Note: This article is not a review as such, it’s more of a travel notes/memoir, but it tells you a lot about Malaysia, it’s culture, it’s people, what to expect and what you will get. Hope you like it.
“4 months in a one-city country, $12000… 40 days of trying for air tickets to anywhere(even Timbuktu) without any luck…$10 4 days of Chinese New Year holidays with no where to go… frustrating… Know that you can still get a visa for Malaysia in 1 day and go around Malaysia’s best destinations by road for 4 full days for less than$500… - Priceless…………… “
Malaysia - It was not my first choice, in fact it was last! As the above Fake master card ad says… There was 4 days of holidays coming over in January end 22nd to 25th January, a super long weekend! Every flight going out of Singapore was booked, even waiting list was closed month before! Still tried to book tickets for India, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia(Yes!) even Vietnam!(Don’t ask why!) The point is I was that desperate after 4 months in Singapore. I really wanted to get out and have a good time in any of the country other than Singapore!(Though it was a totally different matter that I went to Bali, Indonesia in Christmas)… It’s not that I have anything with Singapore. It’s a great country! Great place to shop around, nice, peaceful, some good night spots, golf courses, beaches(?!), but hey how many times you go to the same place again and again. As Singapore being a one-city country, population even less than Ahmedabad(My home town), It feels like ground hog day!(I have nothing against ground hog day as well!)…
My colleague/friend Shailendra introduced me to one of his friend, Hiren. Seems like a nice guy. Told him about wanted to go to Thailand(first choice), he said… well, he wanted to go there too! Wow, 2 are better! Big savings! So I said let’s try for two tickets, if luck’s with us then we might get the high priced last minute tickets(just for the information – My luck sucks!) … So, we didn’t got the tickets… It was the last week before the holidays. I told him lets try Malaysia! Went to Malaysian embassy, applied for visa and got the visa on 4th day(duh… weekend!) so, Monday got the visa, called the travel agent, booked bus tickets for Kuala Lumpur!$55 per person 1 way!… Was feeling like I am in heaven! Finally I am going out of Singapore for 4 full days! Well the big day arrived(Night actually.) we were catching an AC bus from Lavender train station, Singapore to Johar Bahru(JB), Malaysia which was only 45 mins away from there and from JB we’re changing the bus with more facility and wider seats… We boarded the bus at 10:30 from Lavender, reached Singapore border in 25 mins, the traffic was bad… took us more than 45 mins to clear customs and immigrations from both sides! It’s one bridge between Singapore and Malaysia. You cross the bridge and you are in Malaysia. We reached JB at around 12:00. changed the bus… the Seats was really huge, almost as big as plane’s business class! The travel company gave us couple of Oranges as a good luck(I was puzzled when they gave us oranges for good luck. is the bus service and roads in Malaysia that bad that we need a good luck, instead of a good driver and decently maintained bus!?) but, then I found out that in Chinese new year it’s consider as a good luck and it’s customary to give oranges to others! Well, so much for a lesson in Chinese cultural. I was excited about the whole Malaysian experience.
So! Malaysia, ready or not, here I come…………….
Though the bus was comfortable and specious, only one problem, the A.C. duct was right above over seat without anything to adjust the flow, and it was blowing too much. After an hour we both were freezing. I thought if I was wearing half sleeve t-shirt and a cotton pant, which I found out the hard way that was not appropriate for the bus journey! I looked at Hiren, the bugger was sleeping like a baby! I felt jealous of his thick skin and looked at my thin body and cursed the Gujarati dhokalas and khakhras my mom used to feed me for breakfasts and other non-meat(muscles) building Gujarati foods. Made a mental note about eating more meat in the future. Meanwhile the problem persists, forcing me to retract my hands in my small sized half sleeve cotton t-shirt which read “HardRock Café - Surfers Paradise – Love all, Serve all” “somebody please serve me!” I screamed in my thoughts! And folded my hands inside my t-shirts making me look like handless bagger on the streets of Mumbai! But it was comfortable, I was successful in reducing the amount of cold on my body! I found my salvation when bus stopped for a break around 2 am in some Malaysian town, where I bought a thermal blanket. I was feeling like re-born with thicker skin!
*Next Chapter: Good Morning KL
Note: Since I can’t write review for Malaysia more than once and the word limit is 7500 words, The next chapter is written in my Diary posts. So, if interested please go to my profile and viewe the Diary posts for more travel writing about Malaysia.
Here’s the link to the next chapter: https://mouthshut.com/diary/fabbptqt/Chapter-2-Good-Morning-KL*