Kota Kinabalu to Johor Bahru

We have enjoyed KK even more this time. There have been quite a few changes in the city; not the least that it appears cleaner and there seems a real attitude to get up and go. The food has been lovely and the weather at this time of the year has been much more pleasant – during our last visit it was very hot and humid and not conducive to getting around to see a lot.

So after a final sunset and a feast for MR45, sadly, it is time to move on. So we return to the airport and catch a plane for Johor Bahru. The view from the plane is fantastic, hard to believe that there are so many islands scattered in this section of ocean and from the plane, most of them look like your idyllic island in the sun! I can’t resist taking lots of photos as we fly over them.

Not too long and we arrive at Senai Airport in Johor Bahru.

One thing that continues to amuse me is the arrival procedures at Senai. Passengers walk down the steps from the plane (no airbridges), walk across the tarmac, enter the building, climb a flight of stairs, walk a small distance to the back of the building, travel down an escalator back to the ground floor and enter the arrival hall; not more than 3 metres away from a door beside where you originally entered the building from the tarmac. The first time we did it, I thought there must have been a really good reason for doing that … but … several times later I am still trying to work it out. An attempt to keep us occupied while the luggage is unloaded perhaps or wreck a few more old fartz knees? Umm.

We collect our luggage and head out into the arrival concourse to decide if it is a bus into Johor Bahru or a taxi direct to our hotel. There are a few options depending on where you are travelling to next.

This time we take a taxi to the hotel as we have a bit of a time limit. The taxi takes us the scenic trip and along coastal road beside the strait between Johor Bahru and Singapore. This costs no more and is quite nice as we usually get the bus trip point to point from the airport to town through the industrial area. We notice an eatery on the water where we enjoyed a nice meal last time we were here and get quite good views of the Grand Palace museum before we reach our hotel.

Around Johor Bahru
Located at the southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula, Johor Bahru is the state capital of Johor Darul Takzim. JB, in short, was established in 1855 by the late Sultan Abu Bakar (the Father of Modern Johor) and now serves as the administrative and commercial centre of the state.

State Secretariat Building (Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim)
Built in 1940 and located on Bukit Timbalan (Deputy Hill), this building houses the state secretariat, as well as other departments of the state government. Despite the appearances of other high-rise buildings in recent years, JB's skyline is still dominated by it. The Sarascenic character and the mosaic detail, particularly of the Grand Hall, makes this one of the most interesting buildings in Johor.
Royal Abu Bakar Museum, Grand Palace
The Istana Besar (Grand Palace) was built by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1866. Sprawled over 53.8 hectares of fine, manicured lawns, the Palace itself depicts the neoclassical architecture of a past era. Today, it houses the many artifacts of the Johor Royal family, most of which were collected by the globe trotting Sultan Abu Bakar and his son, Sultan Ibrahim, on their many tours abroad. Its compound is beautifully landscaped with lush green lawns and gardens with flowers of every imaginable colour. Nearby is a landscaped Japanese garden and a replica of a Japanese teahouse that was presented by the Crown Prince of Japan to the Sultan of Johor in 1936.
Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque
Built in 1900 with a blend of the traditional Islamic and Italian style architecture is the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque. Sitting on top a hill and unveiling a breathtaking view of the Straits of Johor, this mosque is considered one of the finest in the country. Taking 8 years to complete at a staggering cost (at that time) of RM400 000, it can accommodate 2000 worshippers.
Dataran Bandaraya (City Square)
While many of JB's attractions have links to the state's early history, this is a new attraction that was built to commemorate the proclamation of JB as a city on 1st January 1994. It comprises of a clock tower that faces a series of fountains. Its raised structure and open lawns have proven to be a popular venue for outdoor performances and events.

Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu

Flying into Singapore at night is usually quite a visual experience; this time was no exception. We circled around the island to the northwest and the water surrounding the island was dotted with boats, small and large, emitting varying amounts of light. Once on the ground it takes quite a time to travel to the terminal. Singapore airport is almost a city on its own; three terminals and all the attached facilities. Once inside the terminal building your senses are accosted by colour, noise and a sea of pure humanity. Most people are moving around the terminal purposely; while some just window shop to pass the time between flights. If you have a few hours and want to catch a real flat, still sleep, there is a transit hotel where you can stretch out and freshen up before your next journey.


Out intention is to move on a quickly as possible, so we continue and look for the usual latest tourist information just past the Immigration counter. It must be the Japanese tourist season as most of the brochures are in that language! I always like to get a current map.
Singapore changes so much and the map will show the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) map as well as we use the trains and buses in Singapore a lot.

If you are not sure where your hotel is, or its proximity to a MRT station, a taxi should cost less than S$20 to most hotels – catch a taxi from the arrival concourse.

The trip to the checkpoint takes about an hour and travels through suburban Singapore. Not many non-Singaporeans on this stage of the journey [like NONE], but a reasonable trip because you can usually get a seat and there is room for reasonable amounts of luggage. There are lifts and escalators all the way in the Singapore section, and they are pretty much always working – not always the case in the Malaysian part of the journey. Everyone has to leave the bus at Woodlands checkpoint to clear immigration. Then it is back on the bus and across the causeway. In the evening this stage of the journey can sometimes look as if everyone is escaping Singapore; but then you look at the incoming traffic and there is as much traffic coming that way too! Many large vehicles are carrying fresh produce and many other products into Singapore overnight. Across the causeway and it is time to join the Immigration queue to enter Malaysia. Depending on the time of day or night and the day of the week, this can be a bit tedious, but it has to be done. Tonight it is quick and then it is time to run the “want a taxi?” gauntlet. We get a taxi and travel to the hotel. We could have got back on the bus and travelled to the Kotaraya 11 terminal and either walk or catch a taxi from there. The haggling is still the same and we realize we are probably closer to the hotel here. The hotel is quite good, so now it’s a shower, a coffee and bed. It has been a long day.

For more photos click on the image below.


by oldfartz99

Breakfast in the restaurant is a pleasant experience, whether your choice is light, full cooked meal or ethnic. I have never been very good at eating rice at breakfast so I will steer clear of the congee. The roti looks good, so I have just a taste of that – aaah yes, haven’t tasted that since I was last in this part of the world.

Wandering down to the shopping centre is next on the agenda. The weather is overcast with light showers of rain so inside is not a bad idea. Lots of looking, joining the locals enjoying the airconditioning on a hot day, a coffee at my familiar coffee spot and then a decision to make a return trip to Singapore. We go past the JB railway station, now dwarfed by the construction site of the new Customs complex (that should make a big improvement to moving across the causeway when it is finished) to the Malaysian checkpoint; on the bus and train and into Singapore to our favourite haunt for cultural shopping. Around the corner for a beautiful meal at a sidewalk eatery we like and then back across the causeway with the many Singaporean workers who live in and around JB.

Up early, breakfast and into a taxi for the trip to Senai airport and on to Kuala Lumpur.

If travelling by a budget airline the 15kg baggage limit is strictly enforced without paying excess, no allocated seats (they do have provision for preferred boarding, but you pay for that) oldies board first (finally a benefit!); but it seems to work well and gets people on the plane and settled fairly quickly. They operate from the LCC (low cost carrier) terminal.

Arrive safely in Kuala Lumpur, bus from the airport to the city, about 75 minutes and then to our hotel.

I have not found the food in KL to be as good as I have hoped; maybe we are just not finding the best places. It is OK, but not something that I would write home about. Following the old principle of eating where there appears to be plenty of locals eating hasn’t yet resulted in fantastic food here, but I live in hope.

A trip to the Petronas Towers is a worthwhile excursion in KL.

We made a trip to Putrajaya and recommend this a very worthwhile journey. Putrajaya is Malaysia’s designated Federal Government Administrative Centre begun in 1993. It is built on 4932 hectares of land in Prang Besar and was named in honour of Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. The entire development is expected to be completed in 2012. It includes all the usual players in the government sector.

The Petra Jaya mosque is quite a magnificent building, holding 15,000 worshippers! I had seen it from the air when we were arriving in KL this time and decided that I really wanted to see it up close! Its main colour is a pale mushroomy pink and this in itself causes it, in my mind anyway, to stand out from the crowd, even from the air. When we arrived at the mosque I just wanted to sit and take it in. I felt it really had an aura; and then just as I sat down back a little way from it, the imam started his call to prayer. It was quite eerie really and set the right feeling for the place. We spent quite a bit of time walking around in the square in front of the mosque before heading down the stairs to the quay to find where the boat tours left from. The Putrajaya Lake has many bridges over it built in many different architectural styles and I felt a boat would give a good view of them. It did and was well worth the trip! The Putrajaya lake is a 400 hectare man-made lake in the heart of Putrajaya. Building is continuing, including a new mosque that will hold 21,000 worshippers! We stayed until around 7pm; by then the heat had gone from the day and the evening light put another perspective on the place as we stood in front of the mosque to wait for our taxi. Well worth the trip! It is possible to do independently, particularly if you don’t want the side trip to the amusement park!

Next it was back on the plane and on to Kota Kinabalu. No mountain climbing this time, but plenty else to see and do.

Places to visit: Atkinsons Clock Tower, Likas Mosque, North Borneo Railway, Signal Hill Lookout, Waterfront Markets and eateries.
…and a bit further out of town: Mt Kinabalu, Poring Hot Springs, Sandakan, Sepilok Orang-Utan rehabilitation centre and plenty more!

Getting a taxi for a few hours is probably a reasonable option if there are two to three of you and you want to spend your own time at places. Bargain to do a deal. Most taxi drivers have some English, try for one who has or plan to wave your hands and gesticulate a lot!