Traveller Joanne shares why Johor Bahru, Malaysia is a hidden gem as a destination for travellers from around the world. You can follow her journey on Instagram @theincredibleu
How long have you lived here?
Johor Bahru or JB is my hometown and I lived there for 20 years before moving to Singapore.
Describe your city in 3 words.
Busy, beautiful, touristy
What is the one thing everyone must see when they get here and why?
Something only the locals know is that Desaru beach is where you can find the soft white sand that makes any beach great. The quality of the sea isn’t that awesome, but the beach is lovely.
What is the most overrated thing about your city and why?
Probably the misconceptions about food. Everyone says that the food is cheap and good, but to be honest, it is quite tasty, but it is not cheap for the locals.
What is your favourite local dish – describe it to us?
Bak Kut Teh in a claypot. The flavourful broth so rich yet so easy to drink and it’s a perfect meal full of amazing fresh ingredients.
One of my most favourite places to get the dish is at Shun Fa Bak Kut Teh. The broth is infused with herbs such as Dong Quai (Female ginseng), cinnamon, star anise, and made with juicy pork ribs, dried mushrooms, tofu and heaps of garlic, making it a must-have everytime I go home.
It can take hours of slow cooking to make this delicious dish.
Describe your perfect day if you were a tourist?
I would recommend something simple, but fun for someone who hasn’t been here before.
Have coffee and toast in one of those traditional coffee shops that often serves bread roasted with charcoal. There’s nothing better than the bitter local coffee and freshly toasted bread in the morning.
Of course, we need to follow this up with bak kut teh for lunch at Shun Fa. Where else would I ever go?
An ideal afternoon and evening would be to spend the rest of the day near the beach, preferably Desaru beach for a relaxing day in JB.
This article has been edited for clarity and grammar
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