While crossing the Causeway is the norm for many Singaporeans and Malaysians, it can be pretty amazing for those from other countries.
Two South Korean actors on a reality travel show recently crossed over to Johor Bahru from Singapore as part of their programme.
During the process, they were amazed by how easy it can be to travel to a whole other country by land.
They ended up going by taxi as they felt it was the more comfortable option, paying S$90 for the fare.
Viewers were able to see the Causeway crossing experience through the eyes of two South Koreans thanks to the reality travel show Battle Trip.
An eight-minute clip from the show’s second season featuring the journey was posted on YouTube this February.
It focused on two of the season’s celebrity participants, actors Ryu Seung-soo (blue hat) and Kim Ho-young (red hat), travelling across the Causeway for the first time.
While at a taxi stand, Kim briefly introduced Ryu to how the service works, explaining that all the taxis there can take passengers to Johor Bahru.
He added that they could give their passports to the taxi driver, who would handle the immigration process for them.
As they approach one, the taxi driver named Ramez tells them the fare will cost S$90.
While this may seem steep to those accustomed to crossing the Causeway, the show’s participants who provided commentary felt it was “not bad” and “really nice”.
Once they were in the taxi heading to the Johor Bahru checkpoint, Kim gave viewers the lowdown on three ways to get to Malaysia from Singapore by land: train, bus, and taxi.
He also listed some pros and cons for each transport mode.
In his view, trains are fast but few, buses are cheap but inconvenient, and taxis are comfortable but expensive.
As they approached the Singapore checkpoint, the show’s other participants were visibly amazed by people riding motorcycles to cross the border.
One of the show’s hosts, Mijoo, even asked if people “shop for groceries and such” on a motorcycle. Sometime after Kim and Ryu passed the Singapore checkpoint, they pointed out the border line that officially divided the two countries.
The two then declared happily that they were out of Singapore as they crossed the border while the other show’s participants looked on in awe.
Later on, Kim and Ryu added another novel experience to their list as they went through a luggage inspection at the Malaysia checkpoint.
Two of the show’s participants, Yubin (formerly of Wonder Girls fame) and actress Song Hae Na, expressed surprise. They remarked that they never knew about this despite having been to Singapore multiple times.
After completing the inspection, Ho Young reflected on the experience, calling it “rare” and “precious”.
35 minutes after leaving the taxi stand, Ho Young and Seung Soo finally arrived at their hotel.
Here, we see they have checked in to the Forest City Golf Hotel.
If the name sounds familiar, that may be because it is attached to the same development that recently made the news for being a ‘ghost town’.
However, the Forest City presented in the video is a drastically different one, with drone footage showing the hotel and surrounding golf courses in a majestic light.
The other participants were enthralled upon seeing the scenery, with Yubin even inviting Hae Na to go.
For the most part, Singaporeans and Malaysians alike were overjoyed to see the countries highlighted in a South Korean show.
A Malaysian commenter with Singaporean roots welcomed Seung Soo and Ho Young to Malaysia while expressing ‘I love you’ in Korean.
Another netizen pointed out that one can reach many other countries by transiting through Malaysia.
One K-pop fan called on more artistes to stop by Malaysia, given how short the journey is from Singapore.
On the other hand, one viewer felt the taxi fare was “overpriced”.
As such, they advised future tourists to plan ahead and travel by train instead.
As interesting as it was for Seung Soo and Ho Young to cross the Causeway, it was equally interesting for us to see the journey through their eyes.
Hopefully, this marks the beginning of more vacations to Singapore and Malaysia for them and other South Koreans.
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Featured image adapted from YouTube.
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