Observations on Kusu Island
As requested by a certain SOMEONE. I have been bugged to quickly "update my blog". Bearing no means in mind, I prefer "quality over quantity". At the end of the day, as much as I enjoy writing out nonsensical posts with a few accompanying photographs, I guess that its a process that can't be rushed either.
The week has breezed me by at a great pace, only to be slowed and moderated by the increasing sluggishness of my computer choked with gigabytes worth of unwanted picture files. I'm such a sentimental person, I even keep all the unwanted pictures that ought to be deleted on my computer still. Perhaps we are all irrational to some degree and mine just happens to a be little bit more obvious than most other peoples'.
I ended up working on Sunday this week. Its quite a miserable feeling knowing that a good number of my friends are in church and enjoying themselves in the presence of God or else socialising and fellowshipping as well as a vast majority of my countrymen enjoying their time off for the weekend and relaxing on their off day that I am stuck working out my bond to the nation.
Nevertheless, it was a little different this time round. Instead of being on the boat and on guard for the first signs of aggression from the lawless country up north and corrupted country below south. It was more on police-divisonal land duties. Technically speaking, the Coast Guard is the first line of defense for our country. The navy's nothing much more than hyped up adverts of "grandfather stories", "salt shakers" and "para para machines". Oh well, but I digress.
Generally the mood is rather peaceful as well as more laid back. Not only because its a Sunday, at the same time, the annual Kusu pilgrimage seasons is an affair that affects more elderly and older persons instead of the youth of our nation. From the general crowd and populace that landed on the Kusu Island today, I can safely say that any weekend service in church is more happening than watching dialect speaking old aunties in those 1880s style dresses complain to me about the heat and the lack of fans and air cons on the island.
Besides the prerequisite prayers at the Chinese Temple and Muslim Keramat. Most other families actually come to set up little base tents for family picnics, lunches and hammocks for sleep. Kids come to swim in the rather clean and clear waters of the island all the more. Previously it used to be an island jammed packed with people, yet noticeably this time round, people were just coming for the prayers and leaving immediately after. Not wishing to be caught in the crush of the crowd. I so bet that the sweltering heat had a play in the events today.
After being taken to the island by a high speed police coast guard boat ride, basically everyone sat down for a simple breakfast at the house of the only chinese family that lives on the island. Besides this particular chinese family which takes care of the chinese temple, there is also another malay family that will jagga the Keramat. Basically the chinese family converts the premises of their house into an eatery of sorts during the pilgrimage season, dishing out vegetarian bee hoon et al for those who want to grab a bite.
It comes as a surprise to me that after chatting with the resident malay family on the island that most of the devotees that come to pray are actually Malaysians and not singaporeans. Well, looks like the lawless country up north actually has people who are seemingly more devout that our relativity material-craved/starved stressed society.
It was only when the crowds started to die down and thin did I whip out my camera, which I make it a poin to carry with me everywhere I go, to take some quick snapshots of the place. I have to admit that the weather was pretty nice, very warm in terms of temperature, yet the view of the City, just barely 4 nautical miles was completed shrouded in smog from the corrupted country down south. You can literally see the thick white smoke blanketing our country drifting in from the south.
Usually the "normal order" in which most devotees make on the island is that they hop off the ferry from Clifford pier and head to the chinese temple to pray and give their offerings. While most devotess take good care to hold their joss sticks high in the air amidst the crowd crush. I got burnt by a little girl who thrust her joss sticks high into the air. Her highest point nicely being the area around my chin. Sigh. Its really painful!
As there are several altars in the chinese temple. And including this particular cage which houses a python. It takes some time before all the various offerings and prayers are settled. Most devotees will later walk up the 152 steps to the Keramat, which lies on a little hill to pray once again and give offerings. In this case prayers in the Keramat are assisted by various Malay/Muslim persons. Most of these Malay/Muslim people are very nice indeed! They all work their normal day jobs everyday of the year, taking about a full month's leave to assist during the pilgrimage season.
Of course, before shooting photographs of religous places, I always request for permission, which was so kindly granted to me by the various heads. The only restricted I was asked was not to photograph the inner altars of the Chinese temple. The irony is that I saw a good number of other photographers go in with their cheapo camera-lens combos and started flashing away. Nevertheless, respect is essential in the ethics of a good photographer in my opinion.
I'm not very sure about the yellow band that most devotees have tied to their wrists just before paying their respects or offerings at the Muslim Keramat, but what I do notice is that practically everyone gets one. As I never asked, maybe I'll definitely go down again within the months time to further my knowledge on multi-racial and religious matters.
Later after prayers at both places are more or less settled. Most people will head to this wishing well to toss in coins for good luck. Other than that, there is the option of having a meal, priced at tourist-rip-off-prices at the food center, or else buying little things at the marketplace. I didn't find anything in the marketplace that caught or held my interest. Yet the food was pretty good I would say. Just that its more on the steep side.
Yet at the same time, I neglected to mention that there's this natural rock outcrop at the Keramat on top of the little hill on Kusu Island that is painted in a bright shade of yellow. Most of the time, people will take one of the markers and scrawl 4D numbers on it. I'm not sure whether its for good luck or that it is a "sure strike" number. Yet what I am convinced by it all is that Singaporeans really, really, really love to gamble. Oh yes, Toto tickets are sold very near to the altars of the chinese temple as well. And all the tickets on sale were completely snapped up after a few hours.
In previous years, the island would be heavily jammed packed in the afternoon. Yet as in my conversations with the people that have been part and parcel of this pilgrimage season for several decades. I am told that attendance has been falling over the years. And noticeably the youth aren't interested at all in such things. In addition, in the past, there would be long snaking queus for the ferry that would take everyone back to Clifford Pier. Nowadays, with the chartered ferry company deploying the largest ferries in Singapore waters. Its no wonder the queues of yesteryear just vanish like light into a blackhole.
What was funny about it all was that while there are lifeguards on duty to keep a look out for those who take a dip in the sea. Most of them end up becoming "boarding ushers" - helping the elderly board, or else disembark from a rocky ferry onto an even more unsteady floating pontoon. The current around Kusu Island is very strong. It is so strong that it can easily displace a 30 ton boat sideways very quickly toward the danger of being grounded on shore.
Later when it was low tide, basically the whole place was deserted and I did take the opportunity to walk on the sand banks when all the water in behind the breakwaters surrounding the island has receeded for a few hours. I can see sea grass, seaweed and all sorts of little sea animals making their way around the very shallow water as well as soft muddy sand. Not to mention that there is a vast reef immediately under the jetty of Kusu Island. You can just see through the water at low tide and make out the huge reef all around the place. I believe that I spotted a group of marine biologists doing some reef research there today. So that's quite interesting too.
Well, when the tide totally drains out, that's about a 2 over meter difference in the tides. I hope the picture is enough to convince anyone who see is about the huge tide disparity between low and high tides. I could walk on the sand bank and take a snap shot of the height of the breakwaters relative to my own height and position. Something that I won't be able to do at East Coast.
As requested by a certain SOMEONE. I have been bugged to quickly "update my blog". Bearing no means in mind, I prefer "quality over quantity". At the end of the day, as much as I enjoy writing out nonsensical posts with a few accompanying photographs, I guess that its a process that can't be rushed either.
The week has breezed me by at a great pace, only to be slowed and moderated by the increasing sluggishness of my computer choked with gigabytes worth of unwanted picture files. I'm such a sentimental person, I even keep all the unwanted pictures that ought to be deleted on my computer still. Perhaps we are all irrational to some degree and mine just happens to a be little bit more obvious than most other peoples'.
I ended up working on Sunday this week. Its quite a miserable feeling knowing that a good number of my friends are in church and enjoying themselves in the presence of God or else socialising and fellowshipping as well as a vast majority of my countrymen enjoying their time off for the weekend and relaxing on their off day that I am stuck working out my bond to the nation.
Nevertheless, it was a little different this time round. Instead of being on the boat and on guard for the first signs of aggression from the lawless country up north and corrupted country below south. It was more on police-divisonal land duties. Technically speaking, the Coast Guard is the first line of defense for our country. The navy's nothing much more than hyped up adverts of "grandfather stories", "salt shakers" and "para para machines". Oh well, but I digress.
Generally the mood is rather peaceful as well as more laid back. Not only because its a Sunday, at the same time, the annual Kusu pilgrimage seasons is an affair that affects more elderly and older persons instead of the youth of our nation. From the general crowd and populace that landed on the Kusu Island today, I can safely say that any weekend service in church is more happening than watching dialect speaking old aunties in those 1880s style dresses complain to me about the heat and the lack of fans and air cons on the island.
Besides the prerequisite prayers at the Chinese Temple and Muslim Keramat. Most other families actually come to set up little base tents for family picnics, lunches and hammocks for sleep. Kids come to swim in the rather clean and clear waters of the island all the more. Previously it used to be an island jammed packed with people, yet noticeably this time round, people were just coming for the prayers and leaving immediately after. Not wishing to be caught in the crush of the crowd. I so bet that the sweltering heat had a play in the events today.
After being taken to the island by a high speed police coast guard boat ride, basically everyone sat down for a simple breakfast at the house of the only chinese family that lives on the island. Besides this particular chinese family which takes care of the chinese temple, there is also another malay family that will jagga the Keramat. Basically the chinese family converts the premises of their house into an eatery of sorts during the pilgrimage season, dishing out vegetarian bee hoon et al for those who want to grab a bite.
It comes as a surprise to me that after chatting with the resident malay family on the island that most of the devotees that come to pray are actually Malaysians and not singaporeans. Well, looks like the lawless country up north actually has people who are seemingly more devout that our relativity material-craved/starved stressed society.
It was only when the crowds started to die down and thin did I whip out my camera, which I make it a poin to carry with me everywhere I go, to take some quick snapshots of the place. I have to admit that the weather was pretty nice, very warm in terms of temperature, yet the view of the City, just barely 4 nautical miles was completed shrouded in smog from the corrupted country down south. You can literally see the thick white smoke blanketing our country drifting in from the south.
Usually the "normal order" in which most devotees make on the island is that they hop off the ferry from Clifford pier and head to the chinese temple to pray and give their offerings. While most devotess take good care to hold their joss sticks high in the air amidst the crowd crush. I got burnt by a little girl who thrust her joss sticks high into the air. Her highest point nicely being the area around my chin. Sigh. Its really painful!
As there are several altars in the chinese temple. And including this particular cage which houses a python. It takes some time before all the various offerings and prayers are settled. Most devotees will later walk up the 152 steps to the Keramat, which lies on a little hill to pray once again and give offerings. In this case prayers in the Keramat are assisted by various Malay/Muslim persons. Most of these Malay/Muslim people are very nice indeed! They all work their normal day jobs everyday of the year, taking about a full month's leave to assist during the pilgrimage season.
Of course, before shooting photographs of religous places, I always request for permission, which was so kindly granted to me by the various heads. The only restricted I was asked was not to photograph the inner altars of the Chinese temple. The irony is that I saw a good number of other photographers go in with their cheapo camera-lens combos and started flashing away. Nevertheless, respect is essential in the ethics of a good photographer in my opinion.
I'm not very sure about the yellow band that most devotees have tied to their wrists just before paying their respects or offerings at the Muslim Keramat, but what I do notice is that practically everyone gets one. As I never asked, maybe I'll definitely go down again within the months time to further my knowledge on multi-racial and religious matters.
Later after prayers at both places are more or less settled. Most people will head to this wishing well to toss in coins for good luck. Other than that, there is the option of having a meal, priced at tourist-rip-off-prices at the food center, or else buying little things at the marketplace. I didn't find anything in the marketplace that caught or held my interest. Yet the food was pretty good I would say. Just that its more on the steep side.
Yet at the same time, I neglected to mention that there's this natural rock outcrop at the Keramat on top of the little hill on Kusu Island that is painted in a bright shade of yellow. Most of the time, people will take one of the markers and scrawl 4D numbers on it. I'm not sure whether its for good luck or that it is a "sure strike" number. Yet what I am convinced by it all is that Singaporeans really, really, really love to gamble. Oh yes, Toto tickets are sold very near to the altars of the chinese temple as well. And all the tickets on sale were completely snapped up after a few hours.
In previous years, the island would be heavily jammed packed in the afternoon. Yet as in my conversations with the people that have been part and parcel of this pilgrimage season for several decades. I am told that attendance has been falling over the years. And noticeably the youth aren't interested at all in such things. In addition, in the past, there would be long snaking queus for the ferry that would take everyone back to Clifford Pier. Nowadays, with the chartered ferry company deploying the largest ferries in Singapore waters. Its no wonder the queues of yesteryear just vanish like light into a blackhole.
What was funny about it all was that while there are lifeguards on duty to keep a look out for those who take a dip in the sea. Most of them end up becoming "boarding ushers" - helping the elderly board, or else disembark from a rocky ferry onto an even more unsteady floating pontoon. The current around Kusu Island is very strong. It is so strong that it can easily displace a 30 ton boat sideways very quickly toward the danger of being grounded on shore.
Later when it was low tide, basically the whole place was deserted and I did take the opportunity to walk on the sand banks when all the water in behind the breakwaters surrounding the island has receeded for a few hours. I can see sea grass, seaweed and all sorts of little sea animals making their way around the very shallow water as well as soft muddy sand. Not to mention that there is a vast reef immediately under the jetty of Kusu Island. You can just see through the water at low tide and make out the huge reef all around the place. I believe that I spotted a group of marine biologists doing some reef research there today. So that's quite interesting too.
Well, when the tide totally drains out, that's about a 2 over meter difference in the tides. I hope the picture is enough to convince anyone who see is about the huge tide disparity between low and high tides. I could walk on the sand bank and take a snap shot of the height of the breakwaters relative to my own height and position. Something that I won't be able to do at East Coast.
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