Events: A trip to Pulau Semakau (the wildlife 1)

Hello readers,

The main highlight for the Pulau Semakau trip was definitely not the rubbish. It was a several-hour intertidal walk (the picture depicts the shores of Pulau Semakau). We got to explore the mudflats and observe the flora and fauna there. En route, my brother and I spotted around two eagles soaring high above us. They were presumably white-bellied sea eagles (which can be found in Singapore).

Not long after, the group of about 20 of us reached the mudflats. Because the tide was extremely low that day, we were able to see the fauna living in the tidepools. Despite the tide being low, however, the water was still almost up to my knee level (about 20cm deep) at the deeper parts. I suggest that if you want to go for the intertidal walk in Pulau Semakau, it is best that you wear boots or shoes with long socks (which is what I wore). Never wear slippers or sandals or even worse, go barefoot. For all you know, you could step on a stonefish or sponge and get hurt. If you want to explore the mudflats of Pulau Semakau and find the trip meaningful, you must appreciate nature and not be afraid of dirt (frankly, I was a little wary of the water level rising above my shoes but I got used to it later).

At a first glance, the murky waters seem lifeless and dull, but at a closer look, the organisms that secretly live in the mud would be noticable. Farther away from the sea, there would be little holes in the sand with several minute balls of sand near it. Those holes are made by sand bubbler crabs, which sift through the sand for microscopic food and produce the little balls of cleaned sand as a result, which they then chuck away. Numerous mangrove trees can be found farther away from the sea (the picture depicts a close-up photo of a mangrove tree). The guide pointed out to us the seedlings of the mangrove tree. To increase the chance of the seedlings' survival in such a harsh environment, the seedlings germinate while they are still on the tree and are later carried off by the high tide. By the way, the below video shows what the mudflats of Pulau Semakau would look like at a glance.

Okay, that is enough for the day.

Events-A trip to Pulau Semakau (the landfill)

Hello all,

I want to share about a trip a few weeks back. I went to Pulau Semakau on a Sunday. Contrary to what many people think, Pulau Semakau is not a filthy, stinky rubbish island with maladorous debris all over the place. Instead, there is little sign of the island being a landfill as the the country's rubbish is incinerated before being sent there. As a result, the rubbish is only reduced to a mere 10% of its original mass. The ashes are then covered with a layer of soil, on which grasses and other plants grow on.
Despite the rubbish's mass being greatly reduced, it is still quite a substantial amount. Pulau Semakau would only last us for a few more decades (perhaps until 2040) if we continue to produce this much waste. This is where the three Rs come into place. The Singapore government has already been taking steps to increase the recycling of our rubbish. New recycling bins are popping up all over the island. But of course the government cannot succeed without the people's support. Hopefully, more people would become conscious of the damage done to the environment and play a part in reversing it.

Man and the environment are interlinked.

An introduction to my blog

Today is my first day of blogging. Read my profile to learn more about me. As the title suggests, I will write about events in my life (be they trekking, competitions, etc.) or random but interesting issues on my blog.

My current display picture is that of a mantis shrimp, an interesting type of crustacean that has a very speedy punch (about 23 metres per second).

Actually, mantis shrimps are neither mantises nor shrimps. I guess they are named so because they resemble both species of animal. This species of mantis shrimp is also very vibrantly coloured, thus its name "Peacock Mantis Shrimp". I found this rather beautiful picture (my display picture now) on the internet. However, the video which I put up below shows a green mantis shrimp (which is a smaller species). I will also occassionally add in some interesting events that happened to me. Due to my tight schedule, however, I might not have the free time to write so many blog entries.

Most importantly, have fun reading!

(This blog post was slightly edited due to the blog revamping on 6/2/10)