PUBLISHED ONMarch 22, 2023 6:30 AMByJolynn ChiaWhat most Singaporeans consider a tedious process was surprisingly met with fascination by the hosts of a South Korean travel show.
On an episode of Battle Trip Season 2 posted on KBS World TV's YouTube channel last month, the two hosts, Ryu Seung-soo and Kim Ho-young, are shown crossing the Singapore-Malaysia borders at Woodlands in December last year.
What seemed to have left the deepest impression on them was having their bags checked at the customs. Even though they have gone through it at airports before, it was their first time experiencing it on the roads.
"Isn't it a rare and precious experience that we went through an inspection in a taxi?" Ho-young commented.
The other hosts watching the clip in the studio echoed their sentiments, saying: "I've been to Singapore but I didn't know that."
The journey started with Ho-young and Seung-soo taking a taxi at the Singapore-Johor taxi service at Ban San Street at Jalan Besar, which cost them S$90 per car. They made a specific clarification to the audience that the cost was not per person.
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They added that travellers can enter Malaysia by train, bus and taxi, and even broke down the pros and cons of each option.
When they saw the swarm of motorbikes waiting to pass immigration at the Woodlands checkpoint, the hosts in the studio were gobsmacked.
"That's so interesting," one said, while another thought it was "amazing".
They also had a specific curiosity in mind.
"Do they shop for groceries and such on their bikes?" a host wondered aloud.
Ho-young gave an affirmative response. "Many people who commute to Singapore travel on their bikes like this."
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The motorcyclists are likely workers who live in Johor Bahru (JB) and travel to Singapore daily for work.
When informed that they had passed the Singapore section on the Causeway, Ho-young excitedly declared it the "Singapore finish line".
"Goodbye Singapore, welcome to Malaysia," Seung-soo announced energetically.
The rest of the video then showed them crossing the Malaysian customs and checking into a hotel with golf facilities, which Seung-soo called "a log cabin in the jungle".
The subsequent video showed them enjoying seafood at a restaurant on stilts in Johor.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hg1EuIlJe0[/embed]
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jolynn.chia@asiaone.com
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