Johor and Singapore trip 2019 (7/8/19 - 9/8/19) part 2 - Singapore One Day Trip from Johor bahru

This is the part two of my Johor and Singapore trip. Part one click link here…

Jalan Wong Ah Fook and Sungai Segget, Johor Bahru.

In the next early morning (8/8/19), I walked from the guest house to the CIQ Malaysia checkpoint in order to get into Singapore. The reason why I wanted to get into Singapore on that timing was to get to feel their National Day’s eve atmosphere as well as I had been 9 years for me didn’t visit there. The Malaysian’s side customs checking was very fast, nevertheless, it was getting slower and long queue when I reached to Singaporean’s side of customs - Woodlands, Singapore. Fortunately, it took less than 20 minutes in order to get my passport stamped there.

Malaysia CIQ checkpoint

There were 2 types of buses get us into Singapore downtown area, which were…

·       CW02 Causeway Link Express Bus from CIQ Malaysia Customs to Singapore Queen Street.

·       170 or 160 or 160x SBS Transit Bus from Larkin Terminal, Johor Bahru to Singapore Queen Street.

Waiting for CW02 express bus

After arriving to Queen Street, I followed a group of people heading to the nearest Bugis MRT station. Then, I made myself an Ez-Link Card there. Ez-Link card is like Singapore version of Touch n Go (Malaysia), where it can literally take you to everywhere in terms of the usageof public transportation. Also, it is being sold at each of the MRT stations as well as nearest 7-eleven stalls in Singapore. I bought Ez-Link card for 12 SGD and 7 SGD was usable.

Ez-Link Card.

Singapore is a small city state, one can easily reach to a destination by just commuting the designated MRT. It was a few stations to reach to Chinatown from Bugis station (along Downtown Line)Chinatown in Singapore, in the previous time, known as Kreta Ayer (Corrupted Malay of “Kereta Air” and in Mandarin Chinese is called as 牛车水). There basically are a variety of Chinese delicacies there for us to give a try… I went to the Hawker center there to try Singapore Hokkien Mee, it was differed than in Penang and Kuala Lumpur styles of hokkien mee… It was indeed stir-fried prawn hokkien mee… I also had visited the Buddhist tooth relic temple there in Chinatown. Here are the photos in Chinatown, Singapore.

Mosque Street, Chinatown (Kreta Ayer), Singapore.

Singaporean Stir fried Hokkien Mee...

After finish visiting Chinatown, I took MRT to Marina Bay there to have a view of Singapore Skyscrapers. These picturesque photos of mine gave a sense of Singapore is so prosperous city compared to in Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia. The pictures below were showing Marina Bay, Merlion Park and Financial Hub of Singapore, Victoria Theatre, National Gallery Singapore as well as parlimen and supreme court of Singapore.

Victoria Theatre of Singapore

Parliament of Singapore

Oh yah, I also got visited Singapore National Museum (reachable from Bras Basah, Circle Line MRT and Bencoolen, Downtown Line MRT stations), Their museum collections were almost similar with Malaysia until 1965. Post-independence Singapore was totally different from Malaysia already... It had becoming more united, prosperous and thriving first class nation while Malaysia still have a minor racial tension issues. Oh yah... It is free entrance for Singaporeans, but for non Singaporean Citizens it cost 15SGD and Student Price cost 10SGD.

Singapore National Museum nearby Bras Basah and Bencoolen MRT stations.

The late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew

There was also a place that I did like to visit in Singapore before I was departing to Malaysia. Originally, I intended to visit Geylang of Singapore, a place where prostitution and brothel were legalized there (to have a look of the red-light street). Unfortunately, I went wrong place to Geylang Bahru. Geylang Bahru is just a house planning area with nothing much there. Hence, I just seek for anything to consume there, oh yah I found Singaporean Chicken Rice stall there. Then, I ordered their pork char siew rice, instead of chicken rice… (both the same price SGD 2.50). That stall did offer Char Siew Rice and Chicken Rice, I tried only Char Siew Rice there, the taste just as same as in Malaysia, no difference.

Geylang Bahru MRT station.

Char Siew Rice

In conclusion, Singaporean foods are cheap for them, but for me and the other Malaysians those are so expensive. We pay x3 times to purchase foods which are almost similar with Malaysia.

Checking the time on my watch it was still early to go back to Singapore, that timing was at 4pm. So, I decided to go to the nearby Queen Street bus terminal place to loiter around – Kampong Glam. Kampong Glam is the Arab-Malay enclave in Singapore downtown area. There have lots of Arabian, Mamak and Malay eateries stalls and restaurants lah… For me, it is still more or less the same foods as in Malaysia, no difference as well as these foods Malaysians could find it nearly at all roadsides, mamak or simply a restaurant in Malaysia. So, I didn’t order food there instead. Here are the photos I captured there…

Arab Street

Masjid Sultan, Singapore.

Finally, 5:00pm, it was the time for me to go back to Johor Bahru, Malaysia. I took SBS transit bus 170 from Queen Street to Woodlands custom. As compared to CW02 express bus, this SBS transit bus stopped station to station. It took about slightly more an hour to reach to Kranji Sungei Kadut and there was really congested amid the eve of Singapore’s National Day. I was literally “genius” as I didn’t care about bus driver’s advice of that day would be really jam and took alternative express bus or MRT to customs. After being stuck in the traffic for roughly 30 minutes, I had decided to walk from Kranji to Checkpoint of Woodlands in a bid of going back to JB as fast as possible...

Here are the photos I had taken along the way to the Woodlands checkpoint. Sungei Kadut to Woodlands checkpoint was roughly 5km, it took me a solid an hour to reach there. Then, waiting at the checkpoint there to get my passport checked and yeah! I finally made my way back to Malaysia by crossing the causeway bridge.

Walking 5km to Checkpoint from Kranji, Singapore.

That was my first-time crossing causeway bridge by foot. It was being said that Johor Bahru – Woodlands Causeway Bridge was length about 2km. That was indeed a “leg day” for me. Tiring experience.

Causeway bridge towards JB

Malaysia CIQ checkpoint

Speaking of tiring, look at this picture… There were many people including me queuing up at Malaysian Citizens electronic passport checking line… Again, this is also my first time to see that crowd in order to getting back to Malaysia.

On the next day 9/8/19 - Singapore's National day, it was the last day for me in Johor Bahru. After I had check-out from the guesthouse, I simply strolled in the JB city centre.

Here are the places I had strolled around before going back to Kuala Lumpur.

Stulang Laut, stulang laut is a suburb which is facing towards Johor Straits and Singapore. Stulang Laut also has its duty-free zone shopping mall as well as ferry services to Batam, Indonesia and Singapore (Harbour city or Changi).

Stulang Laut beach

Foon Yew Independent High School

And then these temples as well as Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim…

Johor Chinese Old Temple

Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam Temple.

Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim

Okay… time to end this blog post regarding of Southern Johor and Singapore. Initially, before visiting to both Johor Bahru and Singapore, I thought that living in Johor Bahru and working in Singapore was a good idea. Until… I had visited both places, my delusion was totally disappeared. Yes, you can get three times (x3) more money in terms of currency there in Singapore, however, you are indirectly sacrificing your health and money by sleeping late and waking up early in order to get to there almost everyday basis. For me, I will stay in a place and get a job in that place (eg: Live in JB, work in JB or Live in SG, work in SG).

Alright, that’s all of my today’s blog post. I hope you all are enjoying reading my blog. Please do subscribe to my blog too. Thank you, see you guys in the next blog post.