oh, tiny fiddler crabs! We could also hear the calls of the Wild Jungle fowl, and all kinds of busy birds in the mangrove forest.

While we take a break we spot more fiddler crabs and a small mudskipper in its hole.

Actually, the rain probably allowed us to see more of the tiny seashore critters who are happier when wet. Near the sea, we spot lots and lots of fiddler crabs and the intricate sand balls left behind by sand bubbler crabs.

In the middle of the walk, the rain got heavier, but everyone just took out their ponchos and went on. Sharmaine is so cute in her pink raincoat.

We had a look at the many 'long beans' hanging off the Bakau mangrove tree. These are not fruits but seedlings, growing on the mama tree.

There's more mudskippers on the soft mud under the boardwalk.

Pei Yan finds a lovely Sea hibiscus to share with everyone. We also talk about durians and how we need to have mangrove trees such as the Perepat if we want to continue to enjoy eating durians!

Before we end the tour, we have a look at the Hornbill nest box. Unlike other birds that build nests out of sticks, the Oriental pied-hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) usually nest inside a hole in a tree. NParks has put up artificial nest boxes which are so successful that there are now lots of Hornbills on Pulau Ubin!

We end as usual, with everyone sharing their thoughts about Chek Jawa. The kids have great fun doing this!

The kids share some endearing drawings.

Grown ups also share heart-warming thoughts about Chek Jawa.

Here's all the wonderful drawing and thoughts by visitors for this walk.

Goodbye Chek Jawa, until next month!

Ivan, Pei Yan, Chay Hoon and I had a great time sharing Chek Jawa with the 20 visitors who braved the wet weather to join us.

Come join us for our next monthly trip! More details.

Ivan who is the current curator for Hello from Singapore also tweeted about our trip.

Pei Yan also shared about our walk on her blog.