Last weekend, I spent two afternoons surveying what is known as the last kampung of Singapore which is located off Yio Chu Kang Road, Gerald Drive. 28 families are reported to be still presently living there. Several visitors who read about this village, presumably from the front page of the local afternoon paper - The New Paper last week, were roaming through the kampung like me and quite a number were armed with cameras. This is probably the last vestige of kampung life in Singapore where over 80% of the population lives in government housing called HDB (Housing Development Board) flats while others live in private housing like condominiums or landed properties of various types. Just a stone's throw away from this last kampung called Kampong Lorong Buang Kok is a wealthy residential area comprising both a condominium and various types of landed properties. While I managed to get many charming digital images of kampung life, I also photographed some beautiful bungalows nearby to show that the rich and poor divide definitely still exists in a society like Singapore where most are middle class income folks.
Below are the images I captured on my visits to the village:
This is one of the village entry paths.
I managed to get a closer encounter with this parrot on my second visit to this village the next day.
The poster of one of Singapore's most wanted fugitive,
Mas Selamat, a terrorist associated with the militant group
Jemaah Islamiah (JI) can be found even here. Unfortunately, the fugitive has not been found yet.
Edit: Mas Selamat has finally been arrested on 8 May 2009 in Johor, Malaysia, a neighbouring country of Singapore. My friend Kai Li's comment on her facebook status that day was: Malaysia - 1, Singapore - 0.
A party of four were playing cards on a lazy Saturday afternoon with another just looking on.
Another village entry path.
A kampung cat. MY and I discovered that there was a cat house in the kampung where many cats claim as their home.
This is the cat house that belongs to the little girl's grandmother. According to her, over 20 cats come and go as they please. She plays with the mother cat but not the kittens.
One of the many beautiful kampong cats taking an afternoon nap.
Happy children playing with saga seeds and a swing.
A giant spider keeping still on its web.
An abandoned toilet bowl.
A broken fridge.
A mannequin guard dog.
A dog behind a fence.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Giant telephone directory.
Record of service in the police force.
A missing record.
Old chinese new year deco.
Remnants of late night drinking sessions?
An outdoor kitchen...
Taoist beliefs of some sort?
A fine kampung indeed!
Trademark of Singapore.
Fresh soya milk available here?
Kampung chicken spotted.
More chickens are kept in the coop.
Parrot feeding session.
Motorcycles are prized possessions here.
Another view of that gigantic spider.
A typical kampung dwelling.
Zinc roofs.
Flood advisory notice.
The main road that leads to the kampung.
The divide between the rich and poor.
The neighbourhood across the canal.
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