Think Pulau Ubin and you might imagine a tranquil kampung scenery of bumboats, coconut trees and wooden huts.
But how about it being one of the most haunted places in Singapore? At least, this is according to local paranormal investigator, Noel Boyd.
The 42-year-old Singaporean’s creepy experiences on the island have left a deep impression.
To Boyd, Pulau Ubin is without a doubt the most haunted spot in Singapore — one experience made him seek help from a medium.
Ghostly voice
Of the ghostly encounter, Boyd shared that he was with a group of fellow ghost hunters on the island 13 years ago when they heard a female voice singing. This was just outside the island’s Muslim cemetery.
To Boyd, the voice was “very beautiful”, but to his companions, it was “horrible singing”. While he was keen to track down the source of the sound, the rest of his group were adamant in leaving.
For the next two weeks, Boyd had repeated nightmares of a lady calling out to him and each time he’d wake up with a fever which would shortly dissipate.
“I don’t believe that the Pontianak exists, but they say that the Pontianak sings,” shared Boyd.
“I spoke to a few people after that and they tell me that if she sings, she would sound beautiful if she wants you.”
Boyd eventually sought help from a medium after two weeks, and the nightmares finally stopped.
Hands on tent
Another spooky encounter occurred five years ago, when Boyd was camping on the Pulau Ubin’s Mamam beach.
A policewoman on patrol who recognised Boyd from his YouTube videos advised him not to camp there due to reports of paranormal activity, but “I told her it was fine, because what’s the worst that could happen?”
It turned out to be a sleepless night for Boyd and his companion.
“Once it hit midnight, the atmosphere totally changed,” said Boyd.
Footsteps could be heard around the tent, but when they tried to get out to investigate, it would stop.
“We heard female laughter, so I thought there was somebody else camping on the other side.
But what freaked them out were the obvious “depressions” or handprints at the top of the tent as they laid inside.
“You could see fingers push into the tent and slowly moving downwards. That’s when I knew it wasn’t a chicken or bird,” said Boyd.
The pair left as early as they could the next morning without sleeping a wink.
“If you’re a paranormal buff or want to experience ghosts, that’s a good place to go,” shared Boyd.
Given his 13 years of experience investigating supernatural occurrences, we ask Boyd to list the other most haunted places around Singapore, in his opinion.
Istana Woodneuk
The building was once a grand residence built by the Johor Sultan Abu Bakar for his fourth wife Sultana Khadijah. The house was eventually passed on to Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar and is still owned by the Malaysian royal family.
According to Boyd, the mansion was designated as a hospital for soldiers during the second world war, where it was later bombed. In more recent times, it has been used by satanic cults for their rituals, said Boyd.
Don’t try entering though, as the place has been gazetted as private property and you may get into trouble with the law for trespassing.
Bukit Batok Nature Reserve
PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons/Hekege
The park may appear tranquil, but there have been several gruesome crimes that occurred here.
The 2000 rape and murder of a 27-year-old jogger has so far remained unsolved, while in 2008, a decomposed body of a woman was found in the reserve.
There’s also a Japanese war memorial up on one of the paths, shared Boyd.
Old Changi hospital and Changi beach
Old Changi hospital. PHOTO: The Straits Times
“Among all the beaches in Singapore, I’d say Changi beach would be the most haunted, because of the Sook Ching massacre,” Boyd told us.
But he shared that the exact location where the massacres happened may not be where the beach now is, due to land reclamation works over the years. “Where those deaths happened, it’s probably dry land now,” shared Boyd, but added that he and his team have always managed to record “good activity” in that location.
The old Changi hospital, on the other hand, is “listed as one of the most haunted locations in the world”, mostly because of the events that occurred in WWII. Paranormal encounters have also been told to him from people he has interviewed, including a former nurse who reported always feeling like “someone was watching” and other supernatural activity.
One place that won’t be on the list though, is the now-defunct Bukit Brown Cemetery, said Boyd, who feels the place exudes a “peaceful” vibe, even though some claim otherwise.
“I even went on a date there once,” he shared.
