There is a famous landmark that is near the Puteri Pacific Hotel in Johor Bahru; and it is called the Sultan Ibrahim Building ( Bukit Timbalan) . If you are in Puteri Pacific Hotel, this landmark is situated just across the road. However if you still need direction, just asked the staff at the hotel. The Sultan Ibrahim Building is a old colonial building which was once used as a fortress and command center during the second world war.
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Today, the Sultan Ibrahim Building is used as a administration offices for the Johor government. The huge gate leading to this landmark is always closed. There is a guard house outside the gate. You have to ask permission if you want to visit this place. When I was there, I could not see any guard or staff at the guard house, as I wanted to go in and visit this place. Perhaps it was closed during the public holiday. I will try to visit this place again on a weekday. I do not know whether there is an entrance fee or not, but if it is reasonable amount – I dont mind paying the entrance fee.
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There is a huge green spacious garden right in front of the building. I think if the Government of Johor can open up the Sultan Ibrahim Building during the weekend, I am sure many people will love to visit this place. The garden can be upgraded and beautify so that it can be a good place to relax or have a picnic. After all, there is no beautiful park or garden in the Johor Bahru city that the city dwellers and tourists can go to without having the need to drive or take a cab.
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There is a shop that sells roasted duck at Jalan Siu Nam ( Meldrum) which is near to Jalan Meldrum in Johor Bahru. Besides selling duck rice and noodles, the shop also offers char siew ( roasted pork ) and suckling pigs. The shop looks rather dull and worn out; which is a typical look of most of the food shops / stalls in Johor Bahru. I just wondered why these food outlets do not bother to upgrade the image of the shop to make it look more clean, bright and attractive. Perhaps they have the impression that as long as the food that they served are good, customers will continue to flock to buy their food.
Anyway, I ordered a drumstick duck noodle with added char siew and a cup of lime juice. I was there about 11 a.m. in the morning, there wasn’t many customers at that time. I do see people ordering the food and it mostly for takeaways. The roasted duck was rather oily and I could taste some fats in the duck meat. The char siew ( roasted pork) was thick and chunky and surprisingly lean. I like the noodles, as it tasted firm and crisp. The lime juice was rather too sweet for me, though you could request for less sugar. The shop also served their traditional herbal drink, perhaps I will try in next time. On the whole, it was a good meal and I paid slightly less than US$4/= for it, which is cheap.
There are quite a lot of food shops and stalls along Jalan Siu Nam/Jalan Meldrum. During the evening, you can see many stalls offering different variety of food on the back alley. I think this place is more crowded during the evening compared to the day. I will follow up to try the food with other food stalls when I am there again.
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I was strolling along Meldrum Road in Johor Bahru, which is by the way in close proximity to City Square mall. From Meldrum road, you can make a turn and walk to Jalan Siu Nam which leads to Jalan Ah Fook. It is a small area which is interconnected so you will not be lost. I saw Meldrum Hotel which is situated along Jalan Siu Nam. This hotel is just 4 storey in height and located along the rows of shops along the street.
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So I have decided to check out this budget hotel. Walking into the lobby, the reception area was small. There were 3 staff at that time manning the reception counter. But the place looks clean and tidy. I asked the staff for the room rates and was informed that there are different categories of rooms available. Anyway, you can get a room for an average of RM120/= per night which is reasonable. As I did not want to stay overnight, I ask whether there is a transit room available. Yes, it was given to me at RM50/- for 4 hours, there is a need to pay a refundable deposit of RM20/-. So I got my keys and proceed to my room.
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Surprisingly, there are 2 lifts in the lobby of this hotel. The corridor that leads to my room looks dull but bright. But hey, this is a budget hotel, so I don’t expect carpeted floor along the corridor. As I entered my room, I was indeed surprised to see a clean and comfortable room. There was a queen size bed and a small table and chairs, the TV is still a CRT model type but I could still view TV channels from Singapore. The attached bathroom looks worn out but there is a 2 soap bars and 2 towels. Yes, there is hot shower available. The only complain was that I could hear voices from people chatting outside my room. It means that the wall is thin and the main door isn’t those heavy duty fire proof door.
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In my opinion, if you are looking for a budget hotel to stay in Johor Bahru, the Meldrum hotel is a good choice. Don’t worry about food, there are plenty of food outlets nearby. Going to City Square mall is also just a stroll away. But do be careful when walking the streets during the night, as there are still instances of robberies and thefts in Johor. I do see more policemen patrolling the streets which is a reassuring.
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I was in Johor Bahru on a typical sunday afternoon. The streets were crowded with people, heavy vehicle traffic and street peddlers who sells anything from counterfeit leather goods, watches, used electronic items and even medicine such as viagra. Walking along the stretch of road that leads to the Arulmigu Raja Mariamman Devasthanam Temple, you cannot help but noticed one thing – there are lots of Indians gathered here. In fact, there is a thriving Indian community in Johor Bahru. You can see the a row of shophouses selling different products such as food, clothing, spices, flowers and even beauty products and services.
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These colorful Indian shophouses attracts lots of Indian and also tourists. I think this gives Johor Bahru its unique feature and vibrancy. Go and visit the Arulmigu Raja Mariamman Devasthanam Temple in Johor Bahru if you have the time. It is a beautiful temple and you can even see Chinese praying at the temple for luck and blessings. Do remember to remove your shoes before entering the temple. I will also buy and eat Indian snacks and food such as murukku, prata and Indian mee goreng – which are delicious.
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I was at Tampines MRT on a saturday evening and lots of people gathering at the open field next to the train station. As I arrived at the tentage that was constructed on the open field, I saw that the event was for a dance competition. I stayed on for a while to watch some of the dance performances. I saw many young people, many of them should be students performing on stage. It was a lively and interesting dance performance; and I managed to snap a few photos for this dance competition show.
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I was staying at the Dorsett Hotel in Johor Bahru and the nearest mall to this hotel is Tesco Extra Mall, which is about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. You need to cross the road and then walked along a row of brand new shop houses which is still mostly unoccupied. It would be ideal if the new shop houses are occupied as it would be safer to walk especially during the night. Johor Bahru is still known to have a higher crime rate – so try to avoid walking along deserted area; especially at night.
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Tesco Extra Mall is a spacious mall with only 2 storey levels. The anchor tenant is of course the Tesco Megamart. Tesco mega store sells almost everything that you need for your home. There are groceries which you can buy in bulk, TV and electrical appliances, fresh fruits and vegetables, stationery, furniture, clothes, pharmacy, etc. During weekends, you see lots of people ( families ) coming here to buy their groceries and items that they need. I noticed that lots of people normally buy in bulk. For example, cooking oil, rice, canned drinks are sold in large cartons or containers. The prices are cheaper too if you buy items in bulk.
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If you are hungry, there is a food court at the ground level, which I understand from one of the stall holder - it is run by Tesco. However, the food court seems to offer rather limited choice of food, as it does not have many food stalls unlike other malls. There seems to be a shortage of cleaning staff needed to clear the plates and clean the tables. When I was there for dinner, I couldn’t find fork or spoon which was supposed to be placed in a open counter for customers to pick up. So I have to get plastic spoon and fork from the stall holder. Tesco should seriously look into getting more staff to maintain this food court. However if you do not wish to eat at this food court, there are also plenty of fast food outlets that you can choose. Unfortunately, there is no Macdonald’s outlet.
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There are many small retail outlets selling different merchandise – clothes, shoes, toys, jewelery, cookwares, gifts, etc. It seems that business is not as brisk as those malls in the city. There are people strolling in the mall, but it is not crowded even on weekends. Perhaps it is too far away from the city of Johor Bahru. For myself, I come to this mall because of my stay in Dorsett Hotel.
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For those of you who wants to visit Danga City Mall in Johor Bahru, there is now a free shuttle bus service that goes from Johor Bahru CIQ ( Customs and Immigration) to Danga City Mall. However this free bus service is only available from Thursday to Sunday at designated time. The good news is that the bus service also provides a free return trip to Johor CIQ from the mall. So now there is no excuse for not visiting Danga City Mall. The photo will highlight all the details of this free bus service.
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Danga City Mall is only about 10 minutes ride by taxi and it is the only mall in Johor Bahru that have a direct railway link at its door step. Personally, I find this mall very spacious; but improvements can be made by making it more vibrant, adding more tenants and merchandise mixed. I think with the free shuttle bus service, more people will visit this mall. I have written a blog with photos on Danga City Mall and you can read it by clicking on the link below: -
On this trip to Johor Bahru, I have decided to stay away from the main city and move further away from the noisy and bustling city. Doing my usual browsing in the internet a few days before the trip, I have decided to stay in Dorsett Hotel. From the new CIQ in Johor Bahru ( Customs and Immigration ) , I took a cab to Dorsett Hotel. This hotel is situated in Plentong and the cab driver is not too sure of the location as well. But when I told him that it is next to TESCO Extra Mall, he immediately knows where is the place. So the important lesson is that it is important to identify the name of the shopping mall to the place you are heading. The journey took about 20 minutes and cost RM18/- on a meter taxi.
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I reached the hotel about 11 am in the morning. This hotel is unique because it is actually a condominium that has been converted into a hotel. So the hotel is part of a condominium development. I walked into the main lobby which looks small and the check in reception counter is small with 2 hotel staff manning the counter. I was told that the room was not ready and it will be available at about 2 pm. So I have 3 hours of time available and decided to visit the Tesco Extra Mall which is about ten minutes walk from this hotel. PS – if you want to know more about this mall, you can read my blog title – Tesco Extra Mall from my blog in ImageSingapore.com.
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At about 2 pm, I walked back to the hotel lobby and is given my room keys, which is in fact 2 magnetic cards. I was staying in the top floor. I am staying in the Suite King Room and the corridor that is leading to my room is open concept, just like you are walking towards your unit home in a condominium. The corridor is spacious, bright and windy. I opened the door of my Suite King room and the first thing I saw was a toilet to my left and the living room right in front. My first impression was that the bathroom was spacious and clean; the living room though it looks small with a small 2 seater sofa, a long wooden desk and surprisingly a 32″ LCD TV mounted on the wall.
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There is a sliding door that separates the living door and the main bedroom. The bedroom looks spacious and well designed. The King size bed sits prominently in the room. The bed is firm and there are 4 pillows available. There is another 32″ LCD TV mounted on the wall. I notice that there is another attached bathroom. The bathroom looks similar in design and size and it is very clean. There is an open concept wardrobe and a chest of drawer just outside the bathroom. I saw a ironing board and inside the drawer is a hair dryer and a iron. Very few hotels provide an ironing board and iron, so this is very thoughtful as clothes do get crease when you packed them in the luggage bag.
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Other features in this Suite King room includes a fridge which is totally empty. This is good as you can stock up all your favorite food and drinks which you can buy them from the mall nearby. There is also a small safe deposit box, a kettle and free tea and coffee bags, 2 bottles of complimentary mineral water and your own balcony.I think Dorsett Hotel has provided almost everything that I need in this suite room.
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I have a pleasant stay in Dorsett Hotel Johor Bahru and will certainly be back when I need a short break again. If the hotel can hold promotion on the prices of the rooms, I think that will attract more visitors to this hotel. The hotel should looked into earlier check in time for guests – I think 1 pm in the afternoon or earlier would be ideal. There are hotels in Johor Bahru that allow check in before 12 noon as long as the rooms are available.
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I wanted to buy a can of beer to go with my hot and spicy meal that I was going to have in my home As I was looking at the range of beers on the shelf, I saw Kirin beer right at the top of the shelf. I wanted to dismiss it and get a regular beer like Tiger or Carlsberg which I am very familiar with. Somehow I felt the urge to try this beer from Japan. So I took a can of Kirin beer from the shelf and one Tiger beer and proceed to the checkout counter.
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Kirin beer has a long history in Japan as a Brewery company, making beer since 1888. according to its website. If you look at the can of Kirin beer, you can distinctively see a creature which is its trademark for Kirin beer. This mystical animal derived its origin from China, which is known as Qi Lin. This mystical Qi Lin is a good omen animal, bringing in prosperity and good luck for its owner.
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I find Kirin beer very smooth in taste and not so strong and bitter like some of its competitors in the business.One of the characteristic of this beer is that rice is used as part of the ingredient. It is a very likable beer, light and gentle on the stomach. I can easily drink a few cans without strong side effects. It does compliment the hot and spicy food that I had. For that matter, it should also goes with any food that I can think of.
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The only negative thing about this Kirin beer is the price. Compared to other beer like Tiger, it cost a dollar more for this can of beer. During this period of recession, the distributor should look at ways to lower the price of Kirin beer to match its competitors. Another point to make is that Kirin beer is not commonly found in all supermarkets. Beers like Tiger, Carlsberg and Guiness are easily available everywhere. Therefore Kirin beer distributor should expand its distribution, making it available at all major supermarkets or convenience stores.
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Fried Carrot Cake is a food that is commonly available in Singapore. It is a food that you can eat at any time of the day – whether it is for breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper. Fried carrot is made of white radish, rice and flour. There are 2 versions of carrot cake – the black sweet version and the white version which is mostly salty in taste. Both versions uses eggs; and the carrot cakes are cut into small pieces and sprinkle with chopped small spring onions; while chilli is optional.
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Most of the white version fried carrot cake that are sold here by different vendors, are with too much salt and quite greasy in taste. There is one hawker who does it with less salt and oil, which to me is the best carrot cake. Many of us are aware of that a high salt content food is bad for health. Excess consumption of salt can cause high blood pressure and heartburn. I just wonder why still many food sellers still add so much salt in preparing their food? I am put off by food that is with too much salt, sugar or oil in it.
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It took about 20 minutes before I got my plate of Fried Carrot Cake. Like all good food, if you want it, then you have to join the queue and wait for your turn.But the wait is worth it if you are patient enough. This plate of Chai Tow Kway or Fried Carrot Cake only cost $3/= and it is enough to serve 2 persons. It is crispy on the outer layer but moist and soft inside. You can just keep eating it because it is not greasy and with little salt flavor. My friends tell me this food is high in cholesterol, so I am eating it in moderation. I think one of the best way to eat it is to buy a plate is share it with someone. The drink that compliment this food well is lime, lemonade, fruit juices or ice cold beer.
Now if you want to try it – it is at the temporary hawker center that is beside the Bugis MRT station. I can’t remember the stall name. But not to worry, go there in the evening about 6 pm and when you see a long queue of people at a fried carrot cake stall, this is it. So go there and try it….. it is worth the trip.
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