J to the B

Going to JB is like, to quote Meng, taking a "step back in time". A time when taxis didn't have meters and you negotiated(more like asked, because the drivers don't seem to understand the concept of negotiate) your fare before boarding. A time when shopping centres were not full of foreign brands and the best you could hope for was an outlet of Levi's here and a Bonia boutique there. A time when you had to watch the pavement for holes and huge drain grills that seem to defeat the purpose of having drain grills because they are spaced so far apart anyway!

Perhaps the most compelling reason to take this journey back in time is because of the prices. 1980s environment = 1980s prices. Unless of course you're looking to buy fragrances or clothes from international brands, in which case you're better off staying in the first world. For me, touring JB was like moving from one gastronomical delight to the next. We started by having lunch at this Hong Kong style restaurant reminiscent of the ones we have in Singapore.Having reached Malaysian shores, we took a taxi down to Holiday Plaza, which according to certain sources was the only place worth visiting in this thriving metropolis. I'm afraid that bar a handful of shops selling pirated software and some sleazy sex stores, the place was as dead as Janet Jackson's career. We took the opportunity of lunch to regroup and launch a new plan of attack.

Which brought us to Pelangi Plaza, a respectable mall with a Cold Storage and smattering of shops, including the very prestigious METROJAYA department store. The main highlight of the place was a Secret Recipe where prices were the same numerical value as in Singapore - but in Malaysian Ringgit. Much as I dislike it, I couldn't avoid the typical Singaporean reaction. 'Wah! So cheap!' The strawberry cheescake I had wasn't exactly delectably divine, but for $2.50 it was good enough I suppose.

From there we started walking around aimlessly for some reason, bizarrely choosing not to take a taxi because of a 1 ringgit difference in fare. On the plus side, this was an opportunity to explore the raw and gritty side of JB, with the aforementioned redundant drain grill, as well as such oddities as the Cosy Inn.
Ah! The New York Hotel! But make no mistake bitch. Look around you. This obviously is no Manhattan.

Next stop was the most Singaporean mall of the day, JB City Square, complete with Starbucks and all. There was an interesting store selling various frivolous knick-knacks and such, along with an alleged I-Pod speaker, retailing for around RM 30. I was tempted to buy it but common sense prevailed and I left the store empty-handed. Lena and Yin Xuan on the other hand went crazy and pranced around like little schoolgirls in a candyshop, ooh-ing and ah-ing over keychains, clocks, tissue disposal bins, and all those random embellishments that you put in your room in the name of decoration. All of us had Yammi Yoghurt, which was also going for half the price, and rounded of the binging at this Taiwanese snacks store in the basement. Mmm mm mm. I felt like cooking mama. Ok actually no but that's the name of some trashy Nintendo game Meng was talking about last night that sounds hilarious.

Yet another taxi ride brought us to Tebrau market, where we feasted on egg tofu, prawns, kiam chai soup and kang kong, along with 2 huge jugs of sugar cane juice, all for just 64 Ringgit! That works out to less than $8 a person!

It was well past 9 by the time we crossed the causeway and made our way through customs and back into the regulated order of Singapore. I've had my misgivings about our version of Tijuana...and I still do, but it wasn't as bad as I'd imagined it to be. Next time I'm in the mood for a binging spree, I'll be back in the land of the brown, the potholes and the durians.