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| The Last Kampung - A place I feel nostalgic about... |
I stayed in a Kampung during my childhood holidays! Not in Kampong Lorong Buangkok but in one of the village in Sembawang! I guess not many people of my generation have that priviledge. My sister and I were pre-schoolers then when we went over to our aunt's place to stay. We stayed a couple of days, totally indulging in kampung life. We didn't get to farm because there isn't any in my relative's compund but there were fruits trees! Hide and seek was great fun and we run through the big wooden house which had so many rooms to hide in. The only place we didn't like then was the toilet. It wasn't not a flush toilet and it was outside the house and we were so terribly afraid when we had to go during in the middle of the night. To make matter worst, there was a dog nearby who kept barking at people who use the toilet. Nevertheless, both my sister and I were very happy with our stay in Sembawang. With the urbanisation of the Singapore, many of these kampungs gave way to housing estates.
When we heard that the last kampung in mainland Singapore may have to be demolished. We did not hesitate and headed down to it in 2011. These photos were taken then. In our excitement, we took 100+ photos from this kampung. This showed how much we miss that village in Sembawang! In those days, having a camera is a luxury thing. We do not have much photos to remember the good old days by.
Kampong Lorong Buangkok
This kampung got its nick name Selak Kain due to the frequent flooding of the place. Take a good look at these pictures, the folks had built structures in attempt to wade off the flood. The houses were either built on top of steps or have kerbs surrounding their houses.
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| Wooden houses with zinc roof with 3 to 5 rooms. Houses those days does not have air con, so how to keep the house cool? They have higher ceilings. Most of the houses you see here have openings near the ceilings for air to flow through. Otherwise, just leave the doors wide open. It was common those days to leave the doors open. People those days have kampung spirit, they will look out for one another and are not afraid of thieves. |
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| Animals such as chicken, cats and dogs roam freely in the compound . |
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| Plants we spotted growing in the village. Not use whether it was intentionally though |
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| Wooden fence covered with greenery. The letter box is very old school. |
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| Do you see what I see? |
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| A cat with different eye colour? Or maybe it's blind? It blended with the surrounding so well, I almost didn't see it |
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| A pair of butterflies |
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| A Chinese Buddha |
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| Electric cables which are not seen in modern housing estate |
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| A special letter box |
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| Windchime |
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| This reminds me of my primary school corridor |
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| Plants in the kampung. We spotted some fruit trees too |
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| Some household still do their cooking outside the house. Kerosene gas are used. In my opinion, I would do the same if I have the choice! LOL |
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| Surau (Musim prayer room,) easily recognisable by the Islamic sign |
We simply love this kampung! We are happy that it retains the rustic feel of a village. It certainly brings back many fond memories of our childhood.We were over the moon especially when we saw a vintage swing where by you get to sit side by side or opposite another another to swing!
We do not know whether this place will finally be conserved as part of Singapore's heritage but we certainly do hope so. Do visit the place.
You may want to vote for your favourite place to be conserved
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/vote-your-favourite-sacred-singaporean-structures-and-si
How To Get To Lorong Buangkok
Kampong Buangkok is located near Gerald Drive which is located off Yio Chu Kang Road.
The closest bus stop is along Yio Chu Kang Road, which is opposite Church of St. Vincent De Paul. Buses at this stop include 70, 103 and 854 from Serangoon Bus Interchange (near Serangoon MRT)
Hi Sweetday! (Sorry, I don't know your name)
ReplyDeleteWe’re a team of students doing research on Kampong Lorong Buangkok and we would love it if you can take part in our survey. We’re really hoping to conserve Kampong Lorong Buangkok because we strongly feel that it is a part of Singapore’s heritage and culture. Your view would mean a lot to us. Thank you!
You can access the survey through the link below:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y5N8TQ5