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Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Click on the pictures to enlarge
Johor Bahru (JB) is Singapore's twin city, just across the Johor Bahru straights, but there is a world of difference. One day was enough of the sterility of Singapore, so JB was something of a relief because it was a city with life, lots of people on the streets, and Parisian-style fruit vendors.
On the way home, I was a bit confused as to the location of the ticket office where I was to purchase the bus ticket to Singapore. On the platform I happened upon an unofficial-looking fellow who was asking if I had a ticket. After a bit of hand-wringing, I gave him S$4 (US$2.05), and he ran across the platform, across the road (including scaling the 6' fence in the median), and into an office across the street. I figured he had absquatulated with my money and to chalk this up to experience. Surprisingly, he came running back shortly later with my ticket and asked if he could keep the S$1.40 (US$0.70) change. I told him "certainly" and headed to have my passport stamped.
For more information on JB, visit http://www.visitorjohor.com/interest/main.htm
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The State Secretariat Building ws built on a hill in 1940, among the last British colonial buildings. The building still houses numerous government offices today. During World War II, Imperial Japan occupied the building as a fortress when planning attacks on Singapore. |
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This brightly-decorated Hindu temple located near the State Secretariat Building is adorned with dozens of busts of Hindu deities. The flags make it look like a used car dealership, IMHO. I couldn't find much other info on it. |
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This McDonald's kiosk is located in a shopping mall lobby. Small, easily prepared items like ice cream cones are sold on the opposite side. The Malaysian building permit approval process is so notoriously complex that it became the butt of a lot of jokes in my world real estate class, so I presume McDonald's would rather just rent space somewhere where the roof is already built. |
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The Grand Palace was commissioned by Sultan Abu Bakar, who laid the foundation stone in 1864 back when JB was an independent Sultanate. The Anglo-Malay architecture is interesting because it is so far removed from the Versailles influence of the great European palaces. Much of the furniture inside has similar Anglo-Malay influence. The palace has an extensive garden. One of the most disgusting images in the whole world was found at the attached Museum. The Sultan has displayed his numerous hunting trophies from around the turn of the century, when it was still P.C. to boast about the number of tigers one could kill in a single day. The museum houses numerous elephant tusks, heads, and assorted body parts made into hideous everyday objects like trash cans and ashtrays, plus stuffed tigers, gavials, a rhino, and other now-endangered species. On the whole, despite the historical accuracy of the presentation, it was the most offensive and off-putting sight on my whole trip around the world. In Singapore the night before, the Night Safari discussed the extreme importance of saving creatures like elephants and tigers from extinction, and in Johor Bahru, the Sultan brags about how many he killed in a day. |
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The Palace grounds overlook the Straights of Johor Bahru. The island of Singapore is visible across the horizon. |
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The grounds look back upon the State Secretariat Building. |
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