My mother used to tell me stories of life when she used to stay in a kampong. I was intrigued and wanted to know more but I thought all the kampongs have been demolished to make space for HDB flats. That is, until I read that there is one last remaining kampong, known as Kampong Lorong Buangkok.
I found a meetup group called TLC Adventure Tours. They were going to visit Kampong Lorong Buangkok so I joined them.
How to Get to Kampong Lorong Buangkok
Kampong Lorong Buangkok is a short 10-stop bus ride from Serangoon MRT station on bus 70.
Kampong Lorong Buangkok
Kampong Lorong Buangkok has been around since 1956. Located next to a canal, it is roughly the size of 3 football fields. There are currently 28 Malay and Chinese families living together harmoniously.
The land belongs to the Sng family whose lives in the first house near the entrance to the kampong. The Sng family collects small tokens from the other families as rental fees. Mr Sng even welcomed us by playing his drums for us.
Besides the cheap rental, the 28 families who live here also enjoy the slower pace of life. The residents grow tapioca, papaya, guava and yam plants in their backyards. Squirrels and lizards roam around while guppies swim in the nearby Sungei Punggol canal but where are the livestocks?
Kampong Lorong Buangkok is not a big place, you should be able to finish touring the place in an hour. It is interesting to see how the older generations of Singaporeans used to live.