Much more than Fifty-Sen

 

I cannot remember when exactly I met with Elsy but I know it was on a work-related assignment several years ago where she was the PR & Communications agency representative from Kuala Lumpur and I was a writer with the newspapers.

 

Fountain on Mahkota Square at Kota Iskandar

When she expressed interest to see more of Iskandar Puteri and Johor Baru, I was happy to escort her on what I fondly call my Fifty-Sen tour.

 

It turned out to be such an unforgettable experience for Elsy that ever since that day, she often mentioned my Fifty-Sen tour in our chats and how she wished to bring her son and husband to Johor for my heritage walk experience.

 

Elsy continued to follow the many happenings with me through My Johor Stories, blog and Facebook updates and I remember, Elsy messaged me when she caught a video clip posted by Desaru Coast on my Storytelling by the Sea adventure in 2021.

 

Elsy and I at the Sultan Abu
Bakar Mosque, Johor Baru

Time had certainly flown by and much has happened in the past few years.

 

Then recently I received a message from Elsy who told me that she will be in Iskandar Puteri with a group of friends who had plans for a golfing weekend.

 

Elsy went on the say that she and a friend (wife of a golfer!) will have the whole of Friday free to meet up with me and she suggested, maybe do my Fifty-Sen tour…

 

Finally, I thought, Elsy was coming to Johor again to let me escort her on a heritage walk specially tailored to her tastes.

 

After she provided me with the name of the hotel in Iskandar Puteri where they will be staying, I asked her to share with me, a little about her friend’s interests so that I may plan a suitable itinerary for our time together.

 

Elsy and Bella at Qin Garden kopitiam

“Culture, cuisine, Nature (but not in the blazing heat!), art, architecture, all in its simplest form,” were the clues Elsy shared with me about her friend, Bella.

 

She, however, did not say that Bella was originally from Batu Pahat, a Johorean who had moved away so long ago and one with a deep desire for a taste of Johor mee rebus.

 

It happened that this was among the first things Bella mentioned when we were introduced, an essential tip which helped me adjust our itinerary to include a much-desired food stop for Mee Rebus Haji Wahid.

 

The affable Adam and one portion
of Nasi Padang rice topped with 
meat and vegetable dishes

With the day ahead of us, I had much pleasure in taking Elsy and Bella to various sites in and around the city to share with them, the majestic architecture of the new buildings in Kota Iskandar as well as old landmarks like the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque and the charming character of an old mansion that now houses YSpace.

 

I was concerned that upgrading work on the roads in the Heritage Quarter may not be comfortable for walking around so I kept the outdoor walking to a bare minimum.

 

At the Johor Baru Chinese Heritage Museum, I made use of the informative posters and photographs presented in the ground floor lobby to share about Johor’s first economy crops and how the export of gambier put Johor on the world map.

 

We saw that among the visitors in the lobby were young people being escorted by their mothers or carers, and a small crowd soon gathered closer while I was speaking.

 

With Adam Sorosa at Qin Garden kopitiam

During a pause in my spiel, one of the ladies confessed that she was drawn to how I was sharing such interesting information and could not help listening in…

 

From the Museum, we headed off in search of a taste of kopitiam coffee – the fragrant brew served in thick ceramic cups – and carelessly spilled onto the saucer when it was served to the table.

 

I brought my visitors to observe the coffee shops, both traditional and modern, opened along the Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk that were not only thronged with customers but long queues of people were forming outside.

 

Elsy and Bella enjoying the Nasi Padang food

Then I led them over to Jalan Dhoby and was welcomed into Qin Garden kopitiam, my regular stop for kopitiam coffee in the heart of the Heritage Quarter.

 

Adam Soroso, who operates the Nasi Padang stall within the kopitiam was all smiles when he saw us. When he had finished serving his customers, he came over to say, “Hello!” and invited us to enjoy the dishes from his stall.

 

With a prior decision to have Mee Rebus Haji Wahid later, we were reluctant to eat Nasi Padang at mid-morning and get our appetites spoiled for the main dish of Bella’s desire.

 

While Adam was rather insistent and persuasive, the sight of the freshly-cooked, mouthwatering dishes in his Nasi Padang stall helped to convince us that it was fine to share and savour just one portion among us.

 

View of the work-in-progress on the bridge
for the Rapid Transit System from the Johor side

When one portion of rice topped with a variety of popular dishes – meat and vegetables – drizzled with gravy was served to us on a sheet of greaseproof paper resting on a woven basket tray, we needed no persuasion to dig in to enjoy this mid-morning snack.

 

As Elsy and Bella picked the juicy morsels to eat, I observed how they nodded in agreement that the food tasted very good. I am familiar with this food and was reassured that Adam had maintained the standard in food quality over the years.

 

As we ate, we saw from the steady stream of regular customers who came in to order their choice of items from the Nasi Padang to savour with rice, that this food stall is indeed a very popular choice.

 

Our stomachs warmed with the mid-morning snack, we bade farewell to the affable Adam and continued with our walk in the Heritage Quarter.

 

Caught in the act at the
Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk

Having shown my visitors a bit of the old town, I ventured to show them something new that was still under construction and scheduled to be completed in 2026.

 

In a slow drive along the coast road at Jalan Ibrahim Sultan, we stopped to take in the view of the work-in-progress for the Rapid Transit System or RTS, that promises commuters that it should only take six minutes one-way between the two checkpoints in Johor Baru and Singapore.

 

Filled with optimism, I invited my visitors back again for this experience that should become a reality in just three more years.

 

On our drive through the city streets to look at landmark buildings, my visitors expressed their surprise at the smooth traffic conditions as compared to their daily grind experience of KL city streets.

 

I explained that it was a Friday that day and in Johor, schools and government offices were closed for the weekend, and this accounted for the reduced volume of traffic on the roads.

 

The facade of the old mansion that houses
YSpace was spoiled by this illegally parked
vehicle directly across its main entrance

I was more than relieved to tell them that even on weekdays, the heavy traffic condition in our city was nothing compared to the horrendous traffic situation in KL.

 

Speaking of traffic, vehicles and drivers, we could not help noticing the bad attitude of drivers who deliberately parked across pavements and walkways in the Heritage Quarter.

 

This is a perennial problem in the city where pavements, designed for the comfort of pedestrians and to welcome tourists, were parked with cars that block the way while destroying the neat surfaces which are not designed for cars.

 

I have been highlighting this issue for years but my appeals to the City Council have gone unheard until recently when I saw the City Council tow teams removing vehicles that were illegally parked on the city streets.

 

The enforcement teams can only do so much and this issue of recalcitrant drivers with no civic conscience, who refuse to park their vehicles in the right places, pay parking fees and are too lazy to walk a distance to their destinations, remains like a disease in our community, a bad attitude that urgently needs to be changed.

 

See how this delivery truck had blatantly
parked on the pavement in the Heritage Quarter

I must confess that I am deeply ashamed of such a careless attitude that prevails, not only in the common man/woman-in-the-street but also among the well-heeled, those who can own/drive high-powered cars or expensive vehicles.

 

It was an utter shame when we witnessed the driver of a shiny sports car, boldly parking across the pavement, right in front of us while we were walking on the very same pavement.

 

This shameless attitude was as if they had the right to park there and we the pedestrians had to get out of the way or risk getting mowed down on that pavement!

 

This bad experience was further exacerbated [Yes! It got worse!] when we went to the grand old mansion that houses YSpace to admire its architecture and how it is being repurposed as an ideal destination for coffee, a meal or a meeting.

 

A row of parking spaces is provided opposite the building’s main entrance and even if these spaces were all occupied, there was an open space adjacent to the building for car parking.

 

The space next to the fence around the building was also available for parking, in a corridor which allowed other vehicles to pass comfortably.

 

But the owner/driver of a Black MPV had the audacity to park right across the main entrance, obstructing the way for guests to use the central steps to/from the building.

 

There were ample spaces to park elsewhere in the compound but this vehicle owner/driver was downright rude and inconsiderate. This carelessly parked vehicle just spoiled the façade of this grand old mansion.

 

These negative experiences, I have to say, were the most embarrassing things that happened while I was trying to show off the lovely sights in our wonderful city to my visitors.

 

I cannot wipe away such negative encounters from the eyes of my visitors but I can only highlight the real issues to the City Council and relevant authorities for them to keep up with the enforcement of traffic rules and the social education of drivers.

 

A serving of Mee Rebus Haji Wahid

Our final stop that day was for the much-desired taste of Johor mee rebus.

 

“Shall we share?” someone politely asked. My reply was short, “No,” because I wanted my plate of mee rebus all to myself.

 

While my friend, Haji Halim who runs the Mee Rebus Haji Wahid stall at Angsana JB Mall, was away on a pilgrimage over the Hari Raya Haji season, my visitors and I had a most satisfying taste of this renowned mee rebus.

 

On our drive back to Iskandar Puteri, Elsy said she wanted to catch up with reading My Johor Stories* and get her own collection of my three books, autographed for her.

 

[I have copies with me and was happy to whip out my pen to sign the books for her.]

 

Bella and Elsy enjoying the taste of
Mee Rebus Haji Wahid at Angsana JB Mall

As we parted, Bella expressed her thanks and graciously extended a warm welcome over to her home where she would prepare a homecooked meal for us.

 

It was indeed a day well-spent together. They told me that Bella would drive back with Elsy the next morning while the golfers continued with their golfing weekend here.

 

The next day, I was glad to learn that they had safely arrived back in KL when they each sent me their words of appreciation.

 

Elsy said: “Thanks for sharing snippets of your Johor Stories and making them come alive. It was truly an awesome day!”

 

Bella said: “Just a quick note to say thank you and how much I enjoyed and appreciated your hospitality, and tour of the sites in Johor Baru.”

 

You are very welcome. Please visit again for my more than Fifty-Sen experience!

 

*While all the MPH bookstores in Johor Baru are now closed, hardcover and softcover versions of My Johor Stories are available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online from mphonline.

 

In Johor Baru, My Johor Stories are available from two (2) outlets which carry a small stock of my books.

 

1] Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation or JARO, at No. 18 Jalan Sungai Chat, Sri Gelam, 80100 Johor Baru, Johor. Open from 8.30am to 4.30pm. Closed on Friday and Saturday. Tel: +607 – 227 5314.

 

2] YSpace, located at No. 2 Jalan Yahya Awal, 80100 Johor Baru, Johor. Open 11am to 7pm. Closed on Thursday.