Time stands still a short ferry ride from Changi Village. In the rustic roads and forests on the island of Pulau Ubin, the ghosts of old Singapore appear.
The recommendation was from the daughter of a friend. “And they need to go to Pulau Ubin for one day,” came the forwarded message. “It’s a little Singaporean Island that is unchanged since the 60s and 70s. It’s how the whole Island used to be until the government came in and tore everything down to build it up as a first world country.”
We were leaving Singapore with mixed feelings. Pete had visited in the 1970s and it is, of course, a vastly different experience today. There was virtually nothing he remembered from that trip to be seen. We’d headed to Bugis Street and turned away from the touts and hawkers. We’d sought tradition in Chinatown, Little India, and the Long Bar at Raffles where we drank a $15 Singapore Sling. Ouch.
Vintage Chinatown buildings
Inside the Temple of Buddha’s Tooth
The Long Bar at Raffles
Having opted to stay in Johor Bahru across the bridge in Malaysia, we’d spent precious time exploring there, too. But the one thing remaining in Singapore we wanted to do was visit Pulau Ubin, and it looked as though we weren’t going to get the chance.
Some people prefer their Singapore in superlatives – the sky-high infinity pool at the Marina Bay Sands, the bustle of its business and finance hubs, high end shopping, and spotless public spaces. Others find it overly sanitized, preferring things to be a bit grittier without all the “Faustian” attributes.
Raffles Hotel courtyard with skyscrapers beyond
It’s true that Singapore, with its 20,000 people per square mile, can be overwhelming. We found ourselves needing a rest from its energy, gratified by the good manners and friendliness of its citizens, not so impressed with the glitz, and wanting more than we’d seen on the surface. But, after more than six months of full-time travel, we’ve learned to trust. The Universe invariably presents what we ask for in unexpected ways.
Modern transit pavilion over old Chinatown
Thus, we found ourselves not in Mumbai for four days as planned, but staying on. When an unfortunate pricing discrepancy at an airport hotel desk had us scrambling for an alternative, the Universe responded by delivering us to Changi Village. This location is close to the international airport by the same name, but another, quieter world altogether. And with our gift came a reprieve: the time to visit Pulau Ubin after all.
Our route to and on Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin is located off northeast Singapore, reached by a short ride from the Changi Village Jetty on a bumboat. Bumboats are low and sturdy, beat-up, little tug-like vessels. There are no set times or schedules at the Jetty, except for starting at sunrise and ending at sunset. (We suspect this is because our bumboats appeared to have no lights.) Bumboats will depart when there are 12 people ready to go.
Bumboats line up in orderly fashion
When it was our turn, it took just a few minutes for the bumboat to transport us back several decades.
Pulau Ubin waterfront
Pulau Ubin bumboats drop you on the main visitors’ jetty, which was built by Japanese occupiers between 1942-43. The initial Japanese landing on Pulau Ubin had been a feint, which led the Allies to believe the main invasion of Singapore would come from this direction. Instead, there was a perfunctory bombardment on Changi Village, whose defenders’ munitions fell short, failing to deter any real threat. Invasion came from the northwest.
Upon arrival, we discovered various forms of island transportation are available. The Pulau Ubin “taxi” is actually a van you rent from an “office” just past the arrival jetty on your walk into town. From the looks of it on the day we visited, this was a popular option for folks who arrived insufficiently familiar with non-urban environments and inappropriately dressed. 🙂
Taxi company head office
Ubin town proper consists of several restaurants, bike rental and mechanical repair businesses, souvenir stores and a temple.
Temple in Ubin town
The Ubin Wayang stage is the town’s most imposing structure, once used as an open-air school for the island’s children. Now it’s the site of village dinners and traditional shadow puppet and operatic performances.
Wayang Stage Pavilion with “taxis” parked in front
Wayang pageantry is part of the village way of life, as opposed to shows purely for visitors, and may be a dying tradition. According to Wikipedia, UNESCO has designated typical Indonesian wayang as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. One of the biggest wayang performances on Pulau Ubin is held during Hungry Ghost Festival, when the Chinese believe the gates of Hell are opened for spirits to roam our world.
Traditional Actors Hungry Ghost Festival – Photo Credit: justrunlah.com
We chose to rent bikes. There are several vendors with bikes for everyone, even the littles.
Getting our bikes
The most popular route on the island takes you to the Chek Jawa wetlands, an ecosystem which has been under protection since 2007. But there are plenty of other ways to go. We opted for a scenic route that led us out of town through forests and clearings with rural homesteads.
In the darker forested areas, we heard surreal, ghostly cackling. These were endangered Oriental pied-hornbills.
We also heard mysterious rustling overhead and on the ground while cycling through the forest. These sounds turned out to be monkeys and cute little baby boar. Warnings posted at stopping points indicated the monkeys can be aggressive, particularly if you’re carrying food. As well, you want to be on the lookout for a sow who might be protective of her offspring. Things got ominous when a large monkey began to approach me with a determined expression while Pete was exploring further up the road. I hopped on and quickly pedaled away.
Pulau Ubin (“Granite Island”) used to be home to several thousand settlers who quarried granite, and cultivated rubber, coffee, coconuts, pineapple and jasmine. Many are laid to rest in Chinese and Muslim cemeteries. We saw several signs indicating their locations, but all had been overtaken by jungle vegetation. There was a sad kind of energy when we realized that no one was looking after these graves. We took a water break in a sunnier area overlooking a former granite quarry where all was still silent.
Trail Break – a former granite quarry
Many visitors to Pulau Ubin extend their experience by camping and kayaking its mangroves and streams. A quick Google brings up tales of campers, bikers and hikers being haunted by all kinds of unexplained phenomena, particularly when close by old cemeteries like the ones we had passed.
Beachfront property at Pulau Ubin
Other visitors come to Pulau Ubin for religious reasons: there are nine temples and numerous shrines on the island. We spotted this one next to the beach:
Beach shrine
Perhaps the most bizarre edifice on Pulau Ubin is the German Girl’s Shrine. Located on the southwest side of the island, it’s away from the more popular places tourists frequent. Legend has it that the urn at the shrine, since looted, contained the remains of a German girl, the daughter of a plantation owner on the island. She fell off a steep cliff while fleeing British soldiers in 1914. Villagers claimed to have encountered her ghost so frequently that they took her remains to a nearby Chinese shrine, where she became a deity.
Today, the German Girl’s shrine is popular with gamblers and other pilgrims who come to pray for health and winning numbers. They leave gifts of cosmetics, mirrors and perfume. During our visit, it was her temple’s turn to get a facelift. We found this video which vividly conveys the creepiness of the older structure:
Along our bike route, we encountered another biker, a solo traveler hailing from Hawaii’s Big Island. Back in Ubin town, it was fun to enjoy a cold beverage and talk story!
Pete and our new friend from the bike trail
Since we left Singapore, we’ve learned that Pulau Ubin’s residents and lifestyle are the focal points for a project about the island’s unique community heritage. Consisting of resident biographies and a chronology of experiences and sentiments in the form of oral history, the project’s findings will be compiled by Singapore’s National Heritage Board into a report and documentary film.
Some believe this project may signal an impending government attempt to “improve” Pulau Ubin. There are already a couple of areas aside from the German Girl’s Shrine that are under renovation. If this is true, it may mean maintaining the integrity of the island with its authentic flaws and rough edges will be sacrificed for a more edified experience. If so, the ghosts of old Singapore will not be as easy to find.
Pinnable Image:
Practicalities, Tips and Information:
To get to Pulau Ubin from Singapore proper, take the MRT to Tanah Merah MRT Station (EW4), then board Bus No. 2 to Changi Village bus interchange.
Singapore MRT – Tanah Merah is on the Green Line by Changi Airport
The Singapore Tourist Pass will cover your fare on both bus and MRT. These can be purchased at ticket stations in Changi Airport on arrival in Singapore. Return your plastic card for a deposit refund when you leave.
Singapore Tourist Pass
Changi Point jetty is not far from the bus interchange and hawker center. Look for the terminal behind the Ubin First Stop Restaurant on the corner, go down the stairs and queue for Pulau Ubin. Bumboats (about $3 per adult one way) to Ubin operate from sunrise to sunset. Pay the driver onboard in cash.
When renting bikes on Pulau Ubin, check out each vendor for the best match for your skill level. Make sure you have them attach a handlebar basket for your belongings. Bring water! Temps and humidity are high in this region. Not all roads are paved, and the route to the wetlands is steep in places. We dismounted to walk going up, and then again going down (our bikes’ brakes weren’t the best). We were quite happy to get back into “town” for a cold beer.
Ubin Kayak offers several guided eco-adventures including pair paddling the mangroves and bisecting the island from north to south in an 8km stream run. Although they also offer guided mountain biking with planned history stops, we opted to bike on our own.
Changi Cove, 351 Cranwell Road, Singapore 509866, tel. +65 69226122 is a restored and modernized conference and event center with attached hotel in a quiet, natural setting with heritage trees. The hotel is 10km (about 20 minutes) from Changi Airport.
Changi Cove Hotel and Retreat Center – Photo Credit: Changi Cove
Changi Cove has 112 individual MyPlace “retreat rooms” with serene decor and thoughtful amenities, including individual Nespresso machines with complimentary capsules, and L’Occitane toiletries. Breakfast is available at the hotel. Double rooms from S$240 (we paid considerably less through a third party booking site).
Comfortable rooms with unique features at Changi Cove – Photo Credit: Changi Cove
Within walking distance of Changi Cove, we enjoyed dinner at The Coastal Settlement (200 Netheravon Rd, Singapore 508529, tel.+65 6475 0200) in an eclectic environment filled with ephemera.
Vintage ephemera at The Coastal Settlement restaurant
Vintage Vespas, Volkswagens and BMWs contribute to kitschy decor and a menu that will send your memory into overdrive.
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Wow! Looks incredible 🙂 You’ve made me add this to my bucket list so thank you!
Simone
http://www.theaussieflashpacker.com
Hi Simone – We really enjoyed our day on the island, toning it down from all the glam just beyond in Singapore.
Lovely post. Your pictures captured the essence of the place!
Hi Claudia – Thank you!
We blew through Singapore way too fast. We’re going to have to make time to go back and see what was, back in the day.
Hi Tom – It’s still there, and worth the hunt. 🙂
Oh my goodness, I am so impressed. I can’t wait to get there sometime soon!
Hi Suzanne – Would love to know your reaction when you do!
nice article..very comprehensive…great pics!
Hi Will – Thanks!
I always imagine Singapore as a very modern place indeed! Nice to see the traditional ways have been kept intact in some areas!
Hi Els – We were glad to find them, too. 🙂
I’ve not heard of Palau Ubin before but will definitely keep note for future stop overs. The wetlands and the kayaking would both be great to do.
Hi Toni – I think you’d enjoy it. Quite a change from what we usually think of when we think of Singapore.
Your pictures really capture the essence of the place. Singapore is high on my list, but you’ve reminded me to make it a reality soon.
Hi Lesley – We’d love to hear your impressions after you’ve visited. 🙂
Oh wow, very interesting and informative post. I didnt know there was still and old and traditional Singapore. This is lucky find!
Hi Ana – It’s disappearing fast, but still can be found. 🙂
That Long Bar photo reminds us of our visit 25 years ago :). Like the idea of the bikes.
Hi Jen – Nothing’s changed except the price of a Singapore Sling! 🙂
I didn’t know about this place, and it could have been great to visit it last time I was in the region. Its a pity I missed it. Thanks for the nice report on Pulau Ubin Betsy!
Hi João – Perhaps you’ll visit next time! Thanks. 🙂
Beautiful camera shots.
Hi A Muslim Traveller – Thank you! 🙂
Very informative! I only stop by for a day due to a long layover in Singapore. I never even heard of that place! I would love to stop by there when I stay in Singapore for a longer period. It sounds like you had a great time (:
Hi Stacey – We really enjoyed it, and I think you would, too!
Hi Betsy,
I had no clue this Singapore exists…now! I knew it did back in the day. Never visited back then but like any island or land in this area things were so different way back when. I recall hearing that Ubud didn’t have electricity in the late 70’s. Crazy.
I hope they keep this little paradise entact. We need some relics of the past in this region, especially in a built up place like Singapore. Spending some time at the airport you’d never know a spot like this is not too far away.
Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
Hi Ryan – We would never have known to visit either, if not for the friend’s recommendation. I agree, I hope they don’t “improve” Pulau Ubin. It doesn’t need it, and we need to see places like this.
I’ve only ever been to Singapore once, and apart from Chinatown I can’t say I really liked it. Too clean, too orderly, too modern and far too humid for me. Your little excursion paints a whole other picture – maybe still too humid, but possibly more like how Singapore used to be. More authentic, more ramshackle and just more “real”
Hi Jo – There’s no doubt it’s humid in this part of the world. We like things a little less Disney-fied, too.
This is really interesting, I always thought Singapore was more modern and although I was looking forward to seeing that I think this is much more fascinating. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Nic – We think Singapore is beautiful, but Old Singapore is what we like best.
I never would have guessed a place like this still exists in Singapore! I too felt overwhelmed by the glitzy highrises and the overpriced…everything. It would have been a nice change of pace to visit this island! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Leah – Pulau Ubin is a wonderful counterpoint to modern Singapore, yes.
This looks like my kind of island! I love exploring by bike.
Hi Christy – I’m sure you’d enjoy it. The island is made for casual biking and mountain biking.
Cool area, I never even knew that was there. We only spent a few days in Singapore because it was so expensive but I wish we stayed longer and checked this place out!
Hi Mary – Prices on the island were pretty reasonable compared with the big city prices just across the water.
Betsy, this could not have come at a more perfect moment! I’ll be in Singapore in a couple of weeks to visit my foster daughter, and I was trying to figure out what to do on that single day. I’ve visited Singapore before, and had a similar reaction: it was all too new and neat. Now if I can just convince my foster daughter, the ultimate city girl, to go to Palau Ubin,… well, I’ll try!
Hi Rachel – Oh, I hope you can convince her. It would be the perfect place to connect with each other.
It would be interesting to see what’s left of old Singapore and raise a toast at the The Long Bar at Raffles. I love big cities but the crush of people and outrageous prices sound overwhelming and I can see why you opted to check out something different. But what a contrast – Pulau Ubin looks like a place forgotten by time, surrounded by a creeping jungle and life lived at a much slower pace. And it’s kind of fitting that it’s trapped in a ’60’s and ’70’s time warp – my kind of place! P.S. We’re checking out Johor Bahru per your recommendation, too.
Hi Anita – Yes, it was sort of a Heart of Darkness vibe in a way! Just suspended. Glad we can help with your plans!
So many good photos and videos of a place that gets bypassed too often. Great information and enjoyable read. Palau Ubin needs to be understood the understand more of the area
Hi Paula – I agree. I’d love to see more contextual encouragement. Singapore gets a lot of visitors, but they only see one aspect.
I really love Singapore and I have never heard of this island and how amazing is this, you guys really did find a gem. I’ll have to put this on my list of places to enjoy when I go back to Singapore. Excellent post and thanks for sharing this!
Hi Noel – You’re right, it really is a hidden gem. Don’t miss it next time!
That was some day!! Thank goodness for good old fashioned word-of-mouth reco’s!
Hi Jane – It certainly was! And thank goodness for icy cold beverages, too!
I’ve been back to Singapore quite a few times since my first visit in the seventies and have slowly watched it change to the city it is today. It’s great that you were able to find this last vestige of old Singapore….and so close to one of its major symbols of change. Palau Ubin is definitely a place to see, if only to understand where the city has come from.
Hi Jenny – Exactly. It’s important to know what was so we can appreciate what is.
We haven’t gotten to Singapore yet. Hope that we do. You were so lucky to find Pulau Ubin, a place that seems to have withstood the commercialization and change so prevalent in this part of the globe.
Hi Irene – Yes, time passed it by for many years, and we hope it can still remain the way it is.
Awesome post! It must have been a crazy experience to go from such a modern city to a place that looks so dated. Quite an adventure!
Hi Clay – It really was disorienting in a way. Enjoyable, but there was a lot of ghostly energy barely under the surface.
What a beautiful article about a place I now want to visit. Your pictures (and your site) are gorgeous!
Hi Julie – Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it.
How cool to find a bit of the old preserved on Pulau Ubin this way! Love the photos and videos, sure makes us want to go..
Hi Gypsynesters – You’d love it. Just bring cold water along. Heat and humidity are high. 🙂
Living in Australia with relatives and friends in Europe, Singapore used to be the normal stop-over point – until we started choosing Kuala Lumpur. I just never really liked the modern nature of this city-country!
What a find Pulau Ubin is!
It always seems a shame when a country’s heritage almost disappears. I’m glad to find that there is still some of Singapore’s to be found.
$S15 for a Singapore Sling??? Shock, horror!
Hi Yasha – Yes, we’re looking at flights in reverse and it seems as though KL is the new stop. I know you appreciate how pleased we were to discover this bit of Old Singapore still around. Thanks!
Pulau Ubin looks like a step back in time. How fortunate that the Universe conspired to get you there.
Hi Donna – It was meant to be!
Interesting that Singapore has changed so much, and I liked hearing about the German Girl’s shrine too. Did you have a gamble yourselves?
Hi Suze – No, we didn’t. The shrine was undergoing renovations when we visited, otherwise we might have!
I’ve never been to Singapore, let alone Pulau Ubin, but your photos and words opened that world to me.
Hi Carole – If you ever do go to Singapore, make sure Pulau Ubin is on your list. 🙂
I thought old Singapore had disappeared with all the new developments over the years, good to know about Palau Ubin! Glad your friend recommended it to you!
Hi Susan – Yes, we’re so grateful for the good fortune of getting this tip!
I can’t believe I’v never even heard of Pulau Ubin before (and that’s after having been to Singapore 3rice!)
Hi Revati – We wouldn’t have had the first clue without the insider recommendation either. Next time, you’ll visit, right? 🙂
Looks like a great spot to recharge. It’s funny how certain things kick in when you really need them to help you out. Singapore sounds a bit overwhelming to me.
Hi Alison – Definitely. We were so pleased we could visit after all, and enjoyed this part of our Singapore visit the most.
As a fan of rustic towns and islands, I’ve got to check this place out next time I find my way in Singapore!