Date of Adventure: 13 November 2016
If you're planning to embark on a quick and cheap weekend getaway from all the daily stresses of life, drop everything right away and head down south to St. John's island and Pulau* Lazarus!
* Malay for "island"
With its private setting, crystal clear waters and soft angelic white sand, it's no wonder that Pulau Lazarus is known as Singapore's best-kept secret (take that Lonely Planet!).
Incidentally, Lazarus, according to the Bible, was a beloved friend and disciple of Jesus Christ who was miraculously raised from the dead, exemplifying the power of God overcoming Death.
I guess it's no coincidence that whoever steps foot on the island will immediately feel a sense of Life being restored. I know I felt that way, but don't take my word for it, visit it for yourself to experience the miracle!
As a self-confessed "Scooter-holic", there's no better way to explore Singapore than on a kick or electric scooter. Trust me, there's a HUGE difference walking for miles on in the tropical heat (33 degrees celcius no less), and covering maximum ground on 2-wheels in half the time - with cool wind in your hair (sorry, no smells of colitas though - they're illegal here in my country LOL).
For this adventure, I've brought along my trusty Oxelo Town 7 kick scooter, and a really cool gadget which I'll reveal in just a moment.
Getting to St. John's Island
Planning your trip to the islands is super easy.
1. Take the MRT to Marina South Pier as shown below.
Marina South Pier, circled, at the bottom of the MRT map. Can't miss it!
Marina South Pier
2. Upon arrival at Marina South Pier, walk over to Singapore Island Cruise and Services "orange" counter (pictured below). A round trip ferry ticket to St. John's Island, then to Kusu Island and back to mainland costs S$18 (adult) and S$12 (child). You may grab a hard copy of the ferry schedule at the counter. Or refer to the screenshot below.
Note: Pulau Lazarus is not listed on the ferry schedule (that's why it's a secret) . You'll have to take ferry to St. John's and cross over to Lazarus via a linkway, which I'll show you later on in this post.
Tickets to paradise: a round trip ferry ticket to St. John's Island, then to Kusu Island
and back to mainland costs S$18 (adult)
Following a spate of fatal accidents involving e-cyclists over the past few weeks, the spotlight has been cast on the awareness of road safety for all 2-wheelers!
On 27 October, a horrible collision between 3 electric bikers and a container truck left two of the riders gruesomely crushed and the third seriously injured.
As the cycling community struggles to recover from the shock, another e-biker was pronounced dead at the scene after colliding with a tipper truck, just a few days later.
It is for this reason that spurred me to contact the good people at RearViz, makers of the world's first arm-worn safety mirror for cyclists and e-scooter riders like me.
I was first introduced to this brilliant little gadget that has since accompanied me throughout all of my adventures (including this one), through a viral video on Facebook last year.
Here is the video:
And here it is for the first time in Singapore...
In case you're wondering if it works, I'll be sharing in-depth review later on in this post, with St John's and Lazarus as the perfect backdrop for my road test. Or click here if you'd like to get one direct from my online store.
Ed's Note: All product reviews on my blog are entirely independent, unbiased and non-sponsored.
Oh, FYI, the RearViz doubles up wonderfully as a makeup mirror too, as you can see LOL.
Drama On The High Seas...
At around 10:45 am, we were ready to board the ferry, but not without some drama.
Since it's the weekend, it's no surprise to receive the warm company of excited holiday makers of all nationalities, shapes, sizes, and ages. As you can probably imagine, it was like a wet market atop the jetty with noise levels shooting beyond the roof.
A group of millennial adventure seekers snapped away hurriedly on their IPhones, squealing in delight each time someone gave a LIKE to someone else's selfie on Facebook. Another group sang strange songs in a staccato of off-pitched notes and chatted away in rapid fire succession.
For a head-splitting moment, I regretted not bringing ear plugs and my mom's Axe oil for pain relief.
But hey! That's what HOLIDAYS are all about. People get excited, but wait till you read what happened next...
So aboard the ferry we went, which seemed suspiciously small and under-capacity just by one look.
Throngs of excited holiday makers jostled for space as they boarded the suspiciously under-capacity ferry
By 11 am, the cabin reached full-house and was packed like a sardine can - yet there were passengers still standing along the aisles and some even jostling for space even though the seating rows were obviously maxed out.
The situation was made worse by the stuffiness and heat in the cabin, and yes, THAT group was still chit-chattering away in rapid fire succession.
Boy do I need that Axe oil!
To readers from overseas, Axe oil is a popular brand of medicated ointment made in Singapore
and is sold in 50 countries.
Digressing a little :)
Anyway, back to the story...
Yup, that's how cramp my seat was, luckily there's enough room for my Oxelo!
After what seemed like ages, the crew FINALLY decided that the ferry was officially under-capacity (Duh!) and instructed everyone to leave the overcrowded boat before it starts to sink.
Just kidding :)
Actually we were instructed to wait for a bigger boat, which was an excellent solution.
Wow, couldn't they have figured this out in the first place!
Passengers awaiting impatiently for a bigger ferry after being ushered
in a rather unorderly manner out of the smaller boat
By 11:05 am, which was quite a delay from the original departing time, the impatient passengers can be heard grumbling as they were ushered in haphazard fashion back to the jetty and awaited the arrival of the bigger ferry.
After what seemed like ages, the boat finally motored its away slowly to the jetty.
Then the drama unfolded...
Members of one group (which I can only presume are non-local), seemingly possessed by a moment of madness, leapt 2 feet across the jetty towards the rear platform of the ferry just to secure a seat, regardless if the boat was still on its way to the docking bay.
This reckless action caught the attention of the ferry crew who shouted angrily at the group, who didn't seem to care less about their own safety.
Some people!
Anyway, drama and stupidity aside, please enjoy these pictures of the bigger ferry's cabin...
Something caught my attention for this shot, and it's definitely not just the spacious, cooler, QUIETER cabin. Hehehe...oh behave.
If you close your eyes, and with a bit of imagination, you can hear the rumble of this speedboat zipping by...
After half hour, we finally arrived on St. John's Island!
Turn back time a couple of notches, and just breaaaaaathe....now imagine the crisp, refreshing scent of the
lush flora and jade green sea...
Check out these wispy fir trees. Don't you think they look right out from a scene of Lord of the Rings? Can you imagine elves peeking around the trunks? If you're lucky, you might spot a peacock :)
2 wheels are better than 2 legs. Meet my trusty sidekick,
the Oxelo Town 7!
Trust me, there's a fair bit of ground and lovely scenery to cover on this island, and this is the best way soak in all the beauty the island has to offer and more importantly...prevent sore feet LOL!
Wild basil and their distinct pink flowers
If you look closely enough, you can spot Wild Basil growing naturally on this island! They smell like Mint, and are a cooling relief for annoying mozzie bites.
Grab a bunch and scrunch them with your fingers till the leaves produce natural, menthol-scented oils that you can rub over your skin.
Somebody told me it can be eaten but I rather chew on my peppermint Mentos thank you :p
Life is all about stopping to smell the roses. This is the kind of post-card moment you can never get on the mainland. Spotted this fishing boat taking a break from its daily duties as I was scooting along one of the many gravel paths on the island.
After scooting for about 10 minutes, I arrived at the linkway to PULAU LAZARUS (pictured below)!
It's a little like a runway as you can see...complete with plenty of fantastic Instagramable photo ops all around you.
This is also where I decided was the perfect spot to do my review of the RearViz...
Review of the RearViz
Ed's note: I would like to emphasize that this is an independent, non-sponsored road test and is based on my personal experience, assessing both the pros and cons of the product. This means you get the most accurate review possible free from any publication bias :)
As promised earlier in my post, I am excited to present my review of the RearViz, an arm-mounted safety mirror for cyclists and e-scooter riders. This is really a cute, brilliant gadget that has since been my trusty companion on all of my scooter rides.
At first look, it's like a cross between a compact mirror and a Power-Ranger comms device.
Which is why it has caught the attention of several passers-by who stopped to ask me what it was. It's a great conversation starter. Who knows you might even turn strangers to friends and form a cycling or scooting group!
The RearViz is surprisingly lightweight and comes with a high-quality velcro strap
that clings securely and comfortably around your arm. I have rather thick arms, but thankfully the strap was long enough for me.
Compact, clamshell design
The RearViz is designed like a clamshell. Just pop open the top cover to reveal the mirror. Note the bright colour in the inner housing, which is actually a safety feature that makes you more visible to motorists. The mirror is also curved outwards slightly to provide a wider field of view.
My only gripe is that there is no instructional manual or a tip sheet within the package that advises you how to put on the RearViz. It would have been very useful for first-time users just like me.
Calibrating the RearViz Mirror
I discovered that you have to adjust it to the right spot on your arm (pictured below for the recommended spot) and it is also important to calibrate the mirror to get the right view behind you. All it takes is a proper 1-time calibration and you don't ever have to do it again on your subsequent trips.
There are some reviews I read online that claim you can only see views of the sky after securing the RearViz on your arm, but that is only because the user hadn't calibrated the mirror correctly.
Calibrating the mirror is easy as it is mounted on a 360-degree rotating bezel that you can adjust to any position.
When calibrated properly, you will be able to achieve the views as pictured below.
Thanks to the convex mirror, you get a wide, crystal clear field of view behind you, which is very handy if you ride on the road or are about to cross a junction with vehicles creeping up unknowingly behind you.
On a sidenote, I heard of users mounting the RearViz on their wrists, but after trying it out extensively and calibrating the mirror to every angle possible, I decided that it doesn't work for me. The arm is always the best spot.
If you happen to be a RearViz user mounting it on your wrist, please feel free to share your comments on my blog on how you calibrated the mirror to work. I am looking forward to know :)
The RearViz works, with proper calibration of the mirror view
What I appreciate most about the RearViz is you never know when a passer-by or a vehicle is creeping up behind you. All it takes is a quick glance at the RearViz to avoid a potential accident. Click here for detailed specifications of the RearViz.
Picture Perfect Pulau Lazarus
With my RearViz well adjusted and calibrated, it was time to explore Pulau Lazarus!
After crossing the linkway, you will be treated to a series of stunning views of the unspoilt scenery of the island, including this not-so-secret "cove" resplendent with its sparkling turquoise water reminiscent of a scene from "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio!
Could this be possible? Cystal clear turquoise waters in Singapore? Believe it!
Moving further inland, you'll arrive at an exclusive, powdery white beach perfect to do a little yacht spotting or go ahead and sun-tan to your heart's content.
Enjoy the pictures that follow :)
No rowdy beach-goers to ruin your day. Just pure exclusivity and plenty of sunshine, sand and sea. *Imagine The Beach Boys' soundtrack playing the background*
Fancy renting a yacht?
Interestingly, one of the secrets of Pulau Lazarus is the existence of an obscure helipad compound that promises a breathtaking view of the Singapore skyline! I would presume it is used for emergency medivacs for the camp-goers on the island. I won't reveal where exactly it is but I'll leave to your adventure seeking spirit to discover this elusive sightseeing spot!
Are you up to the challenge to discover this secret helipad compound?
Unraveling a Secret on St. John's Island
One very important thing to note about St. John's is that there is absolutely NO drink vending machines or provision shops on the island. So what happens if you forget to bring water and you're dead thirsty after hours scooting in scorching heat? And no, climbing a coconut tree is not the solution (for your own safety!)
A secret that many people don't know (that's why it's a secret) is that there is a water cooler at the Marine Park Outreach and Education Centre.
Here's how to get there:
1. Scoot your way to this spot, near the ferry pier from which you disembarked on St. John's Island. Follow the signs and walk up a hill.
2. Follow the footpath all the way up the hill and you'll arrive at this spot:
3. If you're lucky enough you might spot this lone peacock roaming the grounds outside the Marine Park Outreach and Education Centre. Some say it's a good omen if you see a peacock in the wild. Do you believe it's true?
Photo lovers be warned! Peacocks are nimble creatures despite their size and scoot
(puns intended) away as quickly as the Road Runner if you get too close.
Use your zoom if you want a nice closeup shot :)
4. You might like to check out the thought-fully curated marine exhibition while inside the centre.
5. Walk out the backdoor and VOILA...a water dispenser!
By the way, it's the one on the left, please don't use the one on the right LOL :)
Thirst begone!
Singapore is an treasure trove of endless hidden gems just waiting to be discovered even though we're just a little red dot on the world map!
And the best way to soak in all the wonderful sights and sounds the country has to offer is on a kick or electric scooter.
Where will our next scoot adventure be? Stay tuned to the next blog post to find out!
Live to Scoot, Scoot to Live!
