Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru

Asked

Dear Mr. Muzzammil

I saw your message on Pakgrid. I also need some advice. I'm joining UTM, Johor Bahru campus in Feb for my doctorate program in Engineering Education. I think I got a good deal on the airfare (ISB-KL for Rs. 38,500).

I need your advice on the KL-> JB section. Should I take a plane or bus, which is more convenient/economical.

Secondly, can you recommend a low-price but comfy hotel near UTM for the first days of my arrival till I settle in the university hostel?

Thanks,

 

Replied

 

Dear Mr. Azhar

Thanks for your email.

Firstly, I'd suggest to check with the travel agent if there is a possibility to fly ISB-JB, with immigration at Johor Baharu. Even a little bit extra charge, say 5,000, would save you from unwanted hassle with all the luggage.

For air ticket, having a look at matrix.itasoftware.com will be helpful. This website will also be useful for your future travels.

If ISB-JB is not possible then I'd recommend bus over flying/train. The best option would be the Yoyo bus from the airport, KLIA: http://www.journeymalaysia.com/ptaklia.htm

This option will save you from going to KL, which is far away from the airport and will be quite time consuming.

The above website will also be helpful during your stay in Malaysia.

Train and budget airlines, especially Air Asia, may also be useful afterwards.

Regarding accommodation, I'd recommend booking.com which is a trusted resource and provides amazingly flexible filters.

Hope this is helpful.

Best of luck for your future endeavors.
 

Muzzammil

Malaysian Visa for a Pakistani Working in Saudi Arabia

Asked

Nice informative blog , Bro I am Pakistani working in Saudi Arabia , want to travel to Malaysia from Pakistan .

1) My Bank account is in Saudi Arabia , no account in Pakistan yet , so if i make the bank statement from the bank which is here in Saudi Arabia will work for me , Is it acceptable !!

2) Need suggestion for the hotel booking , online or after reaching there we can book , which is batter !!

Replied

Thanks Usman for reading my blog. Here goes answers to your questions:

1. It should work in my opinion. At max, You might need to show the evidence that you are working in Saudi Arabia, i.e. a photocopy of Iqama.

2. I did both. Depends on the situation. If you are short of time then booking online is preferable. But if you want to be flexible, then there is no harm in booking once you are there. If you chose the second option, then I would suggest doing some research beforehand and make a shortlist of your preferred hotels with their contact details. One middle way is to to book places with no cancellation charges. I usually use www.booking.com, along with other useful websites, for hotel search and booking.

Hope this would be helpful.

This question was asked here:
http://mozumbus.blogspot.com/2011/02/planning-notes-3-oriental-outings-visa.html

Help for Cameron Highland Trip

Asked

Hello Muzamil,

I came across your blog and Cameron Highland post at http://forum.virtualtourist.com/Cameron_Highlands-1282142-5-10064997/6-days-in-Cameron-Highlands.html?showPost=10182009

We are a group of eight people touring Malaysia for the first time, we would like to go for a day trip from KL to Cameron HIghlands. Can you please refer a good tour package company? On the web I see very expensive deals worth RM 250 but in the above site you mentioned about going there for only RM 25.

Really appreciate your help and really liked your site.

Thanks

Replied

Hi Nayeem

Thanks for your email and for going through my blog.

RM 250 looks expensive to me too, however, RM 25 I mentioned on my blog was the cost of half-day trip we bought once we reached the Cameron Highlands - and not from KL.

I would suggest you to buy the KL-CH-KL bus ticket yourself which may cost you around RM 70 per person as per the following helpful website:

http://www.journeymalaysia.com/ptacamerons.htm

Just to mention, this would be a long journey, ~4+ hours, therefore, I'd suggest staying there for a night or two. Cameron Highlands is a beautiful place and there is a lot to explore around, so staying there is worth it in my opinion. However, if you are short of time for a night stay, then your best bet would be to take the earliest bus.

For the sight-seeing trip, you can buy one once there or pre-book. It would still cost you under RM100: 70+25!

So this is my two cents worth. Hopefully it helps.

Regards

Muzzammil

Asked

Hi Muzzammil,

Thank you very much for the prompt response and helpful tips on the bus. This is really great to know..  I would have loved to spend more time there, but due to our short time, we have to make only a day trip (7am-8pm).

The reason we are leaning towards tour package from KL is because it will give us the flexibility to see around in Cameroon Highland, the itinerary covers lunch as well as entrance to tea garden, butterfly park and few other attractions. If we take the bus, as you mentioned we have to get a package tour after arrival and also taxi from terminal in KL to our hotel in xxx.

Any recommendation in terms of reasonable package tour company? I understand you are busy and this is just your hobby, so thanks again for taking the time to read my email and responding.

Regards

Replied

Hi Nayeem.

My pleasure.

Your observations regarding the overheads of not buying a tour makes a lot of sense. In this case, I would suggest shopping around (the internet) to get more options and buy one with good reputation without paying extra. With 8 people, I believe you have a good bargaining power for that.

When in Cameron Highlands, I observed that there were 4 tour agencies. So imo it'd be wiser to contact them directly to minimize the middle man commission. Here goes those 4 agencies:

Titiwangsa: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g298293-d1961928-Reviews-Titiwangsa_Tours_Travel-Brinchang_Cameron_Highlands_Pahang.html http://www.titiwangsatours.com/

TJ: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g1497917-d2271956-Reviews-TJ_Nur_Travel_and_Tours-Tanah_Rata_Cameron_Highlands_Pahang.html

CS: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1497917-i16161-k5901529-Cameron_Highlands_Tour_with_C_S_Travel_Tours_Review-Tanah_Rata_Cameron_Highlands_Pahang.html http://cstravel.com.my/

Kang: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g1497917-d2527395-Reviews-Kang_Tours_Travel_Day_Tours-Tanah_Rata_Cameron_Highlands_Pahang.html

CS was the one we booked the tour from and the experience was fine.

Btw, did you think of making to CH directly from the airport, rather than going into KL and hence saving time and some money. This way you might manage to spare one night for CH. It would anyways be worthwhile to discuss this possibility with the tour operator you contact, unless the stay in KL is already locked-in.

This might sound pushy but spending 7-8 hours on the road is a bit too much for a half-a-day trip. 

And yes sharing tips with traveler is a good hobby for me and I feel glad when someone finds that helpful. So please feel free to contact me whenever you need so.

Regards

Muzzammil

Asked

Thanks a lot Muzzammil! Infact I got a much better offer from Titiwangsa tours using your recommendation..Feel free to add my email to the travel blog..

Regards