Went to Malaysia for a few hours kanina. Just wanted to make a quick day trip that isn't located in Singapore. One of the wonderful things about living in Singapore is that for just S$0.80 na pamasahe, naka-abroad na ako. :D
After a quick run through the immigration checkpoints of both countries, I was ready to explore Johor Bahru, Malaysia! :D
The first things I noticed upon exiting the immigration office on the Malaysian side were the wonderful street food on display. Namiss ko bigla ang Pinas. Wala kasing mga cariton selling all kinds of wonderful culinary delights sa Singapore. Unless you count Old Changkee. I super loved their gaway-gaway sa nukos by the way. (Is that what they're called? Kana gung octopus or squid tentacles.)
I felt that I was food heaven. Klaro kaayo nga tourist kay sige hangad and lingi-lingi. :D I wanted to try everything! Pero at the same time I was concerned about hygiene din. Pero syaro, sa dinugay-dugay nako nga pagpalit ug mga fishballs, tempura at kung anik-anik pa sa Pinas, wala man ko dutli, puryagaba lang. :D
I bought slices of some of the sweetest mangoes I've tasted outside the Philippines and liberally added some chili sauce. Lami-a uy! :D The sweetness of the mangoes with the spicy tang of the chili. I should try this more often. As soon as I can find a Singaporean version that is. Their chili sauce is the kind that I haven't seen in Singapore.
After climbing a (dirty with matching beggars) overpass, we sought airconditioned comfort from the ka-igang outside. How come when we are barely an hour away from Singapore, it already feels like its a lot warmer in Malaysia? Must be all the trees that surrounds Singapore that makes the equatorial heat more bearable.
When we entered the mall, that's when disaster struck. Napurdoy nami nga one floor pa lang gani amo natuyok. :D It just seems so much easier to spend when your money suddenly doubles in value. Somehow, in the malls of Malaysia, spending more than S$30 on a shirt seems so much more doable than in Sg na ang first reaction kay, "So expensive lah!".
My bf bought a pair of leather sandals from this one store, and promptly brought another pair in the next store. Pamahak talaga si tita oo. (aka his nanay :D ) In fairness, this is a guy who rarely buys clothes and shoes. (Pero name every IT show and expo in Sg and I'm sure he has bought some kind of gadget and techie thingamajig from there.)
Tita bought shirts from Body Glove and I had my sole purchase, a Polo pique shirt with the American flag sewn on the back and front. Di naman ako masyado colonial mentality. I rationalized the price saying that my sunglasses cost more than the shirt since it (the shirt) was on sale for 50% off. Buti na lang kasya sa akin since display items na lang ang nabilin.
I regretted not exchanging any money. We just relied on the bf's credit card and the few Sing dollars he exchanged. I thought I would be able to control myself kasi and that I wouldn't seriously like any of the things on display. Pero dead wrong, some the shoes I saw were absolutely gorgeous.
We ate portuguese chicken for dinner and tita kept saying, lasang intsik daw. What exactly is lasang intsik, only tita knows apparently. For me, it was good enough and if they say its portuguese chicken then its portuguese chicken. :D
I so wanted to stay longer but it was getting late and we were getting poorer by the minute. We were worried about the fare going back since we only had RM3.10 left. But thanks to modern technology and international cooperation, we were able to ride a bus from Malaysia straight to Singapore and paid with our ez link cards.
In fairness, nalingaw ko sa Johor inspite of all the warnings na mura daw ug Tondo. Mura bitaw gyud. Pero I'm definitely still going back. There are several pairs of gorgeous shoes anxiously waiting for my return. :D
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