Awoke this morning bright as a button. After Crispy’s very vocal altercation with the noisy neighbours there were no more disturbances. She may appear a little pussy cat but she’s a Bengal tiger when tired or hungry. Johor is a big city at the very southern tip of the Malaysian peninsular. Although only a half mile from Singapore it is a completely different place. Not having a natural deep harbour it has never had the advantages of its neighbour to make money from trade or shipping. The city is modern and vibrant and holds everything that a modern metropolis should possess but a tourist hub it is not. We have been here two days and have only seen four western faces. This suits us down to the ground and we actively seek out places where we are the minority. Our nemesis is travelling thousands of miles and bumping into a tour group of wiganers or scousers searching for pies or a chip shop. Many years ago whilst travelling through India at a small jungle cafe in the middle of nowhere we met a group of four middle aged wiganers complaining to the bemused owner that there were no chips or Warburton bread. I kid you not.
I had designs on seeing various things whilst here, the botanic gardens ( always a pleasant and free couple of hours) the zoo, famous for its tigers and the sultans palace. All were closed for development and have been since 2019.
Don’t get me wrong it’s not a bad place it is a great city and was only ever a transit stop north since our designs on India were crushed by Mr Modi and his crew. We have loved our time here as it has allowed us to regroup, recuperate and get a foothold in Asia. We would not have missed the overland entry into Malaysia for the world. As chaotic as it was it will be the subject of many a fond story in our dotage. We have a strange affinity for overland border crossings as they are always exciting and an adventure. Crispy , as we know, loves an adventure.
We broke our fast on China street with a fantastic meal of rice and noodles in a little cafe that doubled as a mini hawkers market. We then spent the remainder of the morning “mooching” around the city trying to secure our bus for the journey North to Mallacca. It’s a journey of just over 200 km and it seems many buses depart every day from the city bus terminus so hopefully there’s no need to try and book a ticket. We are hoping to leave around 9am for the Larkin bus terminus and secure a seat on an onward bus by dinner time. This should get us into Mallacca for around fourish. Perfect if it works out.
Early evening we explored the local night markets. We had seen them last night when we arrived but were much more concerned with finding our bed than a bargain basement copied football shirt. Crispy loves a good market and as markets go this was an interesting one. Nothing was purchased as our carrying capacity is limited and we try to avoid impulse buys if at all possible. The food stalls looked amazing selling everything from Satay to ice cream butties but as we had eaten some Nasi Goreng earlier we were repleat and avoided further temptation. I did find a local barbershop and had an excellent cutthroat shave from an Egyptian guy that had moved to Malaysia three months ago. It wasn’t the usual hour long hot towel and facial massage thing but he did a great job.
The remainder of the evening was spent in the only “pub” in downtown Johor. McGregors bar. An Irish themed bar on Jalan Truss. We were treated to live music by three very talented Malay musicians playing everything from Ed Sheehan to the the artist formerly known as Prince. Exceptional. Plus they served the best pint of Kilkenny I have ever had. Malaysia is a Muslim country and finding a pint, let alone a good one, can be hard work but we usually manage.
The highlight of the day for me is that Crispy let me buy a beautiful ukulele from a little music shop near our lodgings. I tried to pretend that our walk had taken us past the shop purely by accident but Crispy sussed that I had googled it prior to our arrival.
I am chuffed as a monkey and spent a good hour playing it on a park alongside the main highway. I didn’t get any tips just a lot of confused looks from the passing crowds. Obviously Malaysia has not yet discovered the joys of George Formby.
I’m easily pleased and Crispy has the patience of a saint. God bless her.
Bare and Crispy signing of Johor, Malaysia
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