Beautiful mangroves of Seletar

Yesterday morning, I had a good look (from far) at the mangroves off Seletar in the north of Singapore.


The bridge linking Seletar to Pulau Punggol Barat allows me be at a higher position to have a good bird's eye view. I could see many large shore birds wading among the mudflat hunting for fishes and other snacks!

Too bad I did not bring the camera with better zoom function, perhaps next time I will share photos of the birds.


I was pleasantly surprised to see that the waters are so clear! When the gentle waves moves back and forth on the sandbar/mudflat, the clear waters just makes me feel this is not Singapore! I tend to have this mindset that waters off mangroves are usually more murky.


Closer to land are many floating platforms where fishermen still go out and catch seafood for a living.

So that was actually the other side of the rock bund that separates Lower Seletar Reservoir from the Johor Straits.


Here is the landward side where the reservoir is situated. A good hangout place if you want to escape from the hussles and buzz of crowded city life.


Just across the mangroves of Seletar is Pulau Seletar! An island that has a kelong just off its coast. I have never got to visit this island, and I hope to, if an opportunity arises. In fact I would love to visit the shores of Seletar and the other northern coasts such as Punggol in the future.


Talking about Punggol, a bridge has been built to link Seletar to Pulau Punggol Barat. I was on a cycling trip and thus was excited to have a look at this island for the first time!


Pulau Punggol Barat (on the left) is situated next to Pulau Pulau Punggol Timor (on the right). This photo was taken on the link that connects these two reclaimed islands together. There's some sandy shore off the two islands and I believe there will be marine life that has crept to colonize these areas. Hehe!

What are these two islands used for? Though much of the islands are still unused, some parts of it have already been utilised as industrial park for construction-related activities.


Before getting to Seletar mangroves and the islands, I was actually cycling at the idyllic roads of Seletar. This area of Singapore used to be guarded due to it being home to Seletar Airport and other military-related installations. More about how I get to know this place in my 2007 visit.


Within the compound itself, the road names, the houses, the peaceful surroundings, the large open spaces just makes me feel I am not in Singapore at all! No heavy traffic, no crowds of people! What a great place to retire in. Hehe!

Sad to say, a large portion of this area has already been cleared to make way for the Seletar Aerospace park.

More photos of my cycling trip here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/koksheng/archives/date-taken/2010/11/13/