"Johor Bahru - Southern Gateway" Johor Bahru by zuyao

Johor Bahru – the southern gateway to Malaysia. This is the first sight of Malaysia for visitors coming in through Singapore. Of course, as an entry point, the authorities have indeed done a good job in making sure that the city greets its visitors with enthusiasm, warmth and the likes. Of course, in true Malaysian culture, we have the famous traffic crawl on the causeway and greeted by a superbly rundown piece of architecture called the ‘JB Kastam’. Also, the road conditions after the architecture is sure to entice all first-time visitors. As you travel along the main street of JB, fondly called ‘Jalan Ah Fook’, you’ll have a great sense of security, that it is absolutely safe to roam around town and not be mugged by some small-time thief, which they call ‘Ah Chak Ko’. Of course, as I say it is safe, and therefore I’ve never met an ‘Ah Chak Ko’ before. The town is teeming with life as night falls. There is lots of ‘Kedai Minuman’ aka pubs and nightclubs. These healthy nightspots are sadly often mistaken for being dens of sins. However, for KL-ites, it’ll be quite difficult to get any good Mamak stalls here.

The roads are marvelous in JB. Try the Pasir Gudang Highway. This state-of-the-art highway has potholes of all sizes, guaranteeing you a free horse ride all the way. Surely tantalizes the taste buds of all horse-loving creatures. The bushes, lalang, weed and voids all along the way provides a scenery not to be missed. In fact, you may want to try driving at night. This will surely give you a complimentary test on your eyesight. Do note too, that there are streetlights along most of the highway, which are interestingly seldom lit. Also, don’t bother much about nice people who seem to like to cross the road at various stretches.

When it comes to shopping, you are in shopper’s paradise. Drop by at the most happening mall – Giant Hypermarket… Wooo! In fact there are three Giants in JB, and counting. Or if you like something more quiet, visit the Waterfront, Best World or Pacific Mall, which are all famous for empty lots. No crowds, no parking charges… what else do you want? Then for all those Taiwanese-fashion-sense-inclined people, a stop at Holiday Plaza is a must. Duty-free liquor? Try Eden Garden!

As you see, there are so many things to see in JB. So grab your bags and visit this truly beautiful city. Ohhh… have I mentioned the beautiful beaches, the ones that you’ll never know what you can see when you are in the sea?

So… come on down for a fun-filled holiday. After all, it’s VISIT JOHORE YEAR, or so think it is…

I remember a few years back that Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew mentioned something about JB being a city of crimes or something like that. That remark caused quite a commotion on this side of the causeway. The usual denials by our government. Emotions flared and Lee was ticked off for his uncalled for remark.

Nevertheless, JB does have quite a reputation. It is what a friend of mine calls a ‘cowboy town’. When my grandma heard that I was coming down to JB, she was concerned about the notorious image of this place. I don’t really blame her. Open the newspapers and news of various crimes and happenings in JB are splattered all over. To be fair, I did not find the city dangerous at all when I first arrived. It looked quite like any other small town in Malaysia. Maybe a bit disorganized, but did not seem that bad… or so I thought. A few more friends later, a couple of stories and I find that JB is indeed notorious.

Recently, there have been cases of armed robberies and car jacking at seafood restaurants in JB. Now, seafood restaurants in this part of the world are usually located in remote areas amidst orang asli villages. Dark and far from civilization but these places are favorite haunts for Singaporeans. Singaporeans mean Singapore Dollars and this means lucrative business for robbers. Armed robbers are known to have stormed these restaurants and stripped its customers of all cash and valuables. At first I’ve just heard such stories from a friend of mine. But last week I actually saw a small column in The Star reporting of such an incident at Kampung Telok Jawa, Masai. So, do be careful (if it is any use being careful) when tucking in to a scrumptious evening of seafood in JB, especially in places like Senibong, Megah Ria, Perling or Tanjung Puteri especially when you see quite a crowd of Singapore-registered cars. Or maybe it’s better to simply avoid such places for the time being.

Around the Chinese New Year period there were two major armed attacks in JB. One was a Singaporean being shot while refueling in a petrol kiosk down town. He died a few days later in the General Hospital. Another case was when a visiting Singaporean relative to a New Year gathering was shot by armed men attacking a bungalow in a posh area of JB. JB a safe place? Maybe not.

• Pros:Gateway between Singapore & Malaysia
• Cons:Lousy food, high crime rates
• In a nutshell:That said, JB is still not too bad a place to stay. You just have to get used to it. It could be quite pleasant at times.