Pulau Ubin, Singapore – unspoilt island just 15 minutes from city offers a taste of kampong life
- Rooted in the 1960s, the former granite mining hub has been returned to nature
- With only 25 or so inhabitants left, the pace of life is dictated by simplicity
According to legend, Ubin was formed when an elephant, a pig and a frog attempted to cross the waters to Johor, in modern-day Malaysia, and failed, turning into stone. The elephant and pig became Pulau Ubin, the frog giving its name to Pulau Sekudu (“frog island”), an islet at its southeast end.
From the 1800s, Ubin was home to a thriving granite-mining industry – Pulau Ubin means “granite island” in Malay – and thousands of people, mostly Chinese, lived and worked here. The last quarry closed in 1999 and soon nature began to wrest back control. Houses were abandoned and the quarries filled with rainwater, transforming into still, eerie pools. Only a handful of residents remain, about 25 by some estimates and mostly elderly, eking out a life defined by simplicity.
Singaporeans come to Ubin – more than 2,000 of them on weekends – to escape the towers and traffic of the city, enjoy nature and gain an understanding of just how far this nation has come since independence, in 1965, when many people lived in a kampong (village) set-up similar to those found on Ubin.
On weekends, the roads fill with cyclists, and the lotus ponds and viewpoints swell with visitors scoping out the best vantage for an Instagram shot. On weekdays, though, the island radiates a fittingly languid ambience and you’ll encounter only a few day-trip tourists or school groups on camping expeditions.