It is not easy to find something old in ultra-modern Singapore, however there is such a place. What may be surprising is that they have a whole island kept more or less the way it was for years. Pulau Ubin is an island on the northeastern part of Singapore. A decision was made to maintain the island the way it is as a reminder of how things were 30 or 40 years back. On Pulau Ubin, you will get to see how people lived back then. Most of the houses are still preserved and still in use and it is a great getaway from busy Singapore.
Boat trips to Pulau Ubin start from the Changi Ferry Terminal, there are regular trip to the island from here and also other destinations. On holidays, you might see the queue at the terminal grow quite long so it is advisable to visit on weekdays. The boats have a fixed number of people to carry so the staff at the terminal call out how many more people they need on the boat. This is probably the only transport in Singapore where the rule “will leave when full” applies.
The boat is a noisy boat that stinks of fuel. This is again another throwback to the days where the transport system wasn’t that good yet. There is no contactless card here as the boat’s captain goes around and asks for your fare. The boat then leaves for Pulau Ubin, passing by a little beach with a lot of tents. I always found it strange to see tents here in Singapore especially when it is so near “civilization”, if there is a place to set up camp, it is on Pulau Ubin.
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