Zoo Johor had a makeover. The first time I went there was when I was heavily pregnant with my daughter in 2017 and the second time around was when she turned 3 years old. Now, the zoo looks more modern although it is way smaller than Zoo Negara and Zoo Melaka. Of course, the fees have gone up but it was still a great place to spend the day out with the kids. Tickets can be bought online or at the premises using the kiosk. The zoo will be closed every Tuesday starting November 1st.

I liked the part where we hovered over the Gladiator-like rings to see the lions, tigers and bears.

Another great feature is that visitors get to snap photos with the birds and snakes (in a glass box) without concerns about paying extra or being in a queue. I would say it is a minimalistic zoo that is equally entertaining. As it doesn’t have the ritual photography sessions at the front gate or the ‘come here buy your fridge magnet‘ salesperson at the zoo exit. It’s just a place where the family could hang out and get excited over the animals at a small cost. I like that. Animals should be accessible to all classes of citizens. Rakyat Johor sangat bertuah.

We spent roughly an hour at the zoo and managed to put in about 5K steps into our daily walk routine. Afterwards, we made a quick stop at Mid Valley South Key Mall for lunch. We had Nandos and even ordered the bottomless drinks and yoghurts. The vanilla yoghurt had a smooth taste and not too sour. My husband loved it. He also shopped for new work bags and a luggage bag for his sister. I didn’t get anything. I am being very mindful of my spending lately because I have a bigger financial goal in a few months to come.

Thankfully with Deepavali decor instead of Halloween

During this staycation in Johor Bahru, we stayed at The GBW Hotel. I will blog about it in another post.

#throwback

If it was entirely up to me – I’d probably sleep my way from Saturday (postcall) to Monday. But Mr Husband has other plans and when he throws Ee into the picture like “kesian Ee cuti sekolah tak pergi mana2” _ I caved in. OK lah oklah… where are we going?

JOHOR BAHRU

and I imagined having bowls and bowls of laksa johor. which I ended up did not having. *pilu*

For our short stay – we booked a room at Tropical Inn. Which is just opposite Double Tree HIlton guys. A contrasting picture indeed. Wished I took a photo. One old school, haunted look hotel and the other, very modern and posh.

pretending its spicy food

free basic toileteries

the lobby

complimentary beverages

Despite its ancient decor – our room was clean with complimentary breakfast. There was no bath tub to Ee’s dismay but there’s a mini fridge which was good enough. The location of the hotel is very near to the shopping mall and Pasar Karat. You can literally walk there in 10 mins unless you’re heavily pregnant like Yours Truly.

Air conditioning was inconsistent. Perhaps they switched it off temporarily at night during certain hours as sometimes you do wake up feeling either too cold or too warm. To save electricity, maybe? Otherwise, the service and amenities were fulfilling the star ratings. If only the breakfast options were a bit more meriah. ha ha

The highlight of the trip was a visit to Zoo Johor. Its a small zoo in the city and the entrance fee was super cheap. RM1 for kids and RM2 for adults. Most of the time I’d be sitting down on the benches while Ee and Mr Husband climb the many flights of stairs to see the lions or something. I just couldn’t manage it anymore. Generally, it was still a nice zoo where the whole family could enjoy a day out together with minimal budget.

As of food, Wak Radols satay is a must. Mr Husband seems to like it very much.

This time, we took the opportunity to try Sup Tulang Zz’s famous mee rebus. Each bowl was quite pricey. Taste-wise .. nasib baik sedap. tkdelah very marvelous but the dish kept the business going.

And like any tourist, a picture around bandar JB is a must. We wanted to go to the night petting zoo but posing near the crown at the fountain was good enough. I thought the city was very pretty at night with all the LED lights. Very clean as well. If only we could stay longer but our jobs await. hmph.