Pulau Ubin (10K with KiKiKuKiKi)

On Saturday, I ventured out to Pulau Ubin for a 10K. Invited by 2012 Fulbrighter Chris (who actually was injured and ended up not coming), I showed up knowing nobody. Definitely did not leave that way.

Pulau Ubin is a very small (~10 sq. km) island to the northeast of Singapore. On the map, I live at A, near Chinatown, while the island is at B. Longest MRT ride I've taken so far.

It is part of the country, but is a totally different vibe than the main island. It is one of the final "kampungs," or villages, in the country. No skyscrapers here, but plenty of wild boars and dogs roaming around.

The running group that set it up is named KiKiKuKiKi, or K5. It doesn't have any "Singaporean" meaning, but in Cantonese it loosely translates as "take care of yourself." It was a super fun group, everyone was welcoming and the run was quite fun. The quality of the runners was quite impressive; at least 5 of the runners were doing the ultramarathon (100K!!) next weekend, so this was a day off for them.

My favorite part was being greeted with a fresh coconut and milk right at the finish line. Also, on the right you see a pic of me and my buddy Nielson on a platform overlooking a Malaysian island.

K5 offers runs every Sunday and Thursday, and I'm really hoping my schedule allows me to join them once in a while. Very talented group but more than that, loads of fun to run with.