Streets of Johor Bahru

   I have taken a few photos on the streets of Johor Bahru and will share it here in this blog. The photos were taken around Johor Bahru city which is near to the CIQ ( Customs and Immigration ). This is the place where most Singaporeans and tourists will hang out - to shop, eat and to do a quick sightseeings.
The photo below was taken near the City Square Mall. Over here, you can catch a bus to anywhere in Johor Bahru from this bus stop.

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There are rows and rows of shops along the streets of Johor Bahru. These shops provide a variety of merchandise for sale - food, clothes, medicine and other services, such as internet services, remittances services, barber and beauty saloon, etc.

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The photo below is the Johor Bahru Convention Centre. It is located next to the Puteri Pacific Hotel
 As you can see, there is a large KFC outlet in this building. So if you are a KFC lover, you can head out here for your meal.

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The building in the photo below is the well known Puteri Pacific Hotel, which was formerly known as the Pan Pacific Hotel Johor Bahru. It is a 5 star hotel with good restaurants. You can try out their buffet lunch or dinner at the restaurant at the ground level.

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This is the famous Indian Temple in Johor Bahru. It is conveniently located very near to Puteri Pacific Hotel. Along this road, you can see plently of Indian shop houses. You can buy Indian food, clothes, snacks, flowers and spices and so many items here.

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The last photo for this blog is the Old Monument Building. This building served as the local government administration office. It is situated next to the Puteri Pacific Hotel.

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To see more photos, blogs and videos of Johor Bahru and Singapore, you can go to our website at -

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JB Central Hotel - Johor Bahru

   The JB Central hotel is located in the Merlin Tower block in Johor Bahru. It has a strategic location that makes it convenient for visitors who are keen in staying in Johor Bahru city itself. I read an article about its owner of this hotel, on how he took over the hotel from a friend; and is working towards transforming it into a 3 star hotel. You can read this article here: -


               JB Central Hotel Gives a Facelift


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   I have stayed in this hotel for a few times. Though it has been renovated, I hope that more can be done for the individual rooms for example.
   
      1)  all rooms should be carpeted - a thicker carpet is of course preferred.
    
      2)  provide a mini bar ( fridge) in all rooms.

      3)   improvement on the bathroom - provide adequate toiletries, better towels and improve the water pressure.

      4)  there is an improvement in the breakfast servings - perhaps they can add more variety of food.

      5)  allow transit rates to be paid in cash rather than asking customers to pay for coupons.

   On the whole, I think this hotel is comfortable and is good place to stay while I am in Johor Bahru. I understand that improvements in standards involve incurring higher cost for this hotel. In my case, I am prepare to pay a slightly higher rate for the room if it is more comfortable. Well, I do hope that the management will proceed quickly to achieve a 3 Star rating for this hotel. I have written a blog earlier this year on my stay in this hotel, here is the link

         JB Central Hotel

  
   For information and photos on Johor Bahru and Singapore, visit our website at : -

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Nutritious Mushroom Soup

   I love eating mushrooms. It is a very healthy food with lots of minerals and vitamins. Mushrooms have been highly regarded by Asians as a tonic food. Nowadays even health companies are cashing in on this growing demand by selling Mushroom tonic pills.  Personally, I will not buy the mushroom pills because I can enjoy eating fresh mushrooms almost every day.

   Mushrooms are very easy to prepare. Normally I would cook it by boiling ( soup) or frying it with other vegetables. Fresh, mushrooms contains high water content, so you do not have to cook it for too long. When you are cooking a pot of mushroom soup, you can add in the fresh mushroom last into the pot. I normally buy oyster or abalone mushrooms for making soup.

   I have written a blog on mushroom soup in my blog at Indonesiapics.com. If you are keen in finding out more, just click the link below:-


        Mushroom Soup / Bakso Jamur


   For more information on food, and about Malaysia and Singapore, you can go to our website at :-

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Durian is voted an Unusual Food

   The King of Fruit which is the humble durian has been listed in Virtualtourist.com as the No. 5 most unusual food in the world - which is according to the survey that it has conducted among its members. If any organization would to conduct a survey in Asia about durian, then I believe the result will show that there is nothing unusual about it. People in Asia, especially Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia simply love durian, which is why it is given the crown - King of Tropical Fruit. I have written a blog about durian and if you keen to read about it, just follow this link


    Durian - Asian's Favorite Fruit


   By the way, if you have not tried eating durian, you should do so. It is not as horrible in taste as what you may have heard from people or from the postings in some forums. Most people will gradually love this fruit as they try more of it, and thereafter for some people it become an addiction.

    To read more blogs and view photos and videos on Malaysia and Singapore, you can go to this link  -

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Grilled Fish Meal at Cheap Price | Johor Bahru

   I was in TESCO Extra mall in Johor Bahru and it was almost lunch time. I was asking myself - what to have for lunch? Strolling on this large mall, I saw the usual fast food chains selling burgers, pizzas and fried chicken. I wanted to try something different and so I walked to the food court.

 

   At the food court, there were the usual Malay and Chinese food available - mee goreng, mee soup, chicken rice, Malay nasi padang, etc. At a stall that sells fried chicken and burgers, I saw that it is also selling grilled fish. So I order the grilled fish; and the stall assistant told me that I have to pay first and come back in 15 minutes to collect my food.

 

   When I collected my order, I saw that it comes with  two pieces of fish meat, coleslaw, fries and slices of cucumber and tomato. The barbecue gravy was poured on top of the fish meat. The meat was tender and soft, and the fries was crispy. I enjoy the meal and the portion served was sufficient for me. The cost of this meal was approx. US$3-50. Now that was a very reasonable price meal. And I will be coming back to order Grilled Fish again when I am back in Johor Bahru. You can also order this meal from the City Square mall.

   For photos, blogs and videos on Johor Bahru and Singapore, you can visit our website at -

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My stay in Dorsett Hotel | Johor Bahru

   Dorsett hotel in Johor Bahru is a special hotel. I say that it is special because it is in fact a condominium that has been converted into a hotel. This hotel has intergrated itself in a unique way as a part of the condominium development. My stay in this hotel has been a pleasant experience - in fact relaxing as well.

   This hotel is not in the city center of Johor Bahru. In fact you have to take about 20 minutes ride in a car/taxi from the city before you can arrive in this hotel. When I was there, I saw that the reception area were crowded with visitors like me, awaiting to check in. I was staying in the Suite King room, and it is definitely a comfortable room to stay. It has all the things that you need - 2 LCD TVs, a fridge,  2 shower rooms, a safe deposit box, even a ironing board, iron and hair dryer. The room has a balcony which gives you a clear view of its peaceful surroundings. If you like to read my detailed blog on Dorsett hotel, click the link below:-

        Suite King room at Dorsett Hotel Johor Bahru

  
   For blogs, videos and photos of Johor Bahru and Singapore, you can visit our website at -

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KFC in Johor Bahru and Singapore

   My friends and I were casually chatting about food and the topic of KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken was discussed. We were simply comparing the KFC outlets in Johor Bahru and Singapore - so which is better in terms of price, food and servings, etc.

 

  We came to a conclusion that the KFC outlets in Johor Bahru is better. Better in what sense? Firstly, the KFC outlets in Johor Bahru serve larger chicken portion. The hot and spicy chicken is not only bigger, it is in fact more crispy than its Singapore KFC. Secondly, in terms of value, you can get the same value meal package at a lower cost. Depending on its promotion that KFC is holding, normally you can get it by at least 20% cheaper.

   Our last comparison is the outlet itself. It is more comfortable eating at the KFC outlets in Johor Bahru than in Singapore. Why? This is simply because the KFC outlets in Johor Bahru are bigger and more spacious than in Singapore. The reason is obviously the rental cost between the 2 countries. So the clear winner is the KFC outlets in Johor Bahru. PS - The photos that you see here are taken from the KFC outlet in Johor Bahru. It is a 2 piece value meal, there is also a regular coke that comes with this meal. You can opt for up size by paying a slightly higher price, I say go for it because the upsize is value for money.

   For photos, videos and blogs on Johor Bahru and Singapore, please visit our website at -

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My Review of Danga Bay in Johor Bahru

   Danga Bay is a good place to visit when you are in Johor Bahru. The best time to go is during the evening. If you are not driving, you can either catch a public bus or taxi near City Square mall. There is a single storey mall and plenty of restaurants in the mall as well as along the street. Danga Bay tries to become a family theme park. Kids can play on rides and visit the mini zoo and parents can do their shopping in the mall.

   I hope that the developer of Danga Bay will built a 3 of 4 star hotel near the mall itself. In that way tourist like me who wants to spend an entire night in this place need not worry about catching a transport back to the hotel late at night.  The developer should look into bus transport access straight into Danga Bay. If they can do it for Danga City Mall from Johor Bahru CIQ, surely they can do it for Danga Bay. After all, Danga Bay is supposed to be the biggest mega project and the largest recreational park in Johor Bahru. So not having a convenient bus access from CIQ is no excuse if you intend to promote this place aggressively to tourists.

  If you like to read my detail blog on Danga Bay, kindly click the link below: -

     Danga Bay in Johor Bahru

   For photos, videos and blogs on Johor Bahru and Singapore, you can visit our website at -

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Buying A Car in Johor Bahru

   In Singapore, it is very expensive to own a car. Besides the purchase cost of a car, you have to fork out money for daily petrol, high insurance premium, costly taxes, parking, ERP charges, maintenance, etc. And the government of Singapore is always encouraging people to use public transport instead of driving a car.

   But in Malaysia, many of its citizens see it as an essential component in their daily lives. Without a car is like without legs, so to speak. Fortunately buying and owning a car is far cheaper in Malaysia  than doing it in Singapore. In Johor Bahru, you can see new and used cars being on sale almost every week of the month. New cars are not only displayed in the showrooms, it is also being displayed from mall to mall. It is relatively easy to buy a car in Johor Bahru with easy credit and financing schemes.

   For more photos, videos and blogs on Johor Bahru and Singapore, visit our website at - ImageSingapore.com

Johor Bahru New CIQ

I will start off this new blog with the photo of the new Johor Bahru CIQ ( Customs and Immigration). If you are entering Johor Bahru by Woodlands checkpoint, then this is the CIQ that you must pass through. This brand new CIQ evokes a love & hate feelings in you. You love it for its beauty, spacious hall, cool air-condition and more rows of immigration counters. However you will hate it because of the narrow road that leads to this new CIQ, which is the main culprit of massive jams.

However, I believe the Malaysian Customs Authorities are fully aware of this problem and given ample time, they will fixed this problem. They are also looking at intergrating the railway and bus transportation with this new CIQ. If the Malaysian authorities is able to successful provide a seamless system of transport and custom clearance, then certainly more visitors will be visiting Malaysia.

I have written a blog on my experience with this new Customs and Immigration Building, if you are keen in reading it click this link - Johor Bahru Customs - The Long Walk CIQ

For more photos, blogs and videos on Johor Bahru, visit our website at - ImageSingapore.com