Kuality Time >> Hi Remi, is it true that last Friday was public Holiday and you took your motorbike out on a trip to Singapore?
Remi >> That's correct!
KT >> Awsome, how was that?
R >> Moist... it rained every afternoon :-( Fortunately I got to wake up early and enjoy some morning sun.
KT >> So it's been your trip on the East coast, then a trip up North to Penang & Pangkor, and now Singapore, not counting all the weekend trips in Selangor... Don't you get any bored of it???
R >> No, really not! It's been different every time: Malaysia is full of variety, and conservative East coast is definitely different from urbanized Penang or wild Pahang! And while driving down South through Johor I got to discover a new face of Malaysia: little towns that are fare less developed than Klang Valley, but that are still very different from conservative East coast. Actually I think this was a glimpse of what Malaysia used to be 50 years ago, before Kuala Lumpur and the whole Klang Valley become so industrialized.
KT >> Did you bring any picture back?
R >> Not really, I'm definitely not good at capturing urban scenes and I'm not happy with was I shot.
KT >> Come on, you're being shy, I'm sure you've got some OK shots!
R >> No, but I wanna work on this aspect of photography and learn how to capture street snapshots...
KT >> So you crossed borders by plane, bus, boat, car, train, taxi, foot... and now motorcycle. How was that?
R >> Actually a bit boring: a crowd of Malaysians from Johor Bahru crosses the border everyday to get to work in Singapore, and the queue of motorcycle is huge! With all those engines idling, I was breezing in exhaust gas during all the waiting time...
KT >> And how was Singapore?
R >> Actually I've been there 5 years ago. I remember when I was roaming through Little India, I thought it was a bit messy and dirty. Now, 5 years later, after living in Malaysia and traveling through South-East Asia, I found Little India was the cleanest Little India I ever saw! Singapore reminded me of some Europeans cities. The memory I had of Singapore from my previous trip 5 years ago was wrong: I forgot how much greenery there is, and how pleasant it is to walk around. Singapore strongly differentiates from other Asian capital in that it is not as bustling. I expect quite a reverse cultural shock when (if ever) I'll settle back to France...
Aside from this I really enjoyed the cultural display in Singapore, like the amazing Asian Civilization museum (currently being renovated btw, can't wait to see the new version). Singaporeans are very good at preserving cultural heritage and old buildings, which is definitely missing in M'sia.
Remi >> That's correct!
KT >> Awsome, how was that?
R >> Moist... it rained every afternoon :-( Fortunately I got to wake up early and enjoy some morning sun.
KT >> So it's been your trip on the East coast, then a trip up North to Penang & Pangkor, and now Singapore, not counting all the weekend trips in Selangor... Don't you get any bored of it???
R >> No, really not! It's been different every time: Malaysia is full of variety, and conservative East coast is definitely different from urbanized Penang or wild Pahang! And while driving down South through Johor I got to discover a new face of Malaysia: little towns that are fare less developed than Klang Valley, but that are still very different from conservative East coast. Actually I think this was a glimpse of what Malaysia used to be 50 years ago, before Kuala Lumpur and the whole Klang Valley become so industrialized.
KT >> Did you bring any picture back?
R >> Not really, I'm definitely not good at capturing urban scenes and I'm not happy with was I shot.
KT >> Come on, you're being shy, I'm sure you've got some OK shots!
R >> No, but I wanna work on this aspect of photography and learn how to capture street snapshots...
KT >> So you crossed borders by plane, bus, boat, car, train, taxi, foot... and now motorcycle. How was that?
R >> Actually a bit boring: a crowd of Malaysians from Johor Bahru crosses the border everyday to get to work in Singapore, and the queue of motorcycle is huge! With all those engines idling, I was breezing in exhaust gas during all the waiting time...
KT >> And how was Singapore?
R >> Actually I've been there 5 years ago. I remember when I was roaming through Little India, I thought it was a bit messy and dirty. Now, 5 years later, after living in Malaysia and traveling through South-East Asia, I found Little India was the cleanest Little India I ever saw! Singapore reminded me of some Europeans cities. The memory I had of Singapore from my previous trip 5 years ago was wrong: I forgot how much greenery there is, and how pleasant it is to walk around. Singapore strongly differentiates from other Asian capital in that it is not as bustling. I expect quite a reverse cultural shock when (if ever) I'll settle back to France...
Aside from this I really enjoyed the cultural display in Singapore, like the amazing Asian Civilization museum (currently being renovated btw, can't wait to see the new version). Singaporeans are very good at preserving cultural heritage and old buildings, which is definitely missing in M'sia.
2 comments:
Even being a foreigner didn't cause probs at the border?
Jayna
Haha, "mat saleh boleh"! (foreigners ok)...
Actually my bike is local brand and registered in Malaysia, my driving license is Malaysian, my road tax is up-to-date, etc... Everything was in order, so I guessed it made thinks easier.
Also, Singapore is a fairly developed country in the region, and corruption is at the lowest level. Of course, things would be much more tricky in let's say Indonesia (I've been told you have to cough up about 400 USD backshish to get your motorbike through the border), if not impossible (Myanmar for instance).
Post a Comment