To travel from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur there are several options. My idea was to see something on the way and this option is also faster than taking the train which a lot of travelers do.
Here is my travel itinerary:
First, take the local Johor Bahru bus from JB sentral to Larkin terminal. This bus ride takes 10 minutes and will set you back 1.70 MYR (0.6 USD) . I chose to go to KL through Melaka and from Larkin terminal there are several bus companies to choose between which means that you will usually not have to wait for more then an hour for the next bus to departure. Price for the ticket from Johor Bahru to Melaka is 19 MYR (6 USD) .
Melaka is a beautiful city which is also on the UNESCO list. The bus trip to Melaka from JB takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes (with one quick toilet- and provision stop) and will pass endless plantations of palm oil. When the bus arrives to Melaka you need to take bus 17 to the center, duration around 20 minutes and cost 1.30 MYR (0.4 USD).
If you decide to stay for the night in Melaka the hotels are cheap here, around 27 MYR (9 USD) for a single room and 35 MYR (12 USD) for a double room, or if you prefer to sleep in a dormitory the cost is as low as 15 MYR (5 USD).
Melaka is really touristic in the historical part of the city, but if you want to see a more genuine part of the city you can easily walk to the modern areas where there are almost no tourists. Also, although touristic, to walk on the streets around “Jonker walk” in the night during Friday-Sunday is really nice when the market is happening (if there is no rain).
When you finally get tired of Melaka and want to continue to Kuala Lumpur there are buses about every hour from the Melaka terminal. The trip to KL takes about 2 hours and costs 12,20 MYR (4 USD).
Total travel time with the above described way from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur is minimum 5 hours and costs 33 MYR (11 USD). There are also direct buses to Kuala Lumpur from Larkin if you are in a hurry or want to get away even cheaper.
Finally, here are some of my pictures from Melaka:
Company from 5 generations back making these wooden signs
People are already preparing for Chinese New Year celebrations everywhere
Jonker Walk karaoke, a bit empty because of recent rain
Malaysian beer have “great European heritage” as they are brewed under the supervision of Carlsberg Denmark
Squid balls in the making. Later on they put BBQ sauce, mayonnaise and shredded fish on top of them – yum!
Nice man I met in a Malaysian temple who worked there after his retirement. He showed me around, telling me the story behind every detail of the temple and then he brewed me some breakfast tea.
Presents from the man above. These papers with golden detail people fold like a fortune cookie and then burn for good luck.
Breakfast before moving on to Kuala Lumpur