The Doubtful Charms of Jalan Wong Ah Kook, Johor Baru

I have traveled several times to JB over the past twenty years, usually from Singapore, and usually to play golf at the several good courses on the outskirts of the city of Johor. That, I recommend. I also recommend going to your golf game via Tuas and not the causeway.


But, if you feel like a day in somewhere totally different, take one of the cigarette infused Malaysian buses from Queen Street to JB. (remember to have correct change when you return - $2.50). The trip is short, and customs and immigration on both sides are normally fast (and even sometimes pleasant), but avoid peak hours.


JB itself? Jalan Wong Ah Fook is the main street immediately outside the customs and immigration complex. I have lived for over forty years in Asia. I have visited some towns that are less than salubrious. This one, and this street in particular, has so little to commend it that you might as well give it a miss. Smelly, rubbish strewn streets, pavements that are cracked, gaping and downright dangerous, decaying buildings include the new JBS center which is not yet completed but is already beginning to fray at the edges.


Is there anything to commend it? I tried to visit the botanic gardens. Closed for renovation.
Should I go anywhere else? 'How about Jusco,' someone suggested. Jusco's only advantages are that it is not Jalan Wong ah Fook and it is air conditioned. 


No, golfing aside, JB is dirty, chaotic and uninteresting. It has very little of the charm of other Malaysian cities such as Melaka, Ipoh, Taiping and Georgetown.
In a word, only go if you need a reality check.