seventh job as tourist guide - 1 day JB tour

Today is my seventh job as tourist guide – 1 day JB tour. The tourists for this trip are a group of China tourists and some Taiwan tourists. They are coming Malaysia Johor JB to attend award recognition conference. The conference venue is Loon Sing Restaurant which is located at Bukit Indah. During the period in JB, their accommodation is located at Johor duty free zone named Berjaya Waterfront hotel, Johor Bahru.

Around 8.45am morning, all tourist guide are gathered at Berjaya Waterfront hotel Johor Bahru. Looking into hotel lobby, there are already many China tourists and Taiwan tourists waiting there. This 1 day JB tour take up to 6 buses to ferry the tourists. Due to no earlier arrangement for which bus to sit for Chinese tourists and Taiwan tourists, all the tourists onboard to bus as they like. All tourist guide onboard to individual assigned bus and take the headcount, then report back to person in charge. We depart at 9.20am from Berjaya Waterfront hotel Johor Bahru, but my bus stop just minutes after depart. One of the tourists stops us and alights to fetch another 4 China tourists who are just coming down from their hotel room. Our bus driver is originate from Klang and don’t know the road route in Johor Bahru and supposes to follow the bus. Now such delay has causing all the bus left and he need to drive to Bukit Indah himself. In the end, he calls the other bus driver to ask for the road route to go there. We reach Loon Sing Restaurant at Bukit Indah around 10am. The award recognition conference event started at 10am and expected to finish at afternoon 3pm. We have 5 hours of free & easy during this period. All the tourist guide and bus drivers go to nearby Aeon Jusco shopping mall for lunch and rest.

Loon Sing Restaurant JB

We return to Loon Sing Restaurant Bukit Indah around 2.45pm afternoon after receiving call. After all China tourists and Taiwan tourists gathered and onboard to bus with headcount done, it is about 3.30pm. Our next destination is Tanjung Piai national park. Tanjung Piai national park is located 90 kilometer away from Johor Bahru city centre. We reach Tanjung Piai national park at 5pm. Due to too many tourists and to facilitate the entrance speed, the entrance tickets is based on headcount of every tourists entering into the Tanjung Piai national park entrance door, and the person in charge pay the total amount after all tourists already going in and headcount done by the ticketing staff. Due to time constraints, tourists only allowed 30 minutes to visit the mangrove forest and photo taking. The wooden bridge pathway leading to the globe is broken near the globe placement, causing tourists unable to take photo with the globe.

When all China tourists and Taiwan tourists return back to bus, onboard and departed to Kulai 88 Guo Tai Restaurant, it is already 6pm. The journey to Kulai 88 Guo Tai Restaurant takes about one and half hour. All tourists are already hungry when reaching there at 7.30pm. We have a scrumptious dinner at Kulai 88 Guo Tai Restaurant for one and half hour until 9pm. After dinner, we depart back to Berjaya Waterfront hotel Johor Bahru. There is a minor accident when our bus reaching near the Berjaya Waterfront hotel, whereby a car has crashed to the lamp post beside the main road and causing the lamp post fall horizontally on the road, blocking the road access both ways. After 15 minutes of waiting on the road, at the end we are directed by police to make a U turn to take another route. A journey of 2 minutes has become 25 minutes journey to reach Berjaya Waterfront hotel due to this unexpected incident. All the tourists look so tired when we reach hotel at 10pm.

Tanjung Piai national park

Tanjung Piai is located southernmost point of Peninsular Malaysia and thus the most southern point of mainland Eurasia. The skyline of Singapore is visible across the Johor Strait from the point.

Tanjung Piai coastal mangrove is an internationally important Ramsar site. Under the Ramsar Convention, the government and relevant stakeholders have an obligation to ensure the mangrove ecosystem and its values are maintained. Erosion at the site needs to be minimized to safeguard the ecological integrity of the mangrove ecosystem. The root causes of the erosion need to be eliminated or reduced.

Tanjung Piai is a nationally important icon, being one of only five Ramsar sites in Malaysia. Tanjung Piai is also an important nature site in Johor, being the 3rd designated park of Johor National Park Corporation. Tanjung Piai has high socio-economic value for fisheries. The site also has high ecotourism potential. The site is located on the southernmost tip of mainland Asia and is listed as a priority site for national ecotourism.

Tanjung Piai national park

Tanjung Piai has a good representation of mangroves (22 mangrove tree species). It is also an important habitat for migratory and resident birds. These include the IUCN-listed vulnerable species, such as the Lesser Adjutant Stork. It is part of the Important Bird Area (IBA) of southwest Johor, which extends from Parit Jawa to Tanjung Piai. The southwest Johor mangroves are ecologically important as a natural barrier to protect the inland villages and agricultural lands from storm events, including tsunamis.

Sixth job as tourist guide - Singapore-Malaysia Genting Highland transfer

Today is my sixth job as tourist guide - Singapore-Malaysia Genting Highland transfer job. Due to today is Thursday not a weekend, both the Singapore and Malaysia Customs checkpoint is not congested. Singapore tourists reach Sultan Abu Bakar Complex – Malaysia Second Link Customs at 7.05am. After check-in to customs and clearance procedure for all Singapore tourists and headcount done, we depart to Malaysia Genting Highland. The bus we take for this trip is a first class luxury coach, the highest standard of bus categories. This type of bus is only available in Singapore.

First Class Luxury Coach

Firstly, our bus move towards GP Sentral Bus Terminal which is located at Nusantara, Gelang Patah for petrol fill up.GP Sentral Bus Terminal is launch and entering into operation early this year February. At the time we reach there, I only see 2 buses stop there and can’t see any passenger waiting there. Behind GP Sentral bus terminal is a development of a block of condominium called GP Prima Condominium. According to bus driver, the GP Prima condo project look like stagnant, the height of the construction remain the same for quick long period of time.

GP Sentral Bus Terminal

After petrol fil up, we continue our journey to Genting Highland. We take a resting and toilet break for 25 minutes at Pagoh R&R (Rest & Repair) around 9.20am. Within this part of journey, the weather is cloudy with small rain at certain section of road. Our next stop for toilet break is Gombak Toll Plaza at the time of 12pm.

We reach our destination-Genting Highland at 1pm. Some Singapore tourists alight at First World hotel, while majority of them alight at Genting Resort hotel. We stop at B5 bus terminal at Genting Resort hotel for about 45 minutes before receiving the return Singapore tourists into the bus. After all return Singapore tourists headcount done, we depart to return back to Singapore. On the journey back to Singapore, we has 1 stopover at Malaysia native products shop near Batu Caves for Singapore tourists to purchase Malaysia famous local native products. Bus attendance collect the packaged dinner meal set here which will be provided to Singapore tourists later on the journey back. After the Batu Caves native products shop stopover and return back to coach, I start to take order for muachi and famous Muar otak-otak (also known as Muar otah for Singaporean) from Xiao Mei otak-otak shop which is located at Yong Peng. With the order received, I send sms to Xiao Mei otah shop for the information of quantity to purchase, type of otah flavor, and the time for collection.

We reach Yong Peng around 6.20pm. We go to Ming An first for Ma Ti Su collection. There is a Singapore tourist said the Ma Ti Su, or Beh The Soh / Beh The Saw, literally translated as “horse hoof biscuits”, or some people called it Heong Paeng by Cantonese language is freshly baked, fragrance, crunchy and very nice. She requested me to order for her. After taken Ma Ti Su, we drive to Xiao Mei otah shop for otak-otak collection which is located within few meter distance. After otak-otak collection, bus driver told me that the bus real tyre is puncit and need to get tyre replacement by tyre shop technician. We search around the Yong Peng street for look for heavy  vehicle tyre shop but couldn’t see such shop. At the end, bus driver depend on his past memory drive towards a smaller road to find the heavy vehicle tyre shop, however we still can’t found it although it suppose to be located there. Bus driver ask the youngster playing football there and the youngster point to front cornet shop said that the heavy vehicle tyre shop is just in front and the shop is just close. Coincidence the tyre shop owner is driving car towards our bus direction and the youngster immediately tells bus driver that the person inside the coming car is the tyre shop boss. Bus driver waved his hand immediately to stop the car and tell the tyre shop owner the bus tyre need to be replaced. The boss return back to his shop and call back his worker technician who is about to leave. It is really fortunately part out of all the misfortune. If I am not going to Ming An to collect Ma Ti Su, bus driver wouldn’t step out from bus to top up cash card and realized the real tyre puncit, and if we are reaching the tyre shop a little bit later, the tyre shop would be close and the owner left. Due to current school holiday peak season period, travel agency bus is fully deployed with no spare bus available, and if the bus continues to drive at normal speed in the highway, the tyre will be exploded. We finish replaced the spare tyre at 6.50pm and reaching Sultan Abu Bakar Complex – Malaysia Second Link Customs at 8.10pm.  

Ming An Ma Ti Su

Ma Ti Su or Beh The Soh, Beh The Saw, Beh The Sor literally translated as “horse hoof biscuits”. It is also called Haeng Paeng, literally translated by Cantonese dialects as “fragrance biscuits”. Ma Ti Su is a traditional Chinese pastry. Ma Ti Su at Ming An is freshly baked. You can feel the fresh and crunchy flaked biscuits with maltose filling. You still can feel the warm if you eat on the spot. The location of Ming An is Lot 1523, Batu 1/2, Jalan Muar, 83700 Yong Peng, Johor.

 Ming An Ma Ti Su

First Class Luxury Coach

First class luxury coach is an 18 seated double decker bus. The bus upper decker has 14 seats plus 1 last row of middle seat dedicated for tourist guide, and the lower decker has 4 seats with a mini kitchen familiar to airplane mini kitchen at the behind of seats. First class luxury coach seat can be adjusted to be like bed for passenger tourists to sleep comfortably and it has the massage chair functionality. Besides that, every first class luxury coach seats installed with a small LCD panel with pre-installed entertainment with the categories of movies, music, kids movies and games. The coach also provides on-demand video. Not forget to mention, like flight attendance, first class luxury coach has bus attendance to serve food and drinks for tourists.

Coach Mini Kitchen

5th job as tourist guide - 2 days 1 night SG - Klang transfer

Today is my fifth job as tourist guide. It is a Singapore-Malaysia Klang transfer job. It is a 2 days 1 night transfer job for Singapore tourists who attend to Bai Shui Sheng Di’s 20^th anniversary of Commemorate Thanks-giving Congregation of Enlightenment at IDCC Shah Alam. The Singapore tourists pick up point at Singapore at 10.30am and arrive Sultan Abu Bakar Complex – Malaysia Second Link Customs at 11.30am. I reach Sultan Abu Bakar Complex – Malaysia Second Link Customs at 10.45am. I heard from my tourist guide friend there that their Singapore tourists group which departed from Singapore at 8.30am is just arriving here. She has been waiting there for almost 3 hours. I predict my Singapore tourists group to reach here at least after 12pm. Fortunately, their journey to Sultan Abu Bakar Complex – Malaysia Second Link Customs quite smooth that around 11.30am, they are already reach and cleared the customs procedures. They give me a call after they cleared their customs procedures. They are enter through behind customs entry which normally only operate when there are too congested for the main customs entry during holiday or peak hours. I reach up to them and direct them to main entry waiting area to wait for our bus to come. We have change the bus instead of pre-arranged tour bus because of unexpected accident to the bus early morning while on the journey to Sultan Abu Bakar Complex – Malaysia Second Link Customs. The 30 seated bus change to 40 seated bus. Fortunately my tourists group are understandable.

The bus reached Sultan Abu Bakar Complex – Malaysia Second Link Customs at 11.45am, and without delay I let my Singapore tourists onboard to the bus and start our journey to Klang. Our first stop is stop at Yong Peng vegetarian restaurant for our lunch. When reaching Kulai, we see a very long jammed on the road. We took old lane to bypass the road congestion because there is bus accident on the highland near Sedenak since early morning. The old road from Kulai to Simpang Renggam exit take 1 hour of journey. We reach Yong Peng vegetarian restaurant at 2pm. I have my lunch together with the Singapore tourists. The vegetarian food is quick nice especially its fried hokkien mee.

We continue our journey to Klang after our lunch at 3pm. The whole journey is quick smooth without any rain on the way. We only see the wet road condition for few highway section when we crossing it. We reach Klang about 6.30pm. We direct go to Restaurant Miao San Yuan for our dinner. Restaurant Miao San Yuan is a vegetarian restaurant which is quick popular there and it is near to our hotel. This time I eat with bus driver at Mamak shop. After our dinner, we go to hotel for check in and rest at 8pm. The hotel check-in procedure takes around 30 minutes to complete full check-in for all the tourists. This is due to individuals booking. If the hotel booking is done through license travel agency, the hotel check-in is just required the tourists passport details listing which will definitely shorten the hotel check in time a lot. For this trip, no hotel is booked for tourist guide, only accommodation allowance is given. I decided to take same hotel with tourists for easier transfer tomorrow. Fortunately there is 1 hotel room with 2 single beds left just nice for us. The bus driver shares the room with me. My first day job ended here smoothly. Not forget to mention that the Singapore tourist’s organizer has arranged with counter staff to perform morning call at 8am the next day morning.

The second day started with my breakfast which I bring together while I am on job assignment – white bread and Melilea organic powder. After 2 slices of bread and Melilea organic powder, the required nutrient and calorie needed for the day is fully contained. Melilea organic powder and white bread is a must bring food in any of my trips and jobs. I spend my morning watching TV programme until 10.00am and take my bag down to hotel lobby. When I reach lobby, most of the Singapore tourists already there and perform hotel check-out. All of them have change their cloth to white shirt prepared to attend the Bai Shui Sheng Di’s 20^th anniversary of Commemorate Thanks-giving Congregation of Enlightenment. After all tourist’s hotel check-out done, we onboard to bus and go to Restaurant Miao San Yuan for our early lunch. Restaurant Miao San Yuan is a vegetarian restaurant. I must say that their vegetarian food is delicious. It is worth for recommendation. The location is 41&43-00-01,Lorong Batu Nilam 1E, Bandar Bukit Tinggi, 41200 Klang, Selangor. We join another two groups of Singapore tourists who are also come to attend the Bai Shui Sheng Di’s 20^th anniversary of Commemorate Thanks-giving Congregation of Enlightenment for our lunch. They take 3 days 2 nights tour packages including KL city tour and Malacca tour. Again, I meet with 2 senior tourist guides who guide me and help me a lot during previous 3 days 2 nights Genting Highlands tour. We sit together and enjoy the delicious vegetarian food provided by the restaurant. The service staffs there are friendly. The 3 bus drivers also eat together with us.

Vegetarian Restaurant Miao San Yuan

After lunch, we continue to our most important destination in this 2 days 1 night trip – IDCC shah Alam where the Bai Shui Sheng Di’s 20^th anniversary of Commemorate Thanks-giving Congregation of Enlightenment is hosted. When we reach IDCC Shah Alam, there are already few buses parking there and the entry door are filled with many white shirt’s Tao members attending to Bai Shui Sheng Di’s 20^th anniversary of Commemorate Thanks-giving Congregation of Enlightenment. This event attended by 5000 Tao’s member from different country to commemorate 20^th anniversary of Bai Shui Sheng Di’s enlightenment. The event last for 4 hours, ended at 5pm. Due to I am not attending to this event, I look for a comfortable sofa to rest and stroll around the furniture, home and décor floors.

Bai Shui Sheng Di’s 20^th anniversary of Commemorate Thanks-giving Congregation of Enlightenment

Heavy rain started pouring down when the Bai Shui Sheng Di’s 20^th anniversary of Commemorate Thanks-giving Congregation of Enlightenment event come to the end. To avoid crowded and congestion, we do not get the bus drive in to the door entry side for onboard. We also do not have our packaged dinner first which is provided after the event. We directly onboard to the bus and drive out of the area and stop at Dengkil R&R for our packaged food dinner. Everybody is so hungry because of early lunch and now the time clock to 5.30pm already. We stop at Dengkil R&R at 6pm for the packaged dinner. On the journey back to Singapore, we stop at Yong Peng bus station for toilet break. When we reach Sultan Abu Bakar Complex – Malaysia Second Link Customs, the time is already 11.15pm. During this timing, inside the customs are already no people, so it is very fast to clear the customs procedure. I farewell to my Singapore tourists after headcount and proceed to go back.

About Bai Shui Sheng Di

Baishui Sheng Di is the heavenly title of Elder Han. Elder Han was one of the senior disciples of Holy Teachers, and he was the leader of one of the eighteen Tao group of I-Kuan Tao — the Fa Yi Group. Elder Han was born in 1901, and he returned to Heaven in 1995.  After receiving Tao and experiencing miracles that saved his life, he dedicated himself to the cultivation and propagation of Tao.  Elder Han’s journey of Tao, though specific to his life and circumstances, can serve as a model for Tao practitioners.

About I-Kuan Tao

I-Kuan Tao (pronounced "yee guan dao") is one of the most significant spiritual movements in Taiwan. Its name can be literally translated as "The Tao that unifies all with the one."

The basis of I-Kuan Tao is rooted in Chinese traditions, with teachings emphasizing traditional values such as family, honor, respect and moderation. It is no exaggeration to call I-Kuan Tao the definitive and authentic Chinese form of spirituality.

The appeal of I-Kuan Tao is not limited to the Chinese. The movement is open to everyone regardless of ethnicity. Many people in the West have already experienced the warmth and acceptance of Tao practitioners. They have also discovered, within I-Kuan Tao, progressive teachings that resonate with the Western mind.

I-Kuan Tao

About IDCC Shah Alam

Structurally designed and built to house a home decoration centre spread over a podium of 300 meters in length for a three story wholesale and retail concept stores (opened 1 Nov 2015, for the time being only 2 floor are occupied and operated), a systematic yet convenient 5 story car park, a block of 15 story Office Tower and a block of 15 story business class hotel strategically located in the capital of Selangor scheduled completion by 4th quarter 2014. IDCC Shah Alam covers a land span of 19140 square meters and stands out majestically and easily accessible along the Shah Alam Expressway. Built and designed uniquely as a one stop centre for trendy household furnishing yet affordable with whole sale pricing and in trend requirements to appease the current generation lifestyle and household needs and a melting pot to meet.

IDCC Shah Alam

IDEAL Convention Centre is the largest convention centre in Shah Alam Selangor, which occupies the top floor of IDCC Shah Alam. Spread across 8,674.41meter square of space and comprising 11 halls in 4 different sizes, this iconic facility boasts a total of 8,000 pax. IDEAL Convention Centre Shah Alam is a spacious convention halls suitable for conferences, exhibition, corporate events & wedding functions.