Singapore is widely known to be home to many haunted locations tagged with spooky and chilling paranormal encounters.
A few places come to mind when the topic of haunted places comes to the fore; places such as the Lim Chu Kang cemetery, the Old Changi Hospital and Changi Beach.
Growing up in this metropolitan city, notable stories have also spooked us throughout the years; such as the tale of the taxi driver who was on a shift at night, dropping off a passenger at the cemetery and receiving his payment in hell notes.
And on that topic of taxi drivers and their paranormal encounters, a Singaporean Grab driver, Md Noor Syafiq, shared about his numerous experiences and the creepiest places that he has driven solo on at night.
You can read his stories below:
“As a Grab driver, I do night shifts quite often. A typical night shift for me would start at about 10pm and would end at about 8-9am the next day.
To me, there are good and bad sides to driving at night. For one, there is way less traffic and sometimes, on a good night, you’d get a steady stream of customers going on longer-than-average-distance trips. Solo driving at night can be somewhat therapeutic too.
On the contrary, when the nights get quiet, which are usually around 3-4am, I’d find myself chilling in my car, just waiting for a ping on my Grab app. Other times, I’d find myself all alone in really weird, lonely places in Singapore.
From my experience driving at night, I’ve had the misfortune of going through some less-than-pleasant occurrences while on my late night road prowl. As I sit here sharing, there are four roads or areas that come to mind which, if given the chance, I really, really do not want to end up on in the wee hours of the morning, or in any time of the day for that matter actually.
I’ve had personal encounters on some of these roads before, and just thinking about being there makes the hair on the back of my neck stand. That being said, here are my top four creepiest roads to drive solo on in Singapore at night.
1. Turf Club Avenue/Woodlands Road
When I mean Turf Club Avenue, I am specifically referring to the junction of Turf Club Ave and Woodlands Road, where Kranji War Memorial lays on one side and the Singapore Turf Club on the other. It was at this exact location where I found myself to be the victim of a weird incident one night.
I had just picked up three Malaysian nationals from Simei at about 3am that night. These men were headed to the Woodlands Checkpoint. As the trip was a long-distanced one, I was delighted, especially when I saw the fare.
It was a long drive, and upon dropping off these men at their destination, I felt that I needed a cigarette break. So, I drove off from the Woodlands checkpoint area and decided to get back on the BKE, where I took the Turf Club Avenue exit, which was the first exit.
As soon as I took the exit, I noticed that the whole stretch of winding road in front of me was completely empty and even though I was in the car, I could sense a sense of uncomfortable stillness in the air around the area.
The air was thick with fog, which I assumed was due to the presence of rich vegetation flanking both sides of the road. Nevertheless, I kept driving ahead, desperate to look for a spot where I can stop for a smoke. A feeling of uneasiness was slowly starting to grow in me.
I eventually reached the said junction, where unfortunately for me at the time, the traffic light signal was red, so I stopped. Mind you, I had no idea where I was going as I had turned off my GPS, so I was literally following my gut at this moment.
It was also at this moment that I noticed a strong, bad smell emitting from the inside of my car. It had to come from somewhere outside, as I was not familiar with it. I can only describe the smell as sewage, or something rotting.
I suddenly remembered the old Malay belief that if you smell something fragrant at night, it means that a spirit might be around you, but if you smell something bad, it might mean that the spirit is actually very near you.
I tried my best to channel all negative thoughts aside and kept my eyes focused on the traffic lights, desperately wanting it to change. As soon as it did, I accelerated forward, making my way straight ahead. After I passed the junction, I saw the sign for Kranji War Memorial on my left side.
A straight chill ran through my entire body at this point for some reason, and I continued driving even faster. I made my way down Woodlands Road feeling extremely uncomfortable the entire time, like as if someone was watching me. It didn’t help at all that the road was completely empty.
Eventually, I saw a lone motorcyclist coming towards me on the other side of the road. I felt so glad to see another human being around me, but at the same time concerned for the rider as he was heading towards that creepy stretch of road alone. I continued driving and felt a little less tension upon seeing the presence of residential buildings and I soon stopped at a bus stop quite a distance away from Woodlands Road for my much-needed cigarette.
The next day, I told my girlfriend about this incident and we both decided that I’d show her where exactly this incident happened. Now this is where it gets weird.
Upon reaching the same junction, I explained to my girlfriend that this was where I stopped and smelled the smell. I then continued driving forward past the junction like before, but much to my surprise, that road actually led to a dead end.
If I had continued going straight, I would’ve ended up at Kranji Mudflats, which is by the sea on the border of Singapore and Malaysia. Confused, I made a U-turn. I actually had to type in “Kranji War Memorial” on Google Maps to find my way back to the road which I had felt that unforgettable chill.
Apparently, to end up on the road which I ended up on that night, I had to turn left on the junction instead of going straight. Turning left means taking a slip road, which means I didn’t actually have to stop at the traffic light. I clearly remember stopping, so I was sure I didn’t turn left.
This made me feel even worse. How the hell did I end up on that road after going straight that night?
It was almost like I teleported without knowing. Best believe, up to this day, I will never go there while driving solo at night again.
2. Jalan Mempurong
I came across this stretch of road one night while ferrying a trio of fisherman to their fishing spot. It was about 4am that night and I had picked them up from Yishun.
At first, when I saw the location of their destination on the map, I was quite excited as it looked to be a new, unfamiliar location, right by the sea on the edge of Northern Singapore. One of the perks of driving Grab for me is that I get to discover new locations and this gives me somewhat of a thrill and something to look forward to as driving around all day can be pretty boring.
I remember driving through a private housing estate to get there, and everything seemed fine to me. It was only as I turned right into Andrews Avenue from Sembawang Road that I felt that the road was getting a bit eerie.
Andrews Avenue looks like any other private housing street in the beginning, but as you continue on it, the houses bordering it dissappear as the road leads into a dense, dark forested area. The curbs on the side of the road also stop at this point, and the road is just reduced to a single stretch of tar leading into dark jungle.
I started to have doubts at this point, but the presence of the three fishermen in the car with me made me feel more brave. I started to think, “Habis, once I drop these guys off, I have to come out from here alone.”
I continued into the jungle, where the small road eventually bends to the left. The trees keep getting thicker and thicker, and you could just tell these are old, untouched trees that are probably hundreds of years old. Under one of these trees by the road sat a Chinese altar.
After the bend, the road is just a long straight stretch, and on the end of it is a mosque which I assumed to be old because its architecture looked very kampung-like to me. I did some quick googling afterwards, and found that this was Masjid Petempatan Melayu Sembawang, one of the few remaining kampung mosques in Singapore. Though I’m sure it is a beautiful mosque during the day, I thought it looked extra creepy at night.
I finally reached a dead-end soon after, and dropped off the fishermen. Before closing the door, however, one of the fishermen looked at me and said, “Jalan baik baik bang!” (Have a safe drive!) to which I laughed sheepishly and thanked him, feeling a bundle of nerves build inside me. I made a three-point turn, and got out of there as fast as I could.
A few days later, however, I happened to find myself near that area as I was doing a day shift. It had to be around 12 noon as I remember the sun being extremely bright that day. There were lots of people jogging and running about in that area, so I felt confident that maybe I should go visit that place again.
I remember the route so I made the turn into Andrews Ave and went down the same road as I did that night. As I approached the place where the road led into the jungle, I noticed that there was a raggedy-looking man walking directly in the middle of the road some distance ahead of me.
I slowed down, feeling slightly cautious. The man looked really strange to me. He was walking slowly, towards my direction. His eyes darted around the trees surrounding him and he had a worried look on his face, as if he was looking for something.
I slowly approached him, careful not to drive too close to him, for his own safety. As I was driving past him however, he looked directly straight into my eyes with a stare that made me freeze.
It was a look of menace, as if to say, “What do you think you are doing here?”. I continued anyway, but immediately felt uneasy being there. Yes, the place in general definitely looked more pristine and green during the daytime, but the presence of that man and his stare made me feel unwelcome.
I left that area within 5 minutes of being there, feeling slightly regretful that I actually decided to come back. Though this was not entirely something supernatural, for it could’ve just been an encounter with an actual person, it was enough to make me determined never to go back there again.
3. Netheravon Road
I think this road would definitely have had its fair share of supernatural stories from drivers and riders in Singapore. It’s the infamous road beside the Old Changi Hospital.
I myself have heard many stories from people on this road, but have never really experienced anything myself, until I decided to explore this road fully one night with my friends.
That night, me and my friends had just finished supper at the nearby 89.7 Supper Club at Changi Village. As I was the only driver in the group, I offered to send my friends back home. I was feeling a bit adventurous that night, so I decided to take the Netheravon Road route to get back to Loyang Avenue.
We first drove along Netheravon Road, pointing out all the various buildings and chalets that surround it. We shared stories about how these buildings all existed since WWII and the horror stories that came along with them.
I felt a bit thrilled by all the stories, so I decided to go on a little tour of the place. On hindsight, this might’ve not been my brightest moment.
After going down Netheravon Road, I got out at Loyang Road and turned left into Halton Road. I then turned right into Upavon Road, where we saw more old, abandoned colonial-style looking buildings. It was a dead end though, so I had to make a three-point turn and go out back to where we came from.
I then continued straight down, and voila, we soon found ourselves face-to-face with the ever-intimidating facade of Old Changi Hospital. For added thrill, I put on my high beam so we could all see the building clearer.
After staring at the building for a good three-seconds in silence, I reversed and made my way out of there.
We didn’t encounter anything supernatural that night, much to my dissappointment, but I could not help but feel weird the whole time I was driving the rest of the night. That night, my weird feelings materialised into something much worse while I was in the midst of my sleep.
I had a terrible nightmare that night. In that dream, which I still remember to this day clearly, I was doing a night grab shift and happened to be around the same Netheravon Road/ Upavon Road area. For some reason, however, I was stuck and could not get out of the area.
I remember just driving around and around and I kept ending up at the same places, mainly in front of the Old Changi Hospital. No matter how much I drove, I could not get out of the area.
I woke up a few times, feeling extremely scared. I was shivering in fear, and in my half-asleep state I felt a presence in my room with me. I remember feeling too scared to look around. The only thing I could do at that point was to mumble some prayers loudly to myself as I curled in my blanket.
Eventually, a man on a motorcycle appeared in my dream and advised me to follow him. I could not determine what race he was, but he had a no-nonsense look on his face. I followed him and he led me out of the place, into a cityscape which looked foreign but Asian, like as if I was in China or Hong Kong.
Ever since that night, I told myself – no more daredevil exploring at night. These little adventures of mine only bring me nothing but fear. My girlfriend later shared that she, too, had a similar experience in her sleep that night.
She also pointed out something to me which made sense on retrospect: Maybe an angry spirit might’ve followed us home, considering the fact that we were the ones in the group that suggested to go there and explore in the first place. None of my other friends had any sort of experience that night.
4. Old Turf City
This road is actually the old race track for horses before the Turf Club relocated to its current location at Kranji. If you’re an avid footballer, you’d probably recognise it as the road surrounding The Rainforest Sports Hub and Centaurs Sports Park.
Personally, I’ve never actually had any supernatural experiences on this road, but I felt it apt to include it anyway as I still think it’s one hell of a creepy road.
You can actually get there by turning into Turf Club Road from Bukit Timah Road. After which, turn right by following a sign that says “Rainforest Sports Club” and then left, making your way past several football pitches.
Then go straight and you’ll end up on a one-way narrow road which makes a big, rounding arc and will eventually bring you back to where you began.
This road I find particularly creepy as it is completely pitch dark the entire way through. If you go at night, there are no lights, so make sure you have your high beam on.
After you have rounded the arc, you’d need to turn left and drive past a row of abandoned horse stables which now look to be filled with all sorts of statues and antiques.
At night, it is truly a sight to behold.
Be careful when you go out to explore!
All in all, I’m sure there are way more roads in Singapore that were not mentioned in this article that are equally as creepy or even creepier. These were roads which I have personally visited at night a few times, but other roads which I have not include Old Thomson Road, Old Tampines Road and Lim Chu Kang Road.
These roads, though spooky and dark at night, actually feel quite serene during the day and reminds us of the kampung side of Singapore.
If you plan to take a night drive, bring someone with you or if you are a Grab driver and happen to chance across these roads, I hope you don’t come across anything too weird.
In any case, thank you for taking the time to read my stories and please feel free to reach out and share some of your personal experiences too – I’d love to hear them.
Noor Syafiq“
Source: syafiqthekidd.wordpress.com