Kampong Lorong Buangkok



A place I discovered accidentally, not at the place itself, but through one out of millions of photos in the internet. It surprised me of its village scene in the context of Singapore as a crowded and developed island. A place looks so familiar to what I used to live in my hometown in Malaysia; I could not believe that the pre-urbanized look of Singapore still exists in the middle of the high rise residential and commercial area in Buangkok, Singapore.

First time exploring this place, I entered the village from the back, through thick, secluded woods and serene footpath surrounded by dense vegetations, not knowing where it is and how could I get to the location. Across a wooden bridge, it seems as if one has left the modern city core and entered an expected village in some undeveloped places but definitely not in Singapore.
The smell of the earth, sounds of the birds, crickets, droppings of chickens, together with the presence of the howling voice of the wind and rain upon my arrival, add on to the feeling of being away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and the hectic pace of life in Singapore. A single soul is hardly seen here, but there is always a feeling that there are people around you, perhaps being conscious that the place is surrounded by high density neighbourhood. Yet, it evokes some kind of nostalgic feelings in me; it just reminds me of my childhood days in my hometown miles and miles away from Singapore, yet still visible here.

Kampong Lorong Buangkok, a secluded village from the context of the civilized Singapore, yet still survives in the city itself. One could find the old Singapore here, and perhaps, it also reflects the old root of Singapore, which is before all the transformation and modernization took place on this island a few decades back in time.

Lim Chu Hwai