Sanctuary lost in time

The Lion City is not all bright lights and shopping, as you will discover on Pulau Ubin, an island off the northeast coast which is a throwback to the Singapore of the 1960s.

The wooded island contains Singapore's very last kampongs (villages) and was spared from development 10 years ago when the rich wetland environment around Chek Jawa was given protection.

Once known as Granite Island, the stone mined there was used to build the original causeway from Singapore to Malaysia. The quarries were abandoned in the 1960s and gradually filled up with water. Today, Pulau Ubin is a nature reserve of lakes, mangroves and forest, which can be visited as part of a day trip from the urban area. I go on a Saturday morning, and though plenty of local visitors are enjoying the island by foot and bike, it is not at all crowded.

You depart from Changi Village, which is close to the airport and accessible by bus from the city. Bumboats carrying 12 passengers leave from the Changi pier whenever they fill up. The fare is S$2.50 (HK$15.60).

The crossing takes 15 minutes, but you cross a gulf of 40 years on the way. Pulau Ubin still has no mains electricity or water, so residents rely on wells and diesel generators. Dogs wander the dusty village streets and macaques hoot high up in the trees. This is not the Singapore you thought you knew.

After buying water and snacks in the village at the pier, I head northwards on foot, passing rubber trees, bamboo, termite mounds and orchards. There are about 50 families living on Pulau Ubin, scattered in flower-edged farmsteads across the island. The wooden houses with carved balconies, shaded by palms and painted in sun-bleached pastels, wouldn't look out of place in a country town in Thailand. At weekends, residents sell cold drinks from their verandas. I stop at a roadside stall to buy a young coconut.