Debbie Yong, Straits Times 19 Oct 08;
It could be mistaken for an idyllic beach resort.
At one end of the island, three Caucasian tourists were suntanning in their bikinis.
Elsewhere, pockets of families huddled over packed lunches in wooden shelters while a few children splashed in the sea.
Except for the faint scent of incense wafting from the Chinese Tua Pek Kong temple in the centre of Kusu island, little else indicated it was in the middle of its annual pilgrimage season when The Sunday Times visited yesterday.
The season, which lasts the whole of the ninth lunar month - from Sept 29 to Oct 28 this year - is when it receives most visitors, mostly Taoist devotees.
But it was a slow day for the stalls selling religious trinkets yesterday. The temple and shrines had a steady flow of devotees but were not packed.
According to an owner of one of the 10 makeshift cooked food stalls, who wanted to be known only as Robert, about 5,000 people came on each of the past two weekends, down from the estimated 20,000 on each weekend last year. Some 76,200 visitors turned up for last year's pilgrimage.
He feels the inconvenience of getting to Kusu, due to the construction of the Marina Bay integrated resort, may have put off some.
They have to catch a bus from a stop about a 10-minute walk from Marina Bay MRT station. The bus goes to Marina South Pier, then it is a 15-minute ferry ride to Kusu.
Adult fare for the ride is $14 on weekdays and $16 on weekends, while children pay $12 all week.
Some visitors complained about the dust, trucks and noise from the construction sites while walking to the bus stop.
'Last year, the bus stop was right next to the MRT. But what can we do about it now? It's a once-yearly thing and the season is almost over,' Robert said.
Up on the hill where a holy Malay shrine sits, Mr Hussain Hashim, 61, who has been caretaker since the 1980s, noted this year's smaller crowd too. He observed that with the current financial turmoil, more people were praying for job security and prosperity.
'It's mostly older folk who come now; the younger ones don't know or don't care much about this place,' he said.
He suggested that more information on Kusu be published in magazines or on websites to attract more young visitors.
A food stall owner agreed and felt the authorities should invite local celebrities to perform to entice more to come and spend a day.
One devotee, National University of Singapore student C.L. Chai, 21, who visits with her family of six every year, said the lack of young visitors could be because the pilgrimage season coincides with the examination period in schools.
Her mother, who is in her 50s, was not as enthusiastic about the proposals to entice young visitors.
'Why do you need all these things? The point of coming here is to give thanks to the gods, not entertainment,' she said.
