I arrived at Kastam Port, Muar about 7.30am Wednesday morning expecting to see a boat at the wharf with my motorcycle on board, I did find helpful Port staff who advised me I was in the right place for boat arrivals, but there was no boat with a motorcycle aboard in Port. One of the Port staff said I was welcome to wait so I sat on the wharf and took in the pleasant morning view across the river.
As the time ticked past 9.00am a timber boat came into view motoring up the river and I hoped this was what I was waiting for, because up until that moment there had been no boat sizable enough to carry cargo from Indonesia arrive. The grey timber boat drew nearer and I breathed a sigh of relief when I could see my motorcycle on board and heading my way.
The boat docked, Customs staff responded, an agent (middleman) was called and about four hours later, paper work, a thorough inspection and photos were completed and I rode out of Kastam port a happy man, my trusting instincts came good, the bike was delivered to the port in Indonesia, it was loaded and fastened securely and most importantly it arrived in Malaysia, I was now ready for a Malaysia adventure.
My immediate task was to ride to Johor Bahru to have my motorcycle serviced and a new rear tyre fitted. I had contacted the BMW dealer in Johor Bahru via email and booked the bike in several weeks beforehand. Upon arrival I was impressed by the premises housing the BMW car, bike and Mini dealership, Wearnes Autohaus, Tebrau City is a new, large, well designed and built building containing all the bells and whistles required to sell, service, and accessories a motor vehicle and rider / driver, the staff are extremely friendly and hospitable and I am very grateful to them for taxiing me around, storing my bike and servicing my bike for my continued travels.
Rushing off around Malaysia would have to wait though, I had a visa to obtain and circumstances dictated that the application has to happen in Singapore and a lot of patience would be required. With my bike safely stored in Johor Bahru I crossed into Singapore and began both an enjoyable and torturous 17 day stay in Singapore. Don't get me wrong, Singapore is a great place to visit, but when you want to ride a motorcycle around Malaysia and beyond waiting 17 days for a visa is about 10 days too long. The enjoyable part of Singapore was walking the Southern ridge around Mt Faber with its impressive walkways and city views.
Cycling along the Southern water front and watching the fisherman on the jetty passed time.
A visit to Palau Ubin was a highlight and after a short boat ride from mainland Singapore, I cycled around the small island and rode the designated, well maintained mountain bike track while taking in the views back to Singapore and it's high rise apartment and office building filled skyline.
Probably the biggest highlight in Singapore is the food, the selection is amazing, Hawker centres provide a cheap meal with a huge variety of cuisines including Malay, South Indian, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew and Indonesian, there are also countless restaurants throughout the city.
So after a long, patience testing wait successfully resulting in a new visa stamp in my passport for down the track a bit, I am back in Malaysia, with my motorcycle freshly serviced and a brand new rear tyre I am keen to get back on the road to continue my adventure through Malaysia and on towards Thailand.
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