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. 

Freshly Grilled Squid from 夜鱿现烤鱿鱼 @ Liuhe Night Market in Kaohsiung [Taiwan]

I really feel that night markets in cold countries beat those in tropical countries anytime. Like when I strolling along Liuhe Night Market in Kaohsiung; I caught strong whiffs of seafood goodness that totally whet my appetite in the cool climate! 

Following the aroma, I found a gentleman using a griddle to flatten and grill a large piece of squid. With the sizzles and warm smoke emitting from the pan, I swallowed my saliva and proceeded to order a serving after the boss kindly offered a sample! So kind...

Using a "new" squid, here's my order, cut into shoestring form. Just wondering, would I gain better satisfaction without it being cut? One whole piece, slowly chomped and chewed into bits and pieces!

Placed into a bag; we were asked if we would like to top up NT$50 for an extra 50%. Feeling this would be exceptionally good, we agreed without any hesitation! 

Given that it was served freshly grilled, the pack was all steamed up, doubling up as a hand warmer in the cold weather! But no, my purpose of purchase would be to eat the thick strings of squid! 

So how they fare?! As good as the unforgettable ones from Jeju
; albeit warmer! Loving the natural sweetness without any seasoning and it's like having thick and chewy (yet not rubbery) crab meat. Yummy! 

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Address

Along Liuhe 2nd Rd, Sinsing District, 

Within Liuhe Night Market

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 

Map

As above.

Pricing

Freshly Grilled Squid - NT$150.

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)

Waffletown 2025 @ NEWest in Singapore

Going to Waffletown is like a walk down memory lane for me. An eatery originating from Bukit Timah Plaza over 40 years old, moved over to Balmoral Plaza and announced its closure in 2021, drawing long queues that resulted in a disappointed me who couldn't endure the hour-long wait.

Gratefully, it reopened for business at a location nearer my workplace, at NEWest! I visited a few times and thought it's time to give this a blog a break from the deluge of overseas postings in recent days, and go back to local eateries! 

Featuring its signage that remained unchanged throughout the years, what surprised me more was that even the interior retained its old school charm, including the preservation of the uncomfortable chairs! 

Want to guess what I shall be having first? 

Hint: Salted butter and maple (flavored) syrup.

Plain Waffle - of course we had to eat waffle at Waffletown, although I did share that their main specialty here is not the waffles. Nonetheless, butter and maple syrup are must-haves for simple cafe waffle! 

With a crisp shell (at least for some sections), this felt like McDonald's breakfast hotcakes with syrup and butter, albeit in crispier form. Between the two, I am all for McDonald's hotcakes! I had to remind myself; those hotcakes are calorie-hefty; 557 calories! 

Clucky Lucky Fried Chicken - for both Alex and I, the fried chicken would be a bigger draw for us than the chicken! That's why friends were puzzled whenever I recommend fried chicken at Waffletown, often responding: "Wait, aren't the waffles the signatures?" 

You know how in those American movies, the actors / actresses would bite into the fried chicken and then express total bliss?! That would be exactly whenever I sink my teeth into a piece of clucky lucky fried chicken at Waffletown! 

Without much fanfare; they were, simply put, uncomplicated fried chicken with common seasonings; freshly fried, hot with moist meat, thinly crisp chicken skin and bones that were not black (high chance the chicken wasn't frozen).  

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We cleaned up everything! p.s. the waffle was gone shortly after. Given that I am just a 15-minute bus ride from my workplace, I shall be a frequent patron. Only "negative" feedback - I think the chicken parts have shrunk over the years.

Address

1 West Coast Drive, #01-106 

NEWest, Singapore 128020

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Plain Waffle - S$3.20

4-Piece Clucky Lucky Fried Chicken - S$12.60

(NETT)

My First Time Experiencing an Earthquake @ Kaohsiung in Taiwan

The time was about 12.17 am and I was happily in dreamland at Chateau de Chine Hotel in Kaohsiung when I felt someone shaking me. No, nothing paranormal. I opened my eyes and found a frantic Alex screaming at me to quickly get out! 

Honestly, I thought sensitive him must have encountered a ghost and wanted to get the hell out of the room! I focused and the actual words coming out from his mouth were: "There's an earthquake! We have to leave!" That's when I realized the room was swaying! 

Rushing down the exit staircase in my half-awoke state, wearing a pair of slippers, bermuda pants, sleeveless t-shirt, and without my phone and spectacles, to the lobby as the lifts were already not working; we stepped out of the hotel and "embraced" the cold air of around 15 degrees celcius.  

After around ten minutes in the open, I insisted on returning to the hotel room despite strong objections from Alex! Knowing how jittery he can get when it comes to such matters, I promised it was just to gather warm clothing, take my phone, wear my glasses and back to the great outdoors again. 

With the informative device (my phone, that is) safely in my hands, I noticed the emergency president alerts and a online search revealed that there was an earthquake at Chiayi, where we came from earlier that day! The estimated magnitude of the earthquake was said to be 5.3 on the Richter scale.

A confirmation later in the day indicated that it's 6.4 on the Richter scale at its epicentre in Chiayi, and by the time it reached Kaohsiung, the tremors had reduced to about 5.0. Now, I can't imagine how bad would a 8.0 be since it was already quite terrifying for us at 5.0! 

Spent more than an hour in the open (the area as above, albeit a street view on Google Maps in the daytime) as Alex was dead worried of aftershocks. By then, I was exhausted whereas Alex had struck a lively conversation with a local Taiwanese from Hualien, a county that just faced an earthquake of over 7.0 at the Richter scale less than a year ago. 

We proceeded to a pretty full 24-hour McDonald's outlet for some beverages and after collecting the hot chocolate and finding a seat on the second floor; an alert was pushed to all the mobile phones! Imagine all phones in the fast food eatery beeping at the same time! 

So, we were back to the open area whereas 90% of the customers remained in the restaurant! Frankly, I think Taiwanese are generally unfazed with earthquakes in general. And for both of us scaredy-cat Singaporeans (more Alex than I), it was an experience we hope not to encounter again. 

p.s. Alex should have found somewhere to hide in the room, under a table or something, instead of dragging me down to the ground level. 

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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)