Living in a year-round tropical location like Singapore we don’t experience the seasons as one would most likely back home, so to inspire you to seek out something different this weekend, we asked Singapore Expat Solutions to lead the way!
After reading this, we hope you’ll be slapping on the insect repellent and sunscreen, and hitting these paths less well trodden!
Kampong Lorong Buangkok
The last surviving kampong (Malay for village) left in Singapore. It is located just off Gerald Drive, which is itself off Yio Chu Kang Road. Step back in time to see how most of the Island used to look.
Established in 1956, it currently houses 28 families (Chinese and Malay) each paying $13 per month in rent! Take a stroll around the village, chat to the friendly inhabitants, and see the genuine Kampong chickens before it’s too late; rumour has it that the last kampong will soon be swallowed up by the relentless urban development.
Bukit Timah Railway Station
Located at Blackmore Drive, Bukit Timah this wonderful old railway station and the nearby black iron bridge, give you a glimpse into Singapore’s past. Opened in 1903 the station became part of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Malaysian-owned network before the historic land-swap agreement between the Singaporean and Malaysian Governments in 2010.
The station marked the dividing point between the North section (Woodlands to Bukit Timah) and the South section (Bukit Timah to Tanjong Pagar) of the railway and still features an old stand for the key tokens the drivers had to drop off and collect at this station.
The station is now situated along the Green Corridor, which comprises 173.7 hectares of beautiful green space and is a mecca for cyclists, dog walkers and nature lovers.
Istana Woodneuk
One for the intrepid explorers! Deep in the jungle between Holland Road, Napier Road and Tyserall Avenue, yet still a short trek from the main road, lies Istana Woodneuk, one of the palaces of the old ruling family of Singapore, the Sultans of Johor.
This spectacular mansion was built in the late 19th century by Sultan Abu Bakar for his wife, Sultana Khadijah. The property was sold to the Sultan’s son, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar who rebuilt Woodneuk in the 1930s for his Scottish born wife, Helen Bartholomew who became Sultana Helen Ibrahim in 1931.
It became a military hospital in the 1940s and was bombed by the Japanese in September 1942, reportedly killing 700 medics and patients. It finally succumbed to a fire in 2006, which gutted the house destroying its iconic blue tiled roof and has since lain empty.
Whilst derelict, the property is surprisingly intact and many of the original features are still clearly visible. The land is reportedly still owned by the Sultan of Johor. Unsurprisingly, it features on Singapore’s most haunted list so beware!
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