Island Hopping : Kusu
We bought the S$18 return ferry ticket on a Sunday in the afternoon from Marina South Pier and spent the rest of the day lounging at the beach side on the island. Shay brought her camping matras and we laid out the food that brought from the main island on the ground. Kusu island is one of the small islands nearby the Singapore coastal lines, that could be reached by short ferry drive from the the mainland. 'Kusu' means tortoise or turtle in Chinese, since the folklore said that a giant magic tortoise transformed itself into an island to save a Chinese and Malay sailors from drowning with their shipwreck.
On the island, Da Ba Gong temple and the other three shrines were built to commemorate a dubbed pious man and his family. The shrines are laid on the 152 steps stairs high in the middle of the island. The name of Syed Abdul Rahman kramat indicates the Malay identity, but around the shrines themselves all the Chinese ornament - from the ashes jug to the altar of hio, undoubtedly stated the mixed culture that identified the island. If you see people praying at the shrine, you would also see people dressed in qi pao praying at Da Ba Gong, and hang fake money on the tree as a symbol of prosperity.
To hold on its' name, a turtle shelter was built in the center part, inhabited by tens of small turtles. Wooden benches and arcs were built to facilitate visitors. One side of the island faces straight to Singapore's signature building Marina Bay Sands. Visitors can watch cargo ships sailing from the bay side and pass the island side where people can play in the water, a beach formed by the wave breaker wall. This island is mostly tranquil but during the pilgrimage period that usually runs between October to November where devotees will pay respect and visit to Da Ba Gong temple.
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