Adventures and misadventures in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

With a population of about 900,000 it is also just north of Singapore, and by just north I mean, you can literally see Singapore from some parts of Johor Bahru.

While we only had a few days in Singapore we decided that we would spend some time back in Malaysia at Johor Bahru. Since I heard they had just opened up the Premier Shopping Outlet I was enticed to check it out. So, while we were eating our breakfast at the beautiful Sentosa Resort, an island off of Singapore, and before our full day at Universal Studios, we booked a five-star hotel on Agoda in Johor Bahru.

Tip: When in Asia, www.agoda.com, is a great website to get deals on booking hotel rooms.

It wasn't till about 6 p.m. that we left Universal Studios to pick up our bags and head to the bus to take us to Johor Bahru. The day before we had learnt that conveniently enough there was a bus stop to and from Johor Bahru that left from the resort. It was like it was almost meant to be.

We went and got our tickets from the ticket office, a booth in the parkade where the buses come and go, and were told that tickets were to be purchased from the bus driver, unfortunately we didn't have any small change. So, of course I asked if we could change some of our Singaporian dollars into smaller bills. There were three of them in the ticket booth that was about the size of a ticket booth at the fair, only one spoke very good English, and they all said no they didn't have change. The attendant told me that the bus driver will have change when we can pay for our tickets. Phew.

So the bus finally arrives, we wait until all passenger board to ensure there is change for us to purchase our tickets. I enter the bus, hand the driver a bill and he shakes his head and tells me he has no change. Now, just to note our bus driver is one of the same individuals who was in the ticket booth to begin with. Sigh. I go back outside the bus and discuss with Ridley. We ask if he'll take Malaysian Ringgets. He shakes his head "No." Sigh. I look at Ridley with a confused look, irritated and annoyed and say, "now what." Then Ridley gets on the bus and with his best Manglish asks if we can pay in Ringgets. By the way Manglish is slang Malay English and generally locals are well versed but unfortunately this particular driver was not so versed. We weren't sure what he was versed in to be honest. So, Ridley steps out of the bus and as he's looking at me a stranger from the bus speaks with the driver, following which looks at us and says in plain English, "You guys can pay in Ringgets." At that point Ridley and I were so thankful, that we finally were able to get on the bus and make our journey we hopped on board and paid the driver. But for the record I was still annoyed that he didn't understand me and I am sure he was doubly annoyed that he couldn't understand either of us.

After we made several stops within the city we finally reached the border in about an hour and a half. This is where it gets a wee bit tricky. We all disembark from the bus and head through customs and security checks following which we weren't sure what to do. So we followed the crowd and low and behold the bus meets us on the other side. We see fellow passengers who were traveling on the same bus waiting and we join the crowd. We had no idea what we were doing but it all worked out. So we head into Johor Bahru and are dropped off at JB Sentral, the main transport hub for the city. We grab a taxi and are on our way to our five-star hotel. Finally.

Our bus to Johor Bahru.

Awe...The Zon Regency by the Sea, it sounds so, well not sure what it sounds like but hey it was $80 Canadian and came with two buffet breakfast, it had a pool and was located next to a major shopping district, we hit big. We walk into the main foyer and go to the front desk, where there are no staff. Ridley says to me under his breath, "I don't have a good feeling about this." I thought he was being silly, so what if the staff were in the back playing on-line poker, okay I don't know if they were playing on-line poker but you get the idea. Only a few minutes later a sweet young man checks us into our room on the 14th floor. We get into the elevator and head to our room, it was then the first of my gut instincts kicked in and I realized that we may have been buffaloed about the Zon being five-star. The carpet was stained it smelt like stale smoke and we could hear the band. It was then we realized that all the rooms at the Zon overlooked an atrium area where a band played until 1 a.m. Yes. 1 a.m. Oh well, we knew we would be so tired that it wouldn't matter. We open the door to our room and we see that it is large, bonus. And that's where the positives start and end. Here is a short list of what I could see, the carpet was stained, there was marks on all the walls (from what I am not sure), the toilet or shower leaked (we weren't sure which one so flip flops were worn at all times, even in the shower), there was a dark substance (which I think is blood but I probably watch too many television shows and let my imagination run wild) on the door of the bathroom (so I used a cloth every time I would open and close the door), and the window looked like it could fall out of the frame at any moment. I even slept with my socks on which I am not sure why because lets be honest I had access to wash my feet but not my socks. Sigh. So after looking at two other rooms, thanks to the helpful front desk staff, we finally just settle for the one we were in, it was late and we were hungry. So, we left the room in search of the food and decided not to go back until it was bed time. The less amount of time spent at the Zon, the less amount of time I would spend searching for more marks on the walls.

These are a few photos we have of either of us anywhere near the hotel, and we weren't even at the hotel. It was a place we would rather not look back on rather than have evidence of the filth in photos. Here we are at an outdoor restaurant having Otak Otak, fish paste wrapped up in pandan leaf. 

The next day we went to the closest Starbucks which happened to be attached to the hotel, ok one more positive but that's it, and looked up hotel accomodations. This time we choose Blue Wave for $55 Canadian and it included a buffet breakfast, perfect. Cheaper and looked nicer. It was actually one of our choices when we first booked the Zon but it was only four-star, never again will I be fooled by stars. We then had breakfast checked out some of the stores at the Zon and said our good-byes.

When we arrived at Blue Wave we were immediately relieved to see staff at the front counter, good sign. We were able to check into our room a bit early and yes it was worth the move. We then headed out to the Premier Shopping Outlet where I was in heaven. It could be compared to the shopping outlets you see in Vegas on a bit smaller scale, all the name brands were there including Burberry, Armani, Lacoste and of course my favourite the good ol' Gap.

Tip: When the front desk staff at a hotel, you aren't comfortable at, tell you that a cab ride is $70 Ringget to a location you have never been, don't fall for it. The cab ride only cost us $30 from the city to outlet.

The outlet, although located about 30 minutes outside of Johor Bahru, had a great mix of high-end and Shelley friendly prices, was well worth the trip. I was able to get a pair of pants and three tops all for $20 Canadian, a steal of a deal if you ask me. However, even though I love my purchases, Ridley said that the zebra at the zoo want's her pants back. Pfft.

That night I was treating Ridley to dinner so I quickly looked up a few restaurants on-line and came up with two Italian eateries that had excellent reviews. Off we went in our cab and told the driver we were headed to Rosemarino's. He didn't know where that was, sigh. We gave him the address, he still didn't know where it was. He took us through what appeared to be a residential area, stopped at an outdoor cafe asked a few people and we finally found it. It was closed. Sigh. Ok, restaurant number two, Gianni's Trattoria. This one he found, right away, it was in the restaurant district a must if you want to just wander around and figure out what to eat by the amount of people clustered at one place.

And, Gianni's was a hit, although a bit on the expensive side for Malaysia it was well worth it. So, our trip to Johor Bahru was saved. Even though it may have cost us a small fortune just to have a nice meal out it was the experience that will be remembered forever.

I heart misadventures, especially when they are shared.

After our favourite meal at our favourite little Italian restaurant.