Google Maps and Google Earth have been a godsend for many of us who can’t tell left from right when navigating down the streets, and even then, we still can lose our way.
Every now and then, you’ll spot something while navigating that makes you pause and wonder what on Google Earth is that. There’s no shortage of strange and unusual images that have been captured from Google Earth’s satellites all over the world – from the famed pentagram in Kazakhstan to the landlocked lips in Sudan, conspiracy theories abound.
While none in Singapore are perhaps as out-of-this-world as the aforementioned ones, here are 5 places you wouldn’t have thought existed if not for the Big Brother in the sky.
1. Berlin Wall Fragments
I remember trying to figure out my way around the National University of Singapore (NUS) campus when I accidentally swiped too far on my phone, leading me to chance upon the Berlin Wall Fragments which was pinned in a forested area within the campus.
Image from Google Earth.
As many know, or should know, the Berlin Wall was once the ideological and physical division of a nation; the breaking down of the Wall was a significant turn in Germany’s history. Turns out, these two towering pieces of the historic Berlin Wall in NUS was gifted to Singapore by Germany as a symbolism of the growing friendship and strong bilateral ties between both countries.
2. SilkAir MI185 Memorial Site
Located in the grounds of the Lim Chu Kang Cemetery is a memorial site commemorating the deaths of 104 flight crew and passengers aboard SilkAir MI185 which crashed headfirst into the Musi River in Indonesia over 20 years ago.
The circumstances of the crash has yet to be properly fleshed out although there are many rumours and conspiracy that points to the pilot’s debt issue as the cause of the plane plunging into the depts of the sea.
Image from Google Earth.
All the names are engraved upon a monolith along Chinese Cemetery Path 9 and it’s open to the public to visit and leave well-wishes.
3. Chua Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery
The unique formation of the graves at the Chua Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery (aka Pusaran Aman Muslim Cemetery) is what will catch your eye. At first glance, the graves are sectioned into boxes, each of which constitutes a larger grid. This layout isn’t anything new, so not much of a surprise there.
Image from Google Earth.
Take a closer look however, and you’ll realise that the individual graves themselves are all angled to face a certain direction. The graves, are in fact, lined symmetrically facing the East, positioned so the heads of the deceased will face the holy land of Mecca.
4. Kranji BBC Transmission Tower
Standing solitary and quietly in the ulu reaches of Kranji is a transmission tower for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Image from Google Earth.
Part of the extensive BBC Far Eastern Relay Station, the transmission towers in Singapore have been broadcasting BBC radio in Singapore and the region for over 75 years. Today, it not only broadcasts for BBC, but also relay various international programmes such as NHK Tokyo and Radio Canada International.
5. Junk Island
Junk Island, or Pulau Jong, speaks not only to the port history of Singapore, but the larger maritime trade history of Asia.
The island is named after a Junk for which it resembles. A Junk is an ancient Chinese voyager sailing ship which was used extensively during the Ming Dynasty, with the largest fleet being led by the famous Admiral Zheng He. While Junks were versatile and had many uses, primarily, these voyages were meant to explore new trade routes and spices for China.
Image from Google Earth.
A myth tells that a Chinese Junk was attacked by Malay pirates at the very location of Junk Island today, and as the seafaring pirates attempted to board the Junk, the captain woke up from his sleep and shouted so loudly at the top of his lungs that a sea spirit turned the entire junk into an island.
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