A few weeks ago, I went island-hopping with the colleagues from my department and our first stop was Kusu Island. I used to visit Kusu Island as a kid and I’m pretty sure there are some photos from that time that I can dig up.

Kusu means ‘tortoise’ in Hokkien and the outline of the island is said to resemble that animal, hence the name. From Singapore Infopedia, “Every year, on the 9th day of the 9th moon in the Chinese calendar, a month-long festival stretching between September to November see more than 100,000 devout Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian pilgrims visit Kusu Island. The island houses a Chinese temple and three Malay Keramats. At least, 80% of the devotees are women, many praying for good husbands, healthy babies and obedient children. Devotees also climb the 152 steps to reach the Malay shrines.”