New CIQ complex opens

JOHOR BARU: The new Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex will be fully operational tomorrow and replace the Causeway checkpoint in the city centre, which will be closed.

This means that all vehicles travelling to and from Singapore will have to use the new complex to get their passports stamped and Customs checks.

Ready for action: An aerial view of the new Sultan Iskandar Building (background), which houses the new Custom, Immigration and Quarantine complex in Johor Baru.

The RM1.3bil new complex, which has 76 lanes for cars and 100 for motorcycles, was partially operational on Dec 1 when vehicles from Singapore were diverted to the complex for a drive-through after completing their Immigration and Customs procedures at the Causeway checkpoint.

Starting tomorrow, all vehicles coming from Singapore must also use Touch ’n Go cards to pay toll as they enter Malaysia.

Previously, at the Causeway checkpoint, toll payments could be done with cash and Touch ’n Go cards.

Johor traffic police chief Supt T. Raveendran said full operations of the complex would start at 12.01am tomorrow and would involve all cars, buses, vans and motorcycles.

Lorries, however, would still use the Tanjung Puteri checkpoint.

Supt Raveendran said that at 11.45pm today, the existing Immigration counters in Jalan Tun Razak just before the Causeway would be closed.

All vehicles heading to Singapore between 11.45pm and midnight would be diverted to Jalan Sawmill behind the Johor Baru (central) police station, he added.

Vehicles would then have to go on either Jalan Pantai Lido or Jalan Wong Ah Fook to Jalan Tebrau and subsequently to Jalan Lingkaran Dalam to enter the Sultan Iskandar CIQ complex, he said.

After midnight, all vehicles should head directly to the Sultan Iskandar CIQ complex via Jalan Lingkaran Dalam.

The old Immigration checkpoint at the Causeway will be demolished after authorities are satisfied with the smooth flow of traffic at the new complex.

Engineer Darryl Chong, 32, who works in Singapore and used the new complex, said that he was concerned over the narrow roads at the new complex.

“The roads are very narrow for big vehicles,” he said.

He added that he was unsure whether larger vehicles would slow down the flow of traffic while trying to manoeuvre the winding roads.

Chong also noted the complex was fully covered.

Sources : The Star 15th Dec 2008

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Upon reading this news, I do not know whether to be happy or sad.

During Tun Dr Mahathir's era, he had planned a bigger and wider bridge to connect to Singapore. He is so determined to get this project done that he insisted that if Singapore did not agree, then he will continue on the project with a crooked bridge.

Alas, the leadership changed to Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi. He is famous for being a softie leader that he decided to change Tun Dr Mahathir's plan and bow down to Singapore. The old bridge is not dismantled at all.

When I came to know of Datuk Seri Abdullah's decision, my heart really aches and I believe same goes to all the Johoreans.

How I wish these leaders will go to the CIQ at 5am in the morning to see how terible the jam is. I really pity those Malaysians who travell to work in Singapore every day. They have to wake up at 4am or even earlier just to cross the bridge.

This suffer is actually not felt by the Johoreans only. The China tourists who visited Malaysia suffered the worst. The China tourists come to Malaysia via Singapore and go back to China via Singapore as well. This is due to the cheap flight tickets.

So, lets say the flight of the China tourists is at 10am. The Singapore travel agent will arrange a tour bus to pick them at Woodlands at 7am. This is because 1 hour is needed for the travel time from Woodlands to the Changi airport. And it is also a regulations that all tour groups have to check in 2 hours before flight time. So, thats the reason why Singapore travel agent will arrange the tour bus at 7am.

As for the Malaysia part, the tour guides will definately have to arrange 3.30am morning call and 4.00am check out from the hotel. We must reach the CIQ latest by 4.30am because if we reach later then that, all the industrial buses arrived and this will create a terrible jam.

Due to these circumstances, usually the China tourists will reach Singapore at about 5am. The worst is that the China tourists will have to sleep in the Malaysian tourists bus and wait till 7am. This is because the Singapore bus driver will only fetch the China tourists at 7am.

So, from here you can understand that not only the China tourists suffer but the Malaysian tour guides and drivers have the same fate at all.

I am hoping with this new CIQ, everything will be smoother and faster so that we need not have to wake up so early in the morning.

S'poreans still big spenders in M’sia despite slowdown

While reading news from the website, I came across this article from the STAR which will benefit all fellow Malaysian tour guides.

I really hope that the Malaysian tour guides will print this article and show it as a proof to the tourists that WE in Malaysian definitely is the shopping paradise compare to Singapore.

The Singaporean tour guides will always bad mouthed about Malaysia to the China tourists. This is because the KIASU or KIASI country will always be the first destination. So the Singaporean tour guide will bad mouth about Malaysia and hope that the China tourists will spend and purchase more items in Singapore.

So, I hope with this article we can show to all foreign tourists that Malaysia is not only the TRULY ASIA country but we are also the TRULY SHOPPING PARADISE.

Below is the article which I get it from the STAR newspaper dated 13th Dec 2008.

JOHOR BAHARU: Singaporeans, despite facing some tough economic conditions back home, are still the big spenders in Malaysia.

Figures gleaned from the 2008 Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival statistics showed that Singaporeans spent the most with a whopping RM64.7mil in credit card transactions.

Indonesians are next with RM42.9mil and that is why Tourism Malaysia is confident that the Malaysia Savings Sale 2008, which began on Nov 29 and ends on Jan 4, will enjoy the same success, if not better.

Speaking at the Johor launch of the Malaysia Saving Sales 2008 at the Plaza Pelangi on Friday night, Datuk Idros Mohd, the chief executive officer of Pempena Sdn Bhd, the Shopping Malaysia arm of the Tourism Ministry, said that Singapore was still the country's No 1 market.

"There is no denying that we depend a lot on Singaporeans as far as tourist arrival figures are concerned. In fact, last year we welcomed an estimated 10.5 million Singaporeans. "In a way, the Malaysia Savings Sale 2008 is targetted primarily at the Singapore market and Johor Baru being the closest to the republic is our main focus.

"People say that during these tough economic climate, shopping is the last thing on their minds. But I see it as a blessing in disguise for Malaysian retailers. "Times are tough and consumers are more careful with their money. That's why it's so attractive for Singaporeans to make their short hop-over to Johor Baharu to shop because of the favourable exchange rate," he said.

The opening of the new Customs and Immigration Complex scheduled for Tuesday also means that Singaporeans will enjoy a smoother drive into the city, Idros added.

The Malaysia Savings Sale 2008 was first launched by Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said at the Pavillion in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 29 and since then it had launches in Langkawi, Miri, Kota Kinabalu, Penang and now Johor Baru. - Bernama

Putrajaya Part 2

As I have mentioned in my previous blog, I really do not know and do not understand why there are still so many tour groups that do not have this tourists spot in their itinerary.

From time to time, I meet up with quite a few back packers while I am on my job as tour guide. They will usually ask me is there any other tourist spot nearby Kuala Lumpur worth for them to make a visit. I will always recommend them the Putrajaya.

But please bear in mind that the mode of transportation to Putrajaya is not easy. My recommendation is that the best way to go to Putrajaya is to use the ERL transit from the KL Sentral to Putrajaya station. Then from there on, you will be able to get the public bus.

Besides the Dataran Putra where usually you will find the most tourists ( this is the central of Putrajaya where the pink Putra Mosque and the Seri Perdana is located), there are still a lot of places worth for you to go for a stroll or visit.

1) The Botany Garden http://www.virtualmalaysia.com/destination/botanical%20garden.html

2) The Wetlands http://www.kuala-lumpur.ws/putrajaya/wetland.html

3) Taman Warisan http://www.virtualmalaysia.com/destination/taman%20warisan%20pertanian.html

4) Putrajaya Lake Cruise http://www.i-putra.com.my/minisite/leisure_cruise.htm ( This is definately a must when you pay a visit to the Dataran Putra. )


5) The Alamanda : The Shopping Centre of Putrajaya

Please take note that there is a newly built hotel in Putrajaya which is the Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside.

Thousand Apologies...

First and foremost I must apologise to all readers for being absent for such a long time. I was just too busy with my China tours.

Actually I really feel very lucky for during this bad season ( due to the bad economy, terrorists in Mumbai, India and the strikes in the Bangkok airport ), I can still take China groups non stop.

All my company tour groups are not affected by the Bangkok airport incidents because my company only deals with the Guang Dong agents. Most of the Guang Dong tourists will fly directly to Singapore first and then only to Malaysia. So, this is the reason why I am not badly affected.

Any way how, from now onwards, I will try my very best to update my tour blog from time to time. And of course, I really hope to hear some feed back or any questions pertaining to tours in Malaysia.

Thank You.