Pulau Ubin Part 3

The 3rd and final (for now) part of the Pulau Ubin series is centred on the village itself, the area near the jetty. Without venturing far from the jetty, you can already see, smell and feel lots in this little seaside village. Stepping into Ubin Village from the bumboat never fails to enchant me as I am brought back in time to Singapore in its 50s/60s.

Greeting you as you leave the jetty, is the Visitor Centre to the right. There's some really cool info and photos of the island from the past.

That's Vincent at the bottom picture, he has a provision shop and a few vans on Ubin. Speaks PERFECT English. 

The hornbills are back in Ubin!

This is the only permanent structure of a Chinese opera theatre (wayang) left. Previously there were dedicated wayang theatres in Chinatown, namely Smith Street and Eu Tong Sen Street. During the Lunar 7th month (Hungy Ghost Festival), ghosts are released from Hell to "holiday" in the mortal world. Humans (Chinese) will put up wayang shows to entertain these spirits. They are also used to celebrate the birthdays of deities. This theatre is not just a monument, it's still used today, attracting large crowds during the Hungry Ghost Festival (unlike the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station which is a National Monument and closed to public!) 

During Hungry Ghost Festival performances, chairs will be placed in rows in front of the stage. The front row is always left empty, they are reserved for the visiting spirits.

Ever wondered how the folks here get their fresh water supply? Does PUB run pipes across the channel from mainland to Ubin?? Nah....they use the good ol'wells. Is this really happening in modern Singapore? You bet! 

In case you are thinking that people here use candles to and oil lamps to find their way around at night, you are wrong again! There's electricity here. They rely on generators to produce electricity. There are generators even on the floating fish platforms. 

Another interesting looking (but unidentified) plant

Seems like the number 1 worshiped on this island is Tua Pek Kong. Tua Pek Kong (literally translated to Grand Uncle) wasn't a China Chinese deity, but a Malaysian Chinese deity! And....he actually arrived in Penang in 1746! The residents consider Tua Pek Kong as a guardian of the island and his birthday is celebrated every year. Pulau Ubin is only one of a few places in Singapore that celebrates his birthday. Interestingly, every temple celebrates on different dates. Here's an interesting article about his birthday celebration in Ubin. http://localadventures.blogspot.sg/2012/05/tua-pek-kongs-birthday.html

Sometimes Tua Pek Kong is mistakenly mixed up with another China Chinese deity, Tu Di Kong, who is the Earth God. Tu Di Kong is worshiped in China and by Chinese all over the world. In Singapore, the role of Tu Di Kong has been replaced by Foreign Talent, as with many other jobs..... 

Just kidding! 

Further away from Ubin Village there's a bigger temple for Tua Pek Kong, situated on top of a small hill. 

Pictures of the 8 immortals line the wall to the temple

The leader of the 8 immortals, 李鐵拐 (Iron Crutch Li)

Guardian of the temple? 

Island Deity, Tua Pek Kong

A couple more nature shots on the way out to end the day. 

The reason why this trip has more nature shots than usual.... she's got an eye for nature spotting. 

 

Pulau Ubin has a lot to be explored, I don't even think this 3-parts post has even covered 20% of what this place has to offer. Go discover it for yourself, before high rental prices kick in and the face of Ubin changes permanently.