Wet morning
As we were only staying in Batu Pahat for the one night, we were checking out this morning. We had booked a bus to Kluang, and nearby city that had a few more bits to do than this place. The bus was at 10am, and it was only just down the road, so we rose at 8am. We gathered our gear together, and checked out of our hotel. It was drizzling a bit, so we didn’t dawdle to the bus stop, in fact the rain got heavier as time went on.
For breakfast, we stopped at a small café, 1 block away from the bus station. We had a very simplistic meal of roti with curry sauce. This is a very basic breakfast which is comprised of a very thin pancake and a small dish of sauce. I had a curry sauce, and it was beaut. So beaut that I had a second one as well! With time getting on, we thought the bus taking us to Kluang had arrived by now and was ready to get boarded. Turns out there was no rush, and instead we stood around waiting for the bus. Eventually, the bus turned up and we got on board. Of course, like everything other transport, I get plonked next to a large man, leaving me little room. Whilst Mat is alone and gets all the space in the world! Every damn time.
Short journey
Despite having to sit on the bus next to a boulder, the journey was only an hour long, so I didn’t suffer for long. As soon as we were in Kluang and got off the bus, I realised this was a larger and a better equipped city. The bus station was pretty big, and the facilities of buildings of the city were more plentiful and advanced. The hotel was a moderate walk away, especially in the baking heat. Our hotel was another from the OYO franchise, called Kluang Baru. It didn’t look anything special on the outside, but the room was well equipped with amenities.
As it was still raining slightly, we didn’t venture too far from the hotel in search of food. Fortunately, our hotel was in the middle of a shopping complex, so there were plenty of shops around us. However, only a small portion were occupied, and an even smaller portion were restaurants. We thought we’d managed to hit the jackpot when we found a Chinese restaurant. However, it didn’t fulfil our excitement expectations, and it was slightly disappointing. Once we had finished eating, the Sun was shining outside, and we decided to visit the nearby shopping centre.
Bowling down the alley
The walk only took us around 20 minutes, but the baking heat didn’t help us any! As per usual, we took a brief look around the shops, never buying anything, before we found something cool on the top floor. We had stumbled upon a bowling alley, just like the ones at home. It also happened that they had a special deal on, 3 games for a really cheap price. We’re both suckers for a bargain, so we seized this opportunity, and had a blast. It was a lot of good fun, although the old women next to us for putting us to shame! We had a good time for about an hour, in which I won 2 of the 3 games. Not to make excuses, but I used my other hand during the game I lost…just saying!
We were heading out of this place, but had to stop for a couple of delicious waffles on the way…worth it. When we did reach the exit, it was absolutely howling it down outside, like almost flooding. I understand on a small scale how these flash floods happen in Asia now. We waited a while to see if the torrential downpour would stop, but it didn’t. Instead, we opted for a taxi to escort us back home, which was an absolute saving grace. Once we were back at the hotel, we just chilled for a while before eventually turning in for the night.
