MALAYSIA
PENINSULAR MALAYSIA – EAST COAST •• Johor Bahru Book your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotelsQuarantine complex (which is linked to the
train station). That said, this is one of the
edgiest towns in Malaysia and you’ll need to
keep alert for motorcycle snatch thieves.
There’s a Tourism Malaysia (h8am-4.30pm Mon-
Thu, 8am-12.15pm & 2.45-4.30pm Fri, 8am-12.45pm Sat) in
the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine
complex just as you clear Singapore immigra-
tion that have some handy maps and pam-
phlets, but the staff are pretty useless.
The finest museum of its kind in Malaysia,
Muzium Diraja Abu Bakar (%223 0555; adult US$7;
h9am-5pm Sat-Thu) conveys the wealth and
privilege of the sultans. Tickets are payable
in ringgit at a bad exchange rate; the ticket
counter closes at 4pm.Sleeping & Eating
If you’re on a tight budget hop on any bus
and leave town – JB has some of the priciest
rooms in Malaysia. Most budget hotels ask
for a room deposit of around RM30 that’s
returned to you when you check out.
Meldrum Hotel (%227 8988; http://www.meldrumhotel.com;
1 Jln Siu Nam; dm/s/d RM32/64/76) Air-conditioned,
clean, spacious and freshly painted with TVs,
free drinking water and kettles, the rooms
here are downright plush.
JB Hotel (%223 4989; 80-A Jln Wong Ah Fook; r RM70;
a) Small air-con rooms come with TV, tiled
floor and sinks but bathrooms are shared. It’s
family-run, helpful and very clean.Make the best of your time in JB by eat-
ing at the excellent hawker venues, including
the Medan Selera Meldrum Walk (meals from RM3;
hdinner), crammed along the alley that runs
parallel to Jln Meldrum, and the Tepian Tebrau
food centre (Jln Abu Bakar), which is famous for its
ikan bakar (grilled fish).Getting There & Away
AIR
JB is served by Malaysia Airlines (%334 1011; www
.malaysiaairlines.com.my), Firefly (%603 7845 4543; www
.fireflyz.com.my) and Air Asia (%1300 889 933; http://www.air
asia.com). Most domestic flights connect through
KL, a four-hour bus ride away. Larkin bus sta-
tion is 2.5km north of the city centre.
JB’s airport is 32km northwest of town
at Senai.BOAT
Ferries leave Johor Bahru for islands in
Indonesia; see above for details.BUS & TAXI
Most people travel from Johor Bahru to
Singapore by bus; see above for information.
Johor Bahru’s long-distance bus station
is Larkin station, located 5km north of the
centre. Buses run to and from Larkin to all
parts of the country, including Melaka (RM19,
three hours, hourly), KL (RM31, four hours,
hourly), Ipoh (RM49, seven hours, one daily),GETTING TO SINGAPORE & INDONESIAJohor Bahru to Singapore
There are frequent buses between JB’s Larkin bus station, 5km north of the city, and Singapore’s
Queen St bus station. Most convenient is the Singapore–Johor Bahru Express (RM2.40, one hour,
every 10 minutes from 6.30am to midnight). Alternatively, there’s the slower city Bus 170 (RM1.70).
Both buses stop at the Malaysian and Singapore immigration checkpoints; disembark from the
bus with your luggage, go through immigration and reboard on the other side (keep your ticket).
From central JB, board any bus after clearing Malaysian immigration just before the Causeway –
you can buy a ticket on the bus.
There are also trains to Singapore, but it’s more convenient to take a bus or taxi. Walking across
the Causeway was technically forbidden at the time of research but plenty of Singaporeans do it
anyway and there are plans to open a legal pedestrian route; the trip takes 25 minutes.
See p674 for details on doing the trip in the opposite direction.Johor Bahru to Pulau Batam & Pulau Bintan (Riau Islands)
There are several daily departures to Batam (one way RM69, 1½ hours) and Tanjung Pinang on
Bintan (one way RM86, 2½ hours), both islands (part of Indonesia’s Riau Islands) with connections
to Sumatra in Indonesia. Additional boats depart from Kukup, southwest of JB, to Tanjung Balai,
also in Indonesia. See p320 for information on doing the trip in reverse.472