Kay

Has anyone been to Johor Bahru from Singapore? What is it really like these days? <BR>We are flying out of there to Kuching and I thought we might stay a couple of days and look around. Does anyone know what the cab fare would be from Singapore airport?

Jim Krall

We went to the Johor Bahru train station by bus from Singapore. The border crossing was the real hassle. There is a spat going on over the location of the crossing and , supposably, Singapore is delaying entry to Malaysia. We waited in line for over45 minutes. The bus station and the area around the train station were rough. We took a bus to the suburbs and they were very nice, also many new office buildings downtown. We stayed one night! If you can get a taxi from Johor Bahru to pick you up, it will be much cheaper. Jim

David

We were recently in Johor Bahru after we came in from a flight from Kuching. We took a taxi from the Johor Barhu airport to the Malaysia/Singapore border. I think the taxi was about 25 RM (about $6 US). At the border we took a share taxi (for 4 perons) to the Queen St bus terminal for about S$7 per person (about $4 US). We were traveling on Sunday so things were pretty busy. It took about 1 1/2 hours to get from the airport to downtown Singapore. I would forget about staying in Johor Bahru more than one night. Although we ate at a great Indian banana-leaf restaurant - Restauran Nilla at 3 Jalan Ungku Puan, it's really not more than a one day town. Kuching is great. Hope this helps.-

Kay

Thank you for the information. <BR>David, I would love to hear more about <BR>Kuching. Did you go to the Hilton Batong Ai Longhouse or Damai Beach Resort?

David

Kay - <BR> <BR>We did not go to Damai Beach but stayed in Kuching at the Hilton. It was only about 155 RM a night (about $40 US) including a breakfast buffet. We had no reservations; just walked in. If you stay there be sure to ask for a room with a river view on an upper floor. <BR>It was very pleasant to stay in the town. We did a day trip to Bako National Park (excellent, but very hot) and a trip to Semenggok Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (again, excellent; we saw many orangutans so close you could touch them). <BR>We also went to the Hilton Batang Ai Resort. You must take a 4 1/2 hour van ride from to Kuching and then a short boat ride to reach the hotel. The people at the Kuching Hilton can make all the transportation arrangements for you. We reserved our room in advance through Hilton's 800 number. It was only about $39 US a night including breakfast and a wonderful nature walk with their resident naturalist. Staying at the resort and visitng one of the nearby longhouses was a terrific expereince. Don't miss it if you have the time. We stayed for two nights. The rooms are very comfortable and the setting is spectacular. You are in the heart of Borneo very close to the Indonesian border. There is nothing close by: no town, no lights, nothing. All you see is jungle, lake and sky. Go!