I got a bum steer about where to catch the bus from the airport to Johor Bahru and because of this I had to wait over an hour in the heat, not happy Jan. The bus when it arrived was being driven by a doughtery old bus driver that seemed well passed his use by date.

The border crossing was bedlam, the whole population of Johor was heading home for Christmas. Two immigration checkpoints had to be navigated and the officers working there were obviously not happy that they could not go home so they just took their time and didn’t care at the mounting queues of humanity waiting to get through.

Once through you have to find your bus again that takes you to the station, easier said than done and even more difficult when one is having to lug around a rather large suitcase.

When I was finally free of the bus I then had to find my hotel. According to Google it was on 30 mins away if I walked. I saw two security guards and asked them where I could get a taxi or was it just as easy to walk? They suggested the walk might be easier than getting a taxi this evening. They pointed me on my way and I checked Google maps once more and all seemed OK.

I headed off and incurred my first obstacle which was how to get out of where I was. Again I was assured go this way and follow the bike lane and then turn right at the lights and all will be hunky dory. Now remember I’m lugging a very large case. After ten mins I’m thinking this ain’t a good idea. I flag down a taxi and he doesn’t stop. I continue to walk along the path until the bike lane merges with the dual carriage way and then I’m fucked, on two fronts literally…… I can’t continue and I’m knackered. I have no choice but to turn around. I retrace my steps and try heading in the opposite direction towards the Shell petrol station but then I discover it’s on the other side of the road which I can’t cross.

I go down a side street because Google tells me I can get back to the bus station, but I can’t. I pass a factory with a gate house and ask the security guard if he can call a Grab taxi for me because I don’t have a sim card for my phone yet. He doesn’t understand and offers to dial the number of the taxi on my phone.

I head off again to where I saw a small food stall because I haven’t eaten in hours and have had no water since the cup of tea that I had on the plane, I’m feeling a little bit desperate and wonder if I’ll ever make it to my hotel this evening. It’s now close to 9pm.

I ask the guy in the food stall if he could order me a taxi and I explain my situation. No one has the app for GRAB. I said it doesn’t matter, any taxi will do. After a few minutes the guy from the bike shop next door comes over to ask what the problem is and then he offered to drop me at my hotel, I couldn’t believe it….. I was finally going to get to my hotel.

My chauffeur Jack told me that he had seen me walk passed earlier and that’s one reason why he offered to take me. He could see that I was a bit stuck and in a bit of trouble.

Ten minutes later I was saying thank you and good bye to my new friend Jack as he dropped me at the front door of my hotel. And so is this me getting paid back by Karma for losing the plot on the plane when I asked the couple next to me to stop sniffing or is it just my own stupidity for not getting a sim card and then I could have just called a taxi like I do when I’m in China.

It took me almost as long to get from Chiangi Airport to me hotel as the flight did from Shanghai to Singapore.

Bah Humbug