Wandering Back In Time To Kampong Lorong Buangkok
28th November 2020
With travel well and truly out of the window for some time to come, we have finally had the time to explore parts of Singapore that we’ve always been interested in, but just not had the time to visit. I’m sure anyone reading this can relate, and even after almost a decade in Singapore I still have a massively long list of things I want to do.
Those who know me closely know that I’m quite intrigued with anything ‘old’ Singapore. My Mum was born and raised here, my Dad worked here in the RAF and then in a corporate role, and I spent every summer of my childhood in Singapore… so it’s always felt like home and it’s been amazing to watch it change over the years.
So when I saw the tour advertised by Blue Sky Escapes to walk through time, back to Kampong Lorong Buangkok - the last surviving kampong (village) on mainland Singapore, I gathered a few friends and booked.
The entrance to Kampong Lorong Buangkok is surrounded by new and colourful HDBs, which tower over the small village. Luckily the entrance is quite tucked away so the residents still get some privacy, though our tour guide said the area was once prone to flooding as the land is quite low and wasn’t properly irrigated. There’s a small canal in the vicinity now, which helps when there’s a storm! The village has been around since 1956 and is now owned by Ms Sng, the local landlady whose grandfather bought the land - she also resides in the village. There’s a sign outside reminding you it’s private property, so please go with a guided tour and don’t be one of the people we saw just wandering around and peering into people’s homes. Blue Sky Escapes later shared with me that they’ve invested a lot of time into getting to know Ms Sng, and if you go with them you will get to visit her home and chat with her.
The village itself is quite small, less than 30 or so residents live there. The houses are extremely spacious but simple, I really felt like I was wandering through somewhere in Penang or even Phuket. There’s lots of wildlife and insects... and massive gardens. We got to find out that there was a spitting cobra found in one of the gardens the week prior to our visit, yikes!
Walking through Kampong Lorong Buangkok is really quite surreal as you just don’t expect to see anywhere like that in Singapore now. It actually made me a tiny bit jealous. Life seems so simple there, and deep down I think I long for a house with a garden and a little vegetable patch... perhaps a few chickens too. Maybe. Until I want noodles delivered at 10pm and then I will long for convenience! I sent photos to my Mum who confirmed that yes, it did used to look a bit like that ‘back in the day’.
Whilst we didn’t ask any of the residents what they pay in rental (a question a Brit would never ask anyone, but one that’s often asked the minute you get into a Singapore taxi) we learned that the rental has remained super low, about $9-$30 a month. A MONTH. A MONTH!!! Even our internet bill costs more than that.
Leaving the kampong felt like walking back into the future, and it was a little sad to walk back into civilisation! But as my boyfriend pointed out the bus stops and the 24/7 McDonalds just by the main road, I realised that the gentrification of the surrounding area may have its benefits.