One of the beautiful things about Singapore is the multiple cultures that create what it is to be ‘Singaporean’. Immigrants from India, China, Malaysia and various other countries make up the residency of Singapore and so it is impossible not to get a taste of these ways of life while you’re there. My particular experience of this was through a beautiful, energetic and warm young lady who has the heart of a saint and goes by the name of Fathin. She opened her home up to 20 Westerners in Johor Bahru, Southern Malaysia for a weekend and what an awesome time it was.
We left late on a Friday evening, travelling on the MRT, and simply jumping on a bus to be taken to a terminal where our passports were stamped and then returning onto the bus to drive over a bridge, and hey presto – We’re in Malaysia! Only costing about $3 (That’s around £1.75!). Once we arrived, we travelled to Fathin’s house in an assortment of taxis, dumped our bags, jumped back in the taxi and arrived at a large night market, which is described as ‘the place where people steal stuff and sell it’. We wandered around, taking in the array of cheaply priced fake items, temples dotted in amongst the stalls, the shisha infused air and flavourful food stores. We sat down and enjoyed the local cuisine, whilst taking in the bustle of local life – dancing, chatting and enjoying the night. We were a bit of a spectacle for the local people, as I don’t believe the area is particularly touristy and so it must have been surprising to see a large group of Westerners milling around.
James enjoying ‘Teh Tarik’ at the night market
The next day, Fathin had prepared a full day of adventure, the first perhaps unplanned part was trying to get taxis for 16 people, which was an interesting experience, waving our hands wildly on the side of a busy dual carriageway to hail passing taxis, and Fathin running along the roadise to translate and negotiate a deal with the drivers. However it worked out (after about 45 minutes), and we were finally on our way to Kota Tingi Waterfall. Upon reaching our destination, we were greeted by a cool stream, and as we walked through we saw the cascading waterfall and inviting pools of water. We were told to climb to the top of the waterfall for the best experience and that we did, and yes it was amazing. A large pool of cold water, brimming with fish and completely empty for us tourists to enjoy awaited us, and it was lovely. We played like children, splashing, fighting, pulling each other into the water, and relaxing, then going down the waterfall to stand under the water beating against the rocks. It was beautiful scenery, and definitely worth the journey.
Before the journey started
The group at the top of Kota Tingi!
Fathin then took us to a well known beach in Malaysia called ‘Desaru’. It was a simple beach, yet the sea was gorgeously warm, the setting was just welcoming and family orientated. It was a nice way to just chill with new friends and catch some rays at the same time! We then travelled back to Johor Bahru, taking in the sights of Southern Malaysia, seeing lush greenery, plantations, bridges aided perfectly by a beautiful setting sun.
Me on Desaru Beach
On Sunday, our day went a bit skew wiff, as rain bucketed down, and an initial plan to go climbing was ruined by a lack of transportation. However we found ourselves in a local cafe, where I initially tried Prata, a bread like food which can contain egg, cheese or vegetables and something I became addicted to during my time in Singapore. After this we decided to visit Johor Bahru zoo, which was slightly upsetting as the animals had clearly been mistreated, and so was not the best part of the trip, however we left and went to eat some lovely food, before packing and saying our farewells to Fathin before taking the short journey back to Singapore.
Overall, the weekend was fun, despite the dodgy Sunday, I’m grateful to have seen a part of Malaysia that many may not have heard of outside of being in the South East Asian sphere. It was also aided by the fact that the group were still getting to know each other, and the bonds we made were getting stronger. Johor Bahru is definitely a place to see, especially if you don’t want the bog standard tourist experience and want to immerse yourself in the true culture of the place…even if you will be stared at for awhile! I hope you enjoy the pictures, these are a few salvaged from my phone and are all taken from Saturday 🙂
A few of the girls at the entrance of Kota Tingi
Ivy and I on the very slippery rocks at the base of the waterfall
Fathin and I sitting on Zack and James, about to take each other down!
The gorgeous Desaru beach!
Singapore Spice 