Islands In The Sun

September 1, 2003 According to legend, a turtle once saved two shipwrecked sailors – a Malay and a Chinese – from drowning near Kusu Island. Today, the event is celebrated in September and October every year by Taoists making a pilgrimage to Kusu – just one of the many islands off the Singapore coast you can visit. As legends generally do, the one about Kusu Island says a lot about the people of Singapore. It is one that links the people of Singapore, though different in skin and religion into a people of one purpose and destiny. Before the city was a life of fishermen and sea-farers, plying their trade along the straits of Singapore and Johor. Others worked even further afield, running the trading and fishing routes through the Straits of Melaka. It was a life built on the sea that did not change until the city became a trading centre and the balance of population centred on the Singapore River and its clusters of trading houses. City life had appeared on the island and the fishing one was in decline. Kusu Island is just off the coast of Singapore's southern edge, lying in the Straits of Singapore between the urban metropolis of the mainland and Indonesia. It's name means "Turtle Island" because of the legend that is today still celebrated during the ninth lunar month of every year – this year the festival lies during September and October when Taoists make the annual pilgrimage to its Tua Pekong Temple to pray for prosperity, good luck and fertility. As the legend goes, two fishermen – a Chinese and a Malay – once found themselves in the middle of a thunderstorm, their boat overturned and their lives in the balance. Calling to their own separate Gods, the two pleaded for their lives, in fear for not only themselves, but also their families, alone on the mainland with no-one to look after them. Just as the two were about to give up hope, their calls to the Gods were answered and a giant turtle emerged from the waves to pick the fishermen up on his back and carry them to an island shore. Exhausted, the fishermen crawled up the beach and thanked the Gods, promising they would build a temple on the island in honour of his saved life. Unable to decide which God was the one to be honoured, the Chinese fisherman built a Taoist temple, while the Malay fisherman built a Muslim shrine. The island then took on the name of Kusu and today the temples remain, a constant reminder of Singapore's peoples living together in harmony, despite their religious and racial differences. SINGAPORE'S ISLANDS It is often forgotten by Singaporeans and visitors alike that while Singapore is made up of one major island, there are many more smaller islands like Kusu that provide relief from the city. Three of these islands that are especially easy to see during your stay in Singapore are Kusu, St Johns and Ubin. Kusu and St Johns are smaller islands that can be seen together, by just hopping off and on the same ferry as it does its rounds of the southern islands. Ubin on the other hand is a lot bigger, but is the best for catching a glimpse of what Singapore was once like with its Kampongs (villages) before progress ran amok on the mainland. The month of September is especially good to go and see Kusu as Singaporeans honour the legend of the fishermen and their turtle that gave birth to the island, while a ferry to Ubin for a day of picnicing and cycling around the island is never a day wasted. PULAU UBIN Sitting on the northeast coast of Singapore, near Changi Airport, Pulau Ubin is a constant reminder of the nation's rural past, having been left largely unchanged since the 19th century. It is best to leave a day for the trip to Ubin, taking a bumboat from Changi Point (see transport details at the bottom of this story). Pulau Ubin is Singapore's second largest offshore island at just over 1000 hectares. Its name, Ubin, is a Javanese word meaning "square stone" - a name which unlocks a big portion of the island's history. In 1848, granite was found on the island and until the 1970s many of the inhabitants quarried the rock, making it the main source of income. In fact, the causeway linking Singapore to Malaysia at Woodlands was built in 1923 using the granite from Pulau Ubin. The view from Ubin's hihest point, overlooking the old quarry, is magnificent. Today the islanders engage in smaller scale operations like fishing and prawn farming as well as the obvious tourist activity you'll immediately notice when you disembark at the jetty. The best way to plan your day trip is to hire a bicycle, pack a picnic and discover it for yourself. Once you get off the bumboat at the jetty, you'll find a few small shops with food and provisions - make sure if you haven't brought any food with you, stock up here because it's hard to find anywhere else for food. Bicycles can also be hired here and cost between $3-$7 for the day. Once you get on the cycle paths, you'll find the tracks are easily mapped and you have no reason to feel lost. One of the more interesting features of Ubin is the purple jungle fowl. The domestic chicken is descended from this animal which looks like a large, colourful and mean-looking rooster. Also look out for the spectacular disused granite quarry and the Thai temple among the island's prawn farms, palm trees and tiny village, or Kampong. Another must is to climb the hill at the centre of the island where you can look back at the fast-encroaching city on the mainland. KUSU AND ST JOHNS ISLANDS Both Kusu and St Johns have their own histories and intricacies that make a ferry trip taking in the two islands a must during your stay in Singapore. Kusu, as mentioned above, has its interest based around the temples on the island and the legend that surrounds it. The Chinese temple, named Tua Pek Kong after its resident deity, is especially revered amongst the Chinese population of Singapore as one especially reliable to dispense special favours to those you come with an offering. The famous turtle and temple at Kusu Island The usual joss sticks, flowers and fruit are common for this temple, but locals also bring painted eggs, symbolising fertility, to the temple. The Malay shrine, Kramat Kusu is at the top of a steep flight of stairs at one end of the island, and is especially popular for childless couples. Another reason to go to Kusu is to see the huge statue of the turtle that saved the ill-fated fishermen from death, bringing them to the island. Of course, no trip to Kusu would be without seeing that! St Johns is also on the same ferry route and it is possible to drop off at Kusu, then catch the same ferry as it makes its next round trip. By doing it this way you'll have about an hour and a half on each island before you make your way back to the mainland. St Johns is a bit larger than Kusu and has a few safe swimming lagoons if you fancy a dip. The beaches here are among the cleanest in Singapore, so you needn't worry too much about the health implications. It is also possible for you to stay on the island, with holiday bungalows with cooking facilities going for $125 a week. There's even a restaurant on the island making St Johns an affordable and interesting place to base yourself during your stay in Singapore – especially with the frequency of the ferries coming and going. Folklore has it that the island was once used by pirates as a hideout – which gives you a good excuse to let the kids go explore, looking for pirate treasure! In the more recent, and detailed past, it was used as an immigration quarantine station much like Ellis Island was used in New York. Those who passed the medical check-up were allowed to continue on to the mainland while others were kept on the island until they were ready to continue. Following that period, the island was also used as a prison, making it Singapore's own Alcatraz. Today you can see the ruined remains of the buildings where these people were kept at the centre of the island. More information: You can find more information about the islands mentioned in this story in the Outlying Islands attractions section.