Xu Ji Wanton Mee & Muah Chee from Kee Dessert near KSL City Mall in Johor Bahru [Malaysia]

Alone in Johor Bahru last Saturday, my stomach was so craving for wanton mee but my favorite 世纪住家云吞面 doesn't open on weekends! A desperate search on Google Maps brought me to Kee Dessert, which is right outside KSL City Mall! 

Wanton Mee - under the brand, Xu Ji, I was taken aback by two visual features; provision of lettuce which was unconventional and the many slices of char siew topping the noodles! Nevertheless, the char siew was the lean type I personally dislike.

Small, little wanton dumplings in soup was not bad; at least more meaty than some places in Singapore. I love the soup the wantons were swimming in though; surprisingly palatable! 

Noodles were nice and springy; and despite the darker shade, it was a good balance of sweetness and saltiness. Sadly, no pork lard. Honestly, I was a tad disappointed as the review rating on Google Maps was a 4.9 and I think this really just hovered around a 4.0. 

Not as fantastic as 世纪住家云吞面 but better than the nearby Restoran Yit Foh Wanton Noodles.

Muah Chee - how to resist not ordering this even though I am all by myself. Usually, Alex would share with me and that's preferred given the calorie division between two persons. Well, the muah chee didn't stick to the teeth and was heavy on peanuts, and light on sugar. At my age, I like a balance.

=====

Address

19, Jalan Serigala, Taman Century, 

80250 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia

Map

As above. 

Menu for the Wanton Mee Stall

As above. 

Pricing

Wanton Mee - RM 9.00

Muah Chee - RM 6.00

Prawn Cracker from QB King of Prawn Fritter @ Sin Ming Road in Singapore

As we grow older as part of nature, the nostalgia of having our childhood snack strengthens and at times, it feels as if we would be able to rekindle the taste of those old flavours. That's what I thought about prawn crackers.

My favorite prawn cracker stall was located at a coffee shop near Kebun Baru Market & Food Centre in Ang Mo Kio and although I have had some real good prawn crackers over the years; nothing quite met the standard of that stall, until I chanced upon QB King of Prawn Fritter along Sin Ming road!

I am no stranger to that area since a few of my grand aunts and grand uncles live in that area and I sometimes would meet my friend who stays around there too. However, I remember this used to carry just curry puffs, and guess it has now pivoted to a larger variety! 

Now, the look of it was right; puffy, deep fried to a brown of a darker shade and topped with a large prawn! I do wish it would be larger but a smaller serving might be beneficial for someone who loves to eat.

Verdict - brought me back to the time when I was just a kid, as I munched through the prawn cracker! They were bites of satisfaction, with beansprouts within, beyond the thin, crisp crunch. The prawn used was of quality, with shreds of seafood sweetness underneath that deep fried shell. While it was served warm, my experience would be elevated if it were fresh out from the boiling oil. I should have bought a few and air-fried at home!  

=====

Address

24 Sin Ming Rd, #01-49, 

Singapore 570024

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Prawn Cracker - S$1.50 apiece. 

Car Rental via Ho Ing 和運租車 (through Klook) @ Taiwan

For our Taiwan trip made earlier this year, both Alex and I decided to make an unconventional decision; renting a car to self drive even though Taiwan practises left-hand drive, contrasting with the right-hand drive we are more accustomed to! 

Private shuttle from Fenchihu Hotel sending us to the car rental company at Chiayi City. I read basic Chinese which means I am not that proficient when it comes to complicated Chinese terminologies; hence, we decided to book in advance via Klook.com. 

Embarrassingly, we arrived at a different rental car company! Imagine the look on the staff's face when he couldn't find our reservation at all; only to realize from our booking confirmation that it was supposed to be its competitor next door.

Alex filling up the paperwork, at the correct car rental company, 和運租車. Do note that an international license is required and you may apply in person, in Singapore through Automobile Association of Singapore. 

Issue with car rental anywhere; a ton of information that I absolutely can't absorb. My intention of travel was to relax and not to overexert my brain. Alex digged such things though so let him do what he likes. I would just take a picture at the above and work on the necessary, if required.

Key things to note - numbers to call if there's an emergency, and to ensure we were duly covered by insurance. I was a bit confused about the insurance though as I had purchased insurance through Klook but the person at the car rental company said it was a different type. Anyway, for peace of mind even though I am not exactly happy, we forked out extra. 

Our pre-booked Toyota Vios; RDW 9062.

Going through the process of checking the car; to ensure existing damages, scratches etc were accurately pointed out so that we wouldn't be blamed when we return the car a week later. Honestly, the car was well taken care of! 

Hitting the roads! 

Alex was the sole driver for the entire trip although I have also registered for the international license! Apparently, I am an accident risk (after what happened in Jeju) and he deeply treasured his life. Oh well, that relegated me to the role of vehicular commander, which kind of suited me since I do read maps a lot better than Alex. 

Was it hard to drive in Taiwan? Not at all for us since Google Maps and road signs are accurate; reading Chinese characters do help for sure, and our advices to others were to drive carefully, don't speed, and if you miss a turn, keep calm in spite of the frustration, and take the next exit. 

I did hear that Taipei was a horror to drive in but I couldn't confirm since we only covered Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Taichung for this trip. Expressways were our preferred mode and we didn't encounter jams that were deemed excessive or different from what we experienced back home.

Alex is also a very safe driver and practices defensive driving, and I must say he made the right decision not to allow me to drive at all, even though I love to drive! :(

Saving grace was that for most parts of the car rental journey, I am happy absorbing the beautiful sights whereas Alex's eyes were focused on the roads. I get more stressed in the cities and at rural areas as there were a lot more cars, and/or the roads were narrower. 

My most frustrating thing was with the return of the rental car at Kaohsiung HSR station! We were given this black and white printout; and we circled twice before I decided to stop and walk to find out its actual location! 

Found it! And a staff member of the rental car company approached us shortly to take over the car. Strangely, he didn't proceed to check the car in detail; or maybe he did, albeit quickly with his experience. 

Back at the car rental company where we had to return the fuel card and for calculation on the fuel we had pumped for the past week. It wasn't too bad I feel as it was only about NT$2,200 (less than S$100). 

p.s. Taken a photograph of the daily rental rates for your reference. Could be cheaper online as there were extra discounts but I do find the website harder to navigate! 

There's also a self served rental car service known as iRent; similar to BlueSG or GetGo in Singapore. Again, website was in Chinese and I am too lazy to read through. 

=====

Car Rental Company Website

https://www.easyrent.com.tw/

If you prefer to rent direct, at your own risk.

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

Walking Across the Causeway On Foot from Singapore to Johor, Malaysia!

Like many Singaporeans, a day trip to Johor Bahru (JB) in Malaysia is a frequent affair, especially for those living near the causeway and second link that provide crucial land connections from Singapore to Malaysia! 

Lately, however, I did notice a much higher spike of visitors to JB on weekends and this has resulted in long, snaking queue for the buses, which is my primary mode of transportation! This would mean a wait of more than 30 minutes to even an hour; a lot of wasted time if my plan was only for a day trip. 

Do you know that you can actually walk over the causeway? I did it on quite a number of occasions! First and foremost, go to the lane for the AC7 / Transtar / Private Bus, and go all the way straight towards the causeway. Should the police ask, just tell them you are walking over and they would even point you to the correct direction! 

Once you pass the metal revolving gates, you would arrive at the spiral staircase. Proceed all the way down! Signs were placed but so long you are not a directional idiot, you would know this shall be the correct direction. 

Continue along the path. One key thing to note should you decide to cross the causeway on foot; it's unsheltered for the most parts and I would strongly recommend bringing an umbrella in case it starts to rain. 

Take shelter here if it is pouring. Typical of Singapore and Malaysia weather, the heavy downpours are usually quite short but do check out the weather app in case you are unfortunate enough to encounter the rare instance of climate change effect.

Luck was on my side this morning. 

Overcast sky but it didn't rain at all! 

Familiar sight for those who travel to JB often. The 1.056-kilometre long Johor–Singapore Causeway that officially opened in 1923 and known as "one of the busiest border crossings in the world".

Pathway for road users like I. Nevertheless, do be mindful of cars and motorbikes that would zoom past, especially the latter which can navigate even when there is a jam. No monkeying around! 

Getting ready my fan to dispel the heat, despite the lack of direct sunlight. The distance between both checkpoints is about 2.4 kilometers and I am sure going to sweat madly. 

Car jams are common on weekends. The joke I often shared with friends was that my sister was driving in with my brother in law one Saturday but as I couldn't wake up, I went in on my own via public transport about two hours later. The bus I was on passed by their vehicle along the jammed causeway! 

Given the zero marker, I am guessing beyond would fall under Malaysia territory. 

View comprising the landscape from both countries. The body of water separating Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore is known as the Straits of Johor, with the causeway physically separating The Straits.

Proper pathway continues. 

Spotted a unique bird on a rock which differs from the usual pigeons, crows and sparrows. I am guessing this would be kingfisher although the ones I encounter so far fall under the common kingfisher species, which had a blue white plumage. 

 

A sign and an even bigger LED screen showing the love for Johor, an important state in Malaysia. Interestingly, I thought it would be more appropriate to indicate "Welcome to Johor, Malaysia". Love need not be so publicly displayed. 

No more pathway! Hence, please exercise extra caution as at this point, people on foot would have to cut cross the motorbike lane. As the drill goes, look left and right, but concentrate on the right as it's a one-way road. No zebra crossing so the motorbikes have right of way! 

Successfully cross over to the car lane.

Carry on walking along the shoulder. As most, if not all, humans do not have eyes at the back of their head, keep as close as possible to the left of the shoulder, and be alert.

Viaduct for the upcoming Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link! Many of us are excited as it would definitely cut short the commuting time. Most important question on most people's mind, how much would a one-way ticket be priced? 

Another challenge; crossing over to the bus lane! Wait, you can't just cross as and when; locating a breach in the line of red-white plastic barriers is the first step! 

Remember, I am a veteran. 

So crossing over for me is chicken feet.

Proceeding ahead, along an even narrower shoulder. As this is a bus lane, it would be a bit more terrifying as the buses literally speed next to you. Again, keep as close as possible to the left of the shoulder as an accident with a bus would be a lot more serious.

Those who took the bus would be familiar with the above building, as it signals the time for us to prepare to disembark. What many didn't realize was that the bridge is the same one bringing them from the Malaysian checkpoint to JB Sentral, and then to City Square Shopping Center! 

Arrival at the Malaysian Checkpoint!

Take the escalator towards immigration clearance! 

Immigration hall for entry to Malaysia. So how long did it take me to cover the distance from Singapore to JB on foot? About 26 minutes. Would it be better for me to have just waited for the bus? Maybe but as an impatient person who loves to walk, it's a risk I am not willing to take most of the times, unless it's raining very heavily.