On our second day in Melaka, we decided to make use of our remaining time before our taxi picks us up at 10:30 in the morning in the hostel. We had breakfast at the Ola Lavanderia Cafe. We decided to have big breakfast because we knew we would not be eating inside the bus during the 4-hour trip. It was also a good thing that we ate a lot because we did not expect to get stranded at the Tuas Immigration for a good four hours.
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| Big breakfast (12 ringgits) |
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| Honey pancakes (8 ringgits) + cappuccino (8 ringgits) |
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| Healthy breakfast (12 ringgits) |
Then we turned right to Jalan Portugis, then right again to Jalan Masjid until we saw the huge red wall. We realized that wall is already near the river so we crossed a bridge, and turned right. We followed the course of the river until we reached Discovery Cafe. Then we crossed the river through the bridge, walked along the river until Jalan Tukang Besi again.
At the tip of Jalan Tukang Besi, near the river, there is a friendship marker between Malaysia and China.
After our walking tour, we dropped by the San Shu Gong center at the entrance of Jonker Street to buy pasalubong. My sister went crazy over the instant coffee that we brough back one bag. We went back to our hostel, I took a poop and a bath, and waited for a few minutes for our taxi.
Side note: A not-so-funny thing happened when our taxi arrived. Our hostel requires guests to remove their shoes so our shoes were at the front door the whole time. Jalan Tukang Besi where the hostel is located is a small one-way road. My brother was taking his time fixing his shoes and our taxi driver was already irritated because another car was behind him waiting to pass. My husband, my sister, and I were already inside the taxi waiting for our brother when the taxi driver took off. We were so scared we would leave our brother behind, but thankfully, the taxi driver just drove back to the hostel and picked our brother up. The taxi driver said he did not want to have the other car waiting. I was embarrassed for being insensitive but I offered him a 10 ringgit tip for the hassle but he wouldn't take it.
When we got to the Melaka Sentral, I immediately looked for the Starmart Express kiosk to have our pre-booked ticket validated. We then bought snacks/lunch at the McDonald's and waited for our bus. We left Melaka at 11AM and arrived in Johor Bahru at 3PM. We passed by the Malaysian immigration once again and crossed the Causeway. There was a traffic jam and we were at the Causeway for an hour. Unfortunately, the traffic jam continued at the Tuas immigration. We were standing in line for three and a half hours at the immigration as the immigration officers were slow in processing passports. Most of the tourists in line were Chinese tourists traveling in groups and they were very tense because they had a flight to catch in the evening. Finally, we were out of the immigration but our bus already left us. We asked around and learned that there is a yellow Causeway bus (to the right of the Tuas immigration exit). The bus only accepts cash, so prepare ahead. The bus delivered us to the Jurong East station. The Causeway bus costs SG$2,50 each person. I'm not sure what caused our delay at the Tuas Immigration but every country has the right to deny or grant access to foreigners. My tip would be to not violate any of the rules posted at the immigration center. Whatever prohibited things you have, throw it away. Do not take the risk. And bring ample supply of drinks and food.
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