JUST TO SHARE (Lau Tai Onn): January 2018

A pose in front of Phoenix Hotel, Forest City, Johore

As part of lucky draw prize won by my 2^nd son Wai Jen, a 2D1N trip was given to my wife and me to visit Forest City (碧桂园森林城市), Pulau Satu, Gelang Patah, Johor from January 25-26, 2018. The organizer and tour leader was 39-year old Sales & Marketing Manager Eric Lau. Our group comprised 19 participants and a 30-seater couch was chartered to fetch a total of 20 of us to and from Johor.

To be honest, I was not particularly excited about this trip as I have already been to Forest City on a study tour with 3 other colleagues from Berjaya Land Bhd on 30/03/2017 while I was employed then (for a short stint from February till June, 2017). The Forest City developed by China’s Country Garden Pacificview S/B and built on reclaimed land opposite Singapore is undoubtedly impressive, but one sight-seeing visit is enough unless for investment purpose.

A group photo of some participants (pic left is organizer Eric Lau)

The trip was to begin from Bandar Utama bus terminal station from 8.00 am on Thursday, 25/1/2018.

Soh Ai and I left home at 6.00 am and we took a Grab taxi to Batu 11 Cheras MRT station (fare RM 8.00).

We boarded a MRT train at 6.20am and reached Bandar Utama MRT station at 7.05 am (my fare was RM 2.10).

Batu 11 Cheras MRT station

I made a mistake in thinking that the bus terminal was nearby the MRT station. The bus-waiting area below the MRT station was actually meant for MRT shuttle buses. We waited till 7.45 am and realizing the mistake and after calling Eric Lau over the handphone, we walked about 15 minutes, crossing bridges and roads, to One Utama Shopping Mall and finally reached the bus terminal at 8.00 am. It is a lesson learned that if we were to visit One Utama Shopping Mall by MRT next time, we should not alight from Bandar Utama MRT station which is quite a distance from the mall!

Bandar Utama MRT station

Apparently the early morning traffic of the day was very heavy and most of our group members including our tour leader Eric Lau were late. The coach set off at 8.25 am.

One U Shopping Mall bus terminal station

On the coach going south

20 pax in total on the coach

We stopped at R&R Dengkil for breakfast from 9.00 am to 9.30 am and reached the Sales Gallery of Forest City in Johor at 1.25 pm.

Upon arrival, we immediately had our buffet lunch at the VIP Lounge. The food variety and quantity were not much as we went in late.

After breakfast at 2.30 pm, Eric Lau took us for a tour of all the exhibits in the Sales Gallery and gave us an introduction of the development including visiting a few model apartment units. It was interesting to note a robot named “Siao Bai” (小白) in a show unit which can respond in Mandarin when approached.

At 4.35 pm, we left the Sales Gallery for the 4-star (upgradable to 5-star) Country Garden Forest City Phoenix Hotel (碧桂园森林城市凤凰酒店). But the rooms were not available until 5.55 pm. We walked around the adjacent duty-free shops to while away the time. Most of the shops deal with liquor and cigarettes. But Eric Lau cautioned us that liquor and other alcoholic drinks were to be consumed in the Forest City and they might be taxable if carried home (a customer checkpoint is set up at the main road leading to the Forest city.

We checked into our rooms all located on the 5^th floor at 5.55 pm. Our hotel rooms were very spacious with two king-size beds, long-bath and etc.

It was a bit late for such activities like swimming in the hotel attached infinity swimming pool though I brought my swimming trunk with me.

We went for our buffet dinner at about 6.30 pm at the C&M restaurant on the lobby floor. Food was okay.

After dinner, a few of us sat at the lobby area listening to various songs very well performed by a Malay lady singer on stage, chit-chatting with a couple of new acquaintances, in particular Mr. Soh (苏新福) who is of the same age as me from Kuala Lipis, Pahang, who operates a sundry shop and currently runs a micro bus rental business. He is also an active local MCA grassroots leader in his hometown. A very talkative financial planner Steven SL Law, vice president (sales & marketing) of AE Alliances Holdings S.B., spoke at length on various motivational subjects. He must be a very good toast-master. Earlier, Eric also shared with us his hard-to-come-by 2-year daughter whom he pampers now.

We went back to our room at 9.30 pm and adjourned to bed at about 11.00 pm after playing with our smartphones.

Arrived at the Sales Gallery of Forest City, Johor

Another group photo posed with victory signs

Eric Lau giving his introduction of the Forest City development

Visiting a model apartment unit

The cute robot in the apartment

Robot serving drinks to guests

Entrance to Phoenix Hotel

Reception lobby of Phoenix Hotel

Duty-free shops adjacent to Phoenix Hotel

A glimpse of our spacious room

Swimming pool of the hotel

Overlooking Singapore from our hotel room window

Construction of Forest City apartments in progress

Buffet dinner

My first plate of buffet dinner

Second and last plate of my desserts and fruits

Chit-chatting after dinner at the lobby area

On Friday, 26/1/2018, we woke up at 7.30 am and went for buffet breakfast at 8.00 am. I walked around the hotel till 9.30 am.

We checked out from our room at 10.00 am but had to wait for others till 10.50 am before the group departed from the hotel at 10.50 am.

At 11.30 am, we dropped by Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) in Kulai which features luxury branded goods, such as Nike, Adidas, GUESS, Burberry, Zegna Outlet Store, Michael Kors, Armani, Coach, Esprit, Puma, Clarks, Skechers, Vincci, Geox, Pedro and etc.

Soh Ai and I took our “nasi lemak” lunch at the Food Court of JPO.

We left JPO at 1.20 pm for KL. We stopped for 15 minutes at R&R Machap. The homeward-bound journey along N-S Highway was badly affected by the heavy traffic and rain, especially as we approached PJ.

We returned to Bandar Utama at 7.30 pm. As the coach driver Mr. Ho was going back to Bandar Technologi, Semenyih, Soh Ai and I followed his coach to Bukit Dukung MRT station where we took a shuttle bus to return to Bandar Sungai Long.

The traffic on the roads was so bad that it took us more than an hour to reach Bukit Dukung at 9.00 pm. We finally returned home by MRT shuttle bus at 9.30 pm.