New shops join Johor Premium Outlets fold

New shops join Johor Premium Outlets fold

JOHOR Premium Outlets, a popular shopping mall here recently added more brands to give shoppers more choices to gear up for the holiday season.

It has more than 130 leading designer brand outlets, offering fashionable apparel, sportswear, shoes and accessories.

The latest outlets include Anakku, Animation World, Cafe Barbera, Cole Haan, Hugo Boss, Kate Spade, La Perla, Marc Jacobs, New Balance, Obermain, Porsche Design, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Renoma Paris, TCBY Frozen Yogurt and Tocco Toscano.

To make shopping more exciting, many of the stores are offering up to 65 per cent savings during the year-end holiday season.

Complementing the shops is a spacious, food court with improved facilities and new outlets such as Madisons Cafe and Subway, offering international and local cuisine.

Since its opening in 2011, the mall has grown to become a major shopping destination, attracting millions of visitors from Malaysia, Singapore and around the region.

Strategically located at the intersection of the North-South Expressway and Second Link Expressway, it is open daily from 10am to 10pm.

For details, visit the www.premiumoutlets.com.my.


The popular mall is a major shopping destination, attracting millions of visitors from Malaysia, Singapore and around the region.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

Halloween spell grips Legoland

Halloween spell grips Legoland

FOR the first time, Legoland Malaysia Resort is organising a Halloween celebration dedicated to children.

This special celebration — with the theme, Brick or Treat — is planned for the next two weekends, from Friday to Sunday; and Oct 31 to Nov 2.

The main attraction is a giant Lego pumpkin and children who come dressed in the spookiest costumes will be rewarded with free entry into the park.

Head for the Lego Kingdoms to see how the castle area has been transformed by Halloween themed decorations.

There will be a pumpkin carving challenge, face-painting, and an opportunity to learn from master builders the art of constructing mini pumpkins, bats, spiders and other spooky monsters using Lego bricks.

There will be photo opportunities with the park’s giant pumpkin which took more than 300 hours to build, using more than 28,000 Lego bricks.

There will be fun activities centred around a specially decorated Nissan Almera car such as a pumpkin colouring contest, and mystery giveaways.

“This is a celebration for our most important guests — the children,” said Legoland Malaysia Resort general manager Mark Germyn.

“We will continue to create more exciting activities at the resort to give the guests something to look forward to every time they visit us.”

In addition to the Halloween attractions, the new Lego Star Wars Miniland is a fully air-conditioned indoor attraction where the younger generation will be introduced to Star Wars characters such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Yoda, R2D2 and C-3PO and their adventures “in a galaxy far, far away”.

The excitement begins with a brief video introduction and followed by a journey through scenes from the six Star Wars blockbuster movies and The Clone Wars animated series.

Look out for life-size Lego Star Wars characters and have fun with taking photos with them.

Opened in stages since 2012, Legoland Malaysia Resort comprises the Legoland Theme Park, Water Park and Hotel in Nusajaya.

It is a holiday destination with more than 70 rides, slides, shows and attractions, designed for families with children aged 2 to 12.

The first of its kind in Asia, it offers fun, adventure and education.

For a limited time, Legoland Malaysia is offering Johor residents unlimited park access with a Resident Annual Pass or Premium Annual Pass.

Just bring your MyKad or proof of residence to the ticketing window for application or renewal.

For details on special ticket prices and resort events, visit www.legoland.my or call reservations at 07-597 8888.


Children have fun climbing the giant pumpkin.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

Pulau Aur

Boost for Endau seafood sector

Boost for Endau seafood sector

THE RM1.5 million “ikan bakar” food court which takes on the “Rumah Limas” concept will be operational early next year.

The facility, which is expected to change the landscape of Sungai Endau, which borders Johor and Pahang, is currently a work-in- progress and is scheduled to be completed by end of the month.

The project is an initiative of the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) and among the facilities available include four kiosks, surau, gazebo, platform and jetty where visitors can buy fresh seafood directly from the fishermen.

Johor Housing and Local Government executive committee chairman Datuk Abdul Latif Bandi said the construction of the food court at the location is appropriate as Endau is popular among those in the fishing and seafood industry.

He said the construction of the food court would boost the local economy by creating new jobs and business opportunities, as well as promoting tourism in Mersing, especially those travelling from Johor to the east coast.

“We also took into consideration the need to protect the river and its environment during the construction process.

“In fact, local fishermen will also benefit by making the jetty the transit centre for river tourism,” said Latif.

Kampung Sungai Padang village head Mohamad Khalid welcomed tourists to the food court once it is ready for operations.

“This will become a hit among tourists, especially those using the Johor Baru-Kuantan route,” he said.


Datuk Abdul Latif Bandi (in red cap) visiting the food court in Sungai Endau. Latif (centre) at the project site.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

Street art livens up Bazar Karat

Street art livens up Bazar Karat

THERE is a new tourist attraction at Bazar Karat Johor, here. A 100m stretch which is known as Lorong Pasar Karat has been renamed Stesen Seni.

Walls on both sides of the 0.9m wide lane are filled with murals and graffiti art by Johor artists.

Artist Taib Abu Razak, 35, who is popularly known as Taib Aur, said Art Untuk Rakyat had gathered a group of artists, including himself, to spend two full days filling the walls with vibrant street art.

The other artists are Iskandar Noor Rahim (who goes by the moniker Akeem), Jefri Abdul (Jeps), Nurul Izzati Ramli (Jaie Ramlee), Iqbal Hareez Osman, Nik Nazhar Nik Kamaruddin, Ismail Arshad, Chong Xiao Yun, Chong Yong Chin, Anthony Leow Cheng Ting, Chong Zi Ning, Muhammad Azri Zahri (Jizu Two), Md Rafy Md Idris (Jack Rafy) and Ghazali Bunari (Tok Rimau).

The graffiti and mural works include Akeem’s Monapod, which is his version of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa is depicted as taking a selfie using a smart phone with a monopod. Akeem used an existing hole on the wall to create the image of the smart phone.

There is also a painting of a 3D green scooter. Jaie Ramlee’s work features a little boy sitting on a stool. His elbows are on the table and local delicacies are on the wall.

Anthony Leow Cheng Ting has drawn a map of the state and used wood panels to label the 10 districts.

Taib Aur, who is known for 3D drawings and watercolour works which depict Johor scenery, said Stesen Seni was made possible with the collaboration of the Johor City Council, Johor Tourism Department and Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda), which had got Nippon Paint to sponsor the materials.

He said it was still a work in progress and more masterpieces would be added to the walls.

“Some people call street art an act of vandalism but, in reality, it is not. What we have here is graffiti which is also a form of art,” he said.

Taib Aur said it had to be considered an art form as the pieces required planning and imagination, and contained artistic elements such as colour and composition.

He said it would only be considered graffiti if the medium used was paint from a spray can.

“The walls were bare before this and it is the back lane behind the shops. Now, people are here to capture pictures of our art and take home a piece of Johor with them,” Taib Aur said, adding that city council representatives had reached out to shop owners and operators and they had welcomed the project.

Johor Tourism Department director Dr Badrul Hisham Kassim said the idea was mooted about a year ago.

“Besides beautifying the facade, we also wanted to provide our local and bona fide artists with a platform to hone the skills and introduce themselves.

“There are many talented artists in Johor but most have moved to look for greener pastures, citing limitations here. By providing them with ample platforms to showcase their work, we hope they will come back,” he said.

Badrul said Stesen Seni was a pilot project and added that, based on feedback from the public, more murals would be added in stages throughout the state.

He said priority would be given to Johor artists.


Akeem posing with his Monapod.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

Work on the way to reopen Gunung Pulai 1 recreation park

Work on the way to reopen Gunung Pulai 1 recreation park

The Gunung Pulai 1 Forest Reserve recreation park in Kulai Jaya, which was closed about 13 years ago following a deadly mudslide, may be reopened and turned into an eco-tourism site soon.

The state Forestry Department and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) have been tasked to conduct a thorough study to ensure the park is safe.

State Health and Environment executive committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said an initial study on the viability and safety of the park is expected to begin soon and is set to be completed within two months.

“Based on that study, we will determine whether the park can be reopened and if there is a need for additional allocation to upgrade its infrastructure and facilities,” said Ayub.

The park has been closed since 2001 on the advice of the Johor Mineral and Geosciences Department following the tragedy which killed five people.

The incident also washed away four houses in Kampung Sri Gunung Pulai, located at the foot of Gunung Pulai.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin was previously reported to have asked the Forestry Department to conduct a thorough study, which includes mapping of the soil structure of the park, before the authorities could decide whether to reopen the park.

Ayub said he hoped the study would come up with positive suggestions to support the reopening as the park has the potential to attract visitors.

“This area has a stunning view and is suitable to be developed into an eco-tourism destination,” he said.

Meanwhile, state Forestry Department director Mohd Ridza Awang said a study by the Mineral and Geosciences Department two years ago found that the rock structure at the park was unstable and detected earth movement at certain locations in the park.

He also said an initial study by UTM suggested that some precautionary features be added to the facility.

Among the suggestions are the erection of barriers at certain locations of the park to prevent rock movement. This is also to create an early warning system to detect strong winds and strong water flow.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

2 S'pore-JB bus services raise their fares

Two Singapore-JB bus services raise their fares


Commuters boarding Causeway Link bus at Kranji MRT station, heading towards Larkin Terminal in Johore Bahru on Oct 3, 2014. -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI

Two cross-border bus services are raising their fares following the implementation of higher toll charges by Singapore on Oct 1.

Handal Indah, which runs the Causeway Link bus service between Johor and Singapore, will raise its fares by up to 80 cents from next Monday.

Passengers boarding the yellow buses at the Queen Street station will be ticketed $3.30 if they pay cash, up from $2.50 now.

"It's just unfortunate," said Handal Indah's station manager in Singapore, Mr Johnny Low. "We did not increase the bus fares drastically at all for about 10 years."

~News courtesy of Straits Times~

Lack of information for visitors

Lack of information for visitors

There are strong views that the Iskandar Malaysia Information Centre in Danga Bay Convention Centre, which has a world-class facade and interior, should be doing more to promote Iskandar Malaysia.

A nature lover, who only wanted to be known as Cyndi, claimed she had come to Iskandar Malaysia to visit the mangroves as she had heard much about the state’s plan to promote eco-tourism.

Cyndi said she had asked the security guard for information at the centre but she did not receive much assistance from him.

“I was impressed with the interactive touch-screen panels and the sophisticated decor. However, I could not find the information that I needed.”

Streets had also visited the centre twice. On Thursday, we went to the centre at 3pm but it appeared to be closed. A few people who were outside the centre also thought that the centre was “closed” as it was a Thursday (half day for those working in the government sector).

We then revisited the centre on Monday at 2pm. The centre appeared to be closed and the security guard did not inform visitors otherwise.

A reporter asked the guard if it was opened and he replied: “Just go in.”

From observation, the interior was classy and there seemed to be a wealth of information available. However, it could also seem like a case of information overload.

There was an innovative section called the Ramsar Boat, which was a virtual boat ride to the Ramsar site.

The boat seats a maximum of 10 persons and take a load of 1,000kg.

There also appears to be a poster on eco-tourism, but the information that a tourist would need to embark on an eco-tour was not available.

At the time, the centre was hosting a student delegation comprising 40 people from Tanjungpura University in Pontianak, in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, where an Iskandar Regional Development Authority personnel was briefing them about the southern development corridor.

It is learnt that the centre received 33,411 visitors last year.

A centre spokesman said the visitors comprised of locals and foreigners.



~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha

Smooth traffic on Causeway as new toll charges kick on the S'pore side

Smooth traffic on Causeway as new toll charges kick in on the Singapore side


Drivers on the Seletar Expressway were reminded of new toll charges through overhead electronic signs, as the fee hike kicked in on the Singapore side on Oct 1.

Traffic was smooth on the Causeway in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the first day the revised toll charges on the Singapore side come into force.

It appeared to be business as usual when The Straits Times visited the Woodlands Checkpoint at 5.30am, with the new charges kicking in without a hitch.

Pumping petrol at Mesra petrol station was Mr Muhd Shawal, 40, one of those hit by the hike. The Singaporean businessman who lives in Johor was on his way to send his two children to school.

~News courtesy of Straits Times~