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It's a good job I like trains!

Having hot footed it out of Khota Bahru and caught, by the skin of my teeth ( time difference of +1hr if you remember) the train down to Gemas it turned out that I could actually buy a ticket all the way through to Joror Bahru for onwards travel to Singapore so I persuaded the ticket clerk just before I boarded to swop my ticket without a penalty. This he very kindly did, but as I was boarding I noticed that he'd made the second leg on the 22nd. Now Johor Barhu might be a great place but I had no intentions of spending nearly a week there!

Oh dear, it's never simple is it?

Anyway, settled on train, seat not window and not facing direction as I was assured they would be but, heck, I'm on the flipping thing.

Chunter chunter through the jungle of which I saw nothing due to my desire to escape KB. Anyway, I think they're chopping vast areas of it down for palm tree planting, shame.

And yes, of course there was a 3 year old 2 rows in front who managed to scream most of the night.

There is MASSIVE infrastructure work going on along the line, think they must be building a new planet.



Arriving at Johor Barhu is interesting as you immediately get channeled through the Malaysian Exit system including nowadays having to have your index fingers checked by scanners for temperature levels, then through Singapore Entrance system with the same rigmarole, and it's at this stage that you
discover you haven't filled in an entrance card. Well no-one told me I had to. But they were all lovely to me and enjoyed my memories of being here 45 years ago!

Then it's on to the special train that takes you over the border, where you are finally in Singapore, eureka!



Bus to Woodlands next to connect with the MRT (their tube system)  you need the exact money of course which I don't have so pay the driver a generous 'tip' but at least I'm on, complete with an amount of luggage that would test a Sherpa.



I'm not a fan of Starbucks but when you've been travelling for the best part of 48 hours, you're dirty, tired, stressed, accommodation less and without wifi then seeing a Starbucks is like winning the lottery!

Accommodation booked in Chinatown, 3 day Tourist travel pass purchased and off I go on the MRT. Get to my accommodation and it's entry via app or wifi messages. Problem is I haven't got wifi so back to a Starbucks, they do have their uses in society! Am given my entry codes, get outside my room and the PIN number doesn't work. Back to Starbucks, get online and recount my tale of woe. Man comes round within 15 minutes and sees they've given me the wrong room number (so much for all this bl.... smart arse high tech!), moves me to another room, oh dear, that can't be right, there's someone in there, and eventually realises I'm not room 315 or 305 I'm 314. By this time that's about how old I feel!!

Room is TINY, think a rabbit would feel constrained but hey ho the pin works and the facilities are brilliant.

Final saga of the day, go out for much needed food only to discover to my surprise that unlike London or Bangkok or NY or anywhere 'normal', here they shut up shop at 9pm. So after all I've been through in the past week I end up eating a KFC, hardly authentic, but at least the place was open, even if only just.

Fingers crossed tomorrow is a day I which I can actually achieve something other than being hot and tired and stressed and lost and confused.

But I am loving every minute of it, it's what adventurous travelling is all about.

See you all soon!


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