JOHOR BAHRU

The mural along Jalan Tan Hiok Nee is alive.

It performed a dragon dance a little over an hour after clearing 41.4 kilometers from Changi Airport to the Johor Bahru Checkpoint, a rain-induced Malay buffet dinner at Lepak Corner and real sleep in a real bed at Amari Hotel, and claiming my badge and goodie bag at Pesada Johor Internasional.   

It doesn't matter that the bus driver's zipper is open throughout the trip, that the immigration officer at CIQ never heard of APCW 2023, or I was served hot teh tarik instead of the cold one I ordered because the Straits of Johor may sound big but it is actually narrower than the 1.056-kilometer Johor-Singapore Causeway. 

In Johor Bahru, the rains fall at 2 pm and stops after an hour so by 4 pm, I changed into Indiana Jones to explore the Old JB Town Heritage Food Trail where I had a late big lunch of Restoran IT Roo's (circa 1960s) famous Hainanese chicken chop, so huge that I left some on the plate to offer to the memory of the wealthy Indian family who built The Red House and to the gods of the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple whose main gate is the subject of a young street photographer.

That was on Monday and a pint of Guinness stout at McGregor's while the RWI fellows opted for small glasses of weak Tiger Beer after a futile search for Jalan Wong Ah Fock's recommended must eats, that same day I confused with Tuesday and the side event I excellently moderated I was told, perhaps the result of a more palatable boxed free lunch despite a 15-minute technical glitch.

Yes, Tueday was the big day but Sang Heng (circa 1950s) remained closed, maybe forever, and I don't really like banana cake so I left Hiap Joo Bakery (circa 1919) for a pack of kaya buns at Salahuddin Bakery (circa 1937) before a late afternoon breakfast of kaya toasts, soft boiled egg and hot tea at Restoran Hua Mui (1946) that should have been the sop kambing I craved for because dinner, although free, is a disappointing bowl of fish that someone choose for me because I asked him to. 

On Wednesday, Grab took took me to JB Sentral to be swallowed by the throng making its way to Singapore, an hour too early but late enough for the CIQ immigration officer who fell asleep while stamping my passport that was held up at the Woodlands Checkpoint because my approved electronic arrival application to Singapore is for single entry only, something that the talkative coach driver did not tell until our arrival at Changi's Terminal 1.

But "life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get" (Mama Gump).

I got an early check in from Jewel 5 hours into my flight back to Manila which means 5 hours of enjoying the hospitality of SATS Premiere Lounge's bar and kitchen, had an entire row for myself at PR 508,  and was delivered at Hop Inn-Morato from NAIA Terminal in no time despite the rush hour traffic. 

Johor Bahru was almost dry and halal so a young Barbie Doll dedicated a Johnny Walker Black for us in Bongabon while an older and familiar version of her piled heaps of lechong baboy over a case of San Miguel Premium All-Malt after 8 hours on stage at the Palayan City convention...