Blogs from Johor, Malaysia, Asia - page 2

My main reason for sandwiching a few days in Johor Bahru in between visiting Singapore and returning to the US was to look at potential places to live. Malaysia has a very attractive program for expats where you can get a multiple-entry visa good for ten years. This is geared towards Singaporeans looking to escape the high cost of real estate in Singapore, but I figured it can’t hurt to look. My initial attraction to Johor Bahru (JB from now on) was its proximity to Singapore. That was before I found out first-hand what a pain in the ass it was to travel overland between the two countries. Once in JB, I found that most of the lovely condos were merely pretty renderings and small scale models of the buildings that a developer is planning to ... read more

We started a little slower today, but still not too late. We left the hotel at about 9:30am for our 20mins drive to Legoland Malaysia. We got there in no time and there was hardly anyone there. Parking was a breeze and there was no line to get it. We bought our tickets there and went to make our way into the theme park, when the ticket attendant suggested if we were doing both parks we should do the water park first in case the weather changes and they can't run some rides. On his advice we made our way to the water park about 200mtrs away and dumped our things in a locker before making our way on to the first of many water slides. There were several that required you to collect a tube ... read more

Sunday, 20th September 2015 After checking out from Belllo Hotel in the afternoon, we were back to Jalan Tan Hiok Nee to seek out new cafes before heading back to Singapore. There was a long line of diners waiting outside the attractive "Replacement Lodge & Kitchen" so we decided to check out the place some other time. We chanced upon "Table for Two" and were quickly drawn to its rustic, cosy and old-school interior. Service was slow but well-worth the wait. I thoroughly enjoyed the flavourful chicken leg. This was a slow yet casual Sunday lunch in a great, atmospheric place. And we would certainly be back for more. Seek out the pictures in the meantime.... read more

The great thing about cycling around the World is crossing from one country into another and seeing the differences emerge as you leave behind the bureaucracy of the borders. This couldn't be more evident as you travel from Thailand into Malaysia, where you suddenly find yourself situated amongst predominantly Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnicities who each bring their separate cultures to this amazing country, and with it, a fusion of delicious foods which are absolutely to die for. My first main stop was George Town on the island of Penang, where the streets are adorned with the most amazing street art and old colonial buildings rise up in all 4 corners of the UNESCO Heritage site. This blog mainly features photos depicting street art which was absolutely amazing! After travelling in Thailand for nearly 4 months ... read more

Saturday, 21st February 2015 Good morning Saturday. It was all well and nice as we welcomed our new day at Renaissance. We decided to skip the somewhat pricey breakfast buffet at the hotel and opted for some local fare nearby. It was Day 3 of the Lunar New Year and more eateries had already opened for business. Finally, breakfast was decided at Restoran Big Bowl where we ordered the traditional Mee Hoon Kuay, mine with added fried fish slices. This was a yummy and light choice as we headed back to our hotel for a swim after breakfast. After our check-out at 1pm, we headed to La Strada Coffee which served wholesome breakfast within its somewhat limited menu. The homely interior was nicely decorated and this was a cosy little spot for us to relax before ... read more