The uncommon Johor adventure

I was away with 7 friends for a short trip to Desaru over the weekend. Desaru is in the state of Johor, on the east coast. So it is nearer to go by the Woodlands route and drive into JB.

We had agreed this will be an extremely relaxed trip, without agenda. Take things nice and easy.

The 8 of us (in 3 cars) gathered at 6 A.M at my place to avoid the morning jam at the causeway. We were like kids going on a field trip...

Malaysian Ringgit - checked

Walkie-talkie - checked

Snacks - checked

Sunglasses - checked

A sense of adventure - checked

Board games - checked

Suntan lotion - checked

Bikinis - checked

Tennis racket (???) - checked

Perhaps things were going too smoothly, when someone decided, rather unintentionally, to shake things up. And we just checked our sense of adventure 20 mins ago!

All 3 cars drove in and cleared the customs as per normal, except our funny friend's. Maybe it was too early in the morning and the Malaysian customs officer, like my friend, was still fighting the Z monster.

My friend (the driver) thought the officer was waving him straight to toll payment. As he was not familiar with Woodlands Checkpoint, he thought there was another officer doing immigration clearance further down the toll. His good wife concurred.

And so, after making payment, he drove straight on. To his surprise, what he saw next was the open road and he was leaving the immigration building! Hahahahhaah...

The next rendezvous was at the Shell station after the customs. Mid-way over the walkie-talkie came my friend's voice.

"Eh, did the officer chop your passports?"

Huh???

No matter if you're a seasoned traveler or not, the first thing your parents taught you (probably the moment you get your passport), is to ensure your passport is chopped by the country of visit's customs. I am not sure if there are countries which doesn't put a stamp in your passport, but I am sure Malaysia is not one of them. YET.

I could only imagine how my friend and his passengers were feeling in the car. Just think - I am an illegal immigrant - so dangerous! The next voice that came over the walkie-talkie was his wife's, much softer.

"Oh no, I think we're in trouble".

Another friend suggested we go back to the immigration and ask for help. We parked the cars at Caltex station and waited for them for at least an hour.

Seems like they were in serious trouble. For a split second I thought we should pray for their safety. Another friend thought they might need to be billed out.

The truth was, on their way back, they had lost their sense of direction (together with their nerves) in the massive building.

As to how the whole explanation with the Malaysian customs officer went, just picture yourself getting scolded by your primary school principal. That was how they felt.

What a way to start the weekend! Compared to the rest of the trip, nothing came close to the excitement we felt by breaking the Malaysian law.

Makes the succulent seafood, hearty massage, creamy durians and exhilarating banana boat ride look pale in comparison.