johor bharu part 1: a stroll around town.

I had a walk around Johor Bharu just recently. I went out to town with my little sister and as expected, she wanted to stroll around a nearby shopping complex. So I was left alone to walk and shoot.


The weather's a bit cloudy though, so the sky is a bit dark. But it is perfect for a walk around town.




There's Singapore on the other side. The immigration checkpoint is bustling with activity on weekends.




Went to a very famous shopping complex here named City Square. Normally there are more people at these hour but since there is a renovation going on, there's noticably less people. Some shops were also closed temporarily due to the ongoing renovation.

It is scheduled to be finished in early 2013. This is also were I left my sister before going out to shoot.




Passing by this coffee shop makes me yearn for a nice cup of black coffee.  I'm sure abah would agree to go here if I asked him too, he loves coffee very very much.




Cotton On, a very famous clothing shop here.




I had a look around the shop and design in here is very nice. Quiet affordable as well.



I decided to go outdoor and shoot. This is a nice looking tower isn't it? Not too noisy nor seeking for attention.




I walked towards a nearby connector to go to the other side of the road. Lots of buses and taxis here today.




Even then, a major rehaul is needed in this city's transport system. Just good is not enough, a public transport system should be perfect.




The man is selling ruby stones by the walkway. I have no problem with whatever people are selling as long as it is from a halal source.




I have only started walking, but I'm starting to get dehydrated already.




Notice the construction on the left side, all of JB are like that now, some are undergoing renovations, while others are being rebuilt into something new.




It is quite dangerous to be crossing the road like this.




An old hardware shop. It pleases my heart to see shops like this still survive even with shopping complexes and megamalls sprouting everywhere. It shows that customer interaction is still an important part of trading.




Muruku and some fried delicacies.




A shoe stall. The shop owner I reckon is busy repairing shoes by the roadside.




A Hindu temple, lots of people are in here today with security guards guarding the roads.




Right after the temple is a shopping complex named Plaza Kotaraya. Personally I have never entered the place but mom said this is the place to go if you are looking for our traditional types of clothing.




Fresh coconuts are sold here. This is of the Kelapa Pandan variety I reckon, going by the sweet aroma.




Took a stroll around this quiet looking road next.




Stopped by this mini park to catch my breath. There are many banks around this area; Maybank, HSBC, OCBC, United Overseas - you name it.




There's Vios everywhere in this city If we were to look at statistics, Vios were sold so much that even if the car is a brand on its own, it would still be on top of the best selling car in this country.




Here's the bay where I snapped a picture of Singapore earlier. It's eerily quite and empty here. I think should come here again early in the morning for some landscape photography.

It is recommended to do landscape in the morning preferably around 7-8 AM so that the sky appears blue in our photo. Maybe I should also invest in a camera filter or two.




I think it's time for me to go back to my sister.




On my way back I noticed some rows of closed shops. Not sure if no one is doing business before or they are simply taking time off, it is Saturday after all.




The design and color of these shops reminds me of Muar, a town which I am very familiar with. The color also reminds me of our National flag.
Quite ironic really.




These trees provide a nice protection against the sun.




Passed by lots of street stall on my way back.




It is full with people even early in the afternoon, I must imagine the place must be packed at night.




I imagine these people just love the outdoor atmosphere of these stalls.




But of course some shops are not that lucky to have many customers at this kind of hour.



I'm close to City Square now.




I am not well versed on what they are doing, may somebody fill me in?




I wish I could go closer and shoot more photos but the smoke makes it quite uncomfortable for me to breath. Not to mention I don't want to be considered rude and disrespectful of their ceremony. Respecting other religions is a must.




We stopped by a shop called the Sizzling Stonegrill for lunch. It was my choice for lunch since I've been satiating of steak for quite a while now.

Here's some of the menu.



But I chose a Rib Eye Steak for lunch, the ostrich can wait. As you can see, the restaurant is quite full.




I ordered a nice glass of Cola Float. The orang juice in the background is my sister's.




A rib-eye steak is what I ordered. The attraction here is you need to cook your own food on the provided stonegrill. I'm targeting for a medium rare steak. My sister meanwhile ordered chopped chicken.




One disadvantage with it was, so long as the steak is still on the stonegrill it will keep on cooking. At first the steak was nice and tender, but the meat becomes well done at the end so it decreases my enjoyment on it considerably.

But cooking your own meal yourself is a great gimmick to attract customers. Other people look as if they are enjoying themselves.




Took another small walk before going home. I love the colorful look of buses here.




As you can see there are constructions everywhere.




Hope that it will not be as congested as KL.




Looking back at these pictures, the city is not all that modern, it's a weird amalgam of old and new things.




Seems like Ultrabook are the craze among laptop developers nowadays. I am personally fond of Asus's offering and also Vizio's. The ultra-thin design makes for a very versatile machine.




Here's the station connecting people from JB and Singapore.




I'm pretty sure parking by the walkway like this is not legal.




People are waiting for taxis I reckon. I think it's time for me to go home too.


 
But there's one more thing I wanted to eat before going home for good.




Stopped by a cendol stall which is quite near to my house. It has been a while since I last had cendol. I was in Muar last week and all the famous cendol stalls were closed.




At last a bowl of cendol. The picture might not look flattering or mouth watering, but believe me it is anything but. A perfect drink to have on a sunny day, anyday of the week.




Took this while enjoying my cendol. The reflection in here is very nice. You can barely see the edge of the table.

Finished my meal and went straight back home.




It has been quite a day today.



Of course when it is all said and done, I prefer a bowl of Kuew Teow Tomyam at a local warung anyday of the week.