19 March 2022
Kampong Mendoza came into the spotlight in recent years, because of the unfortunate incident where a hiker was crushed by a stone slab. It was a stark reminder that urbex does come with its risks. As many of these old structures have been out weathering the sun and rain throughout the years, they would not be the most stable. Hence, it is important to always be alert of your surroundings and avoid places that may be potentially dangerous. Having read about it in the news, I too was curious about Kampong Mendoza, and decided to make a trip there to explore.
History
Mendoza Village, or Kampong Mendoza was named after Clement Mendoza and was one of the last kampongs in Singapore. It has a single road that runs through the kampong, Jalan Udaya. Clement Mendoza was an Indian Eurasian descendent of the Mendozas from Mangalore, India. In 1925, Clement Mendoza married Miss Agusta Png, the daughter of Png Swee Thong, who was the landowner.
By the 1970s, the village had more than a hundred kampong houses within the precinct, but was completely obliterated in 1985 under Singapore's plan for the removal of all squatters and kampongs. Adapted from: https://ijamestann.blogspot.com/2019/10/of-udaya-and-mendoza-cafe.html
Exploring Kampong Mendoza
1150 | Found an old veranda |
1200 | Walking through the abandoned kampong |
1250 | Leaving the old kampong |
1150 | Found an old veranda
We walked along the path that surrounded the grass patch that used to be the location of old Kampong Mendoza, while searching for a way in. Just a little into the forest, we spotted the first structure - an old veranda that stood on its own with tree roots drapped all over. It was such a surreal and peculiar sight. There was just something beautiful and harmonious between nature and a man-made structure. The veranda seemed to have extra reinforcement from the tree roots.
1200 | Walking through the abandoned kampong
As we ventured deeper into the forest, we started to spot signs of the old kampong from floor tiles, old wells to concrete wall panels. It felt as if we were transported back to a time long gone. It was nostalgic to find patterned enamel cups, plates and washing basins scattered all over the forest ground, things that belonged to another era. I stood for awhile to appreciate the beautifully and vibrantly painted floral and bird motifs on the old plates. There was even an old radio (definitely haven't seen these for awhile).
Though most of the kampong houses were already gone, there were still some wall panels left and even one with a bathtub attached overgrown with leaves and moss.
1250 | Leaving the old kampong
The Kampong seemed to be built along a steep hill, as we had to circle around to get down to the lower sections. We found a set of stairs that connected the upper sections to the lower sections. At the bottom of the hill, there was a row of concrete panels leaning over precariously, and next to it a set of plates and teapot placed so neatly, it was as it they were still waiting for the return of their owner. Further down, there was a tree growing right out of a cooking wok - a wok plant? (I wonder how many years it took for this to happen).
That was where I spotted the familiar broken concrete slap that was all over the news. The same cap was still lying on top of the concrete slap. At that moment, the air suddenly felt heavier. RIP. We walked back out to the main road and it felt as if we were instantly teleported back to modern life.
My Thoughts
Though this was just a short hike, it was intriguing to see remnants of the old kampong life co-existing with the forest. Imagine what the kampong life would have been like back in the days. Each object seemed to have a story of its own, and there was something sad about seeing them abandoned in the forest, forever waiting for the return of their owners.
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