Johor Bahru: Weekend Getaway
Need a quick getaway to escape the hustle and bustle of city life in Singapore? Easy...Make your way to JB!
Sitting at the southern tip of Malaysia, Johor Bahru is the capital of Johor state and is informally called JB. It's more or less an hour away from Singapore - depending on the crowd at the checkpoint. If you're lucky then you can get there in an hour but if it's too crowded, it might take hours - yes hours (just a heads-up). With its close proximity, it becomes a popular destination for many people in Singapore - be it a day trip or a weekend getaway - like what I did!
I travelled to JB on a Saturday morning and... brace yourself... passed through the Malaysian checkpoint at around 2pm. >_< Yes it was crowded and I was so hungry but I survived the long queues (my legs hurt)!
My itinerary in JB includes two things, aside from sleeping - hair colour and food trip. I took a cab from the City Square mall to Pariss Hotel in Nusa Bestari. The cab fare was a bit high but I needed to catch up with my hair appointment so I just agreed.
Tip: Grab should be a better choice than regular taxi.
Hair Colour
JB is a haven for people who wants to get any kind of hair service since it's budget-friendly, and yeah shopping and food too. *_*
Prior to my travel, I booked an appointment at Vintage Hair Gallery for a hair colour service. The salon is a few minutes away from City Square where I used to have my hair done. This time, I wanted to go out of my usual destination whenever I visit JB so I tried this area.
And after a few hours at the salon, I got my new hair colour! Hooray! I spent RM 270 (SG$90) for hair colour and haircut. A big thank you to an-ever supportive photographer! *wink*
So
Food Trip
For dinner, we went to AnMour Cafe which I noticed a popular choice among locals. People are waiting outside to be seated.
Later at night, we checked out this popular area along the street nearby the hotel to buy lok-lok. I was so intrigued and was hoping to find my favourite "isaw" (chicken intestine) but sadly no. T_T Lok-lok is a dish consisting of different deep-fried food ranging from meat to vegetables served in a skewer.
I was impressed on how popular this type of street food is. Imagine people ordering lok-lok and getting hold of them after an hour....that's kuku! After choosing what food you like, you need to queue it to be cooked. That's why it'll take probably an hour before you can eat it. And did I mentioned it's cheap? Tasty and affordable.. what more can you ask for?
Hotel
JB accommodations vary from high price to inexpensive, depending on your choice. We stayed at Pariss Hotel (SG$46), a 3-star hotel near the salon I booked for my hair. Our booking included a free breakfast but we weren't able to have it since we woke up late.
The hotel's interior looked decent; the room was also clean and fully air-conditioned with flat screen TV, complimentary water/coffee/tea, hair dryer and toiletries. Sadly I wasn't able to explore the amenities since we were out most of the time. T_T. I heard they have a pool.....
We slept till 11am so no more breakfast for us since we needed to check out. But no worries, there are numerous restaurants in the area so you won't get hungry. The hotel is also less than 5 minutes away from Giant supermarket, and where the bus heading to Singapore pick up passengers.
It's was a short getaway but it was fun and memorable! Wish I could have stayed longer.... but hey I can always go back.
See you again JB!
July '18