INSIGHTS AND MEMOIRS OF TRAVELS

In my elementary grade school days in the 60s, I always read or hear that "ours is a shrinking world" because of modern transportation. And the world was "shrunk" further by the budget airlines that offer as much as one peso fare excluding other surcharges or fees that now "Every Juan can fly."

 

Certainly, minors who are traveling at their parents' expense are not a luxury.

 

Personal travels for me had ceased to be a priority with my permanent job, except for urgent ones and official business. Traveling overseas was then out of the question too because I don't have a passport then. It was only by proddings of friends that I petitioned for the correction of my first name's spelling, to have it changed from JAYME to JAIME as it should be.

 

Still it was a year after that I finally got a Philippine Passport.

My most recent travel, on vacation, was to Malaysia and Singapore. We were traveling with two kids, one aged 5 years old and the other 18 months old, but they were required to pay Travel Taxes of about 1,500 Php each, plus a terminal fee. I might be wrong but aren't travel taxes imposed on the "luxury" to travel abroad (unless a hot airport terminal with inadequate facilities is considered a luxury?) If not, then the tax imposed is a restraint or burden to travel which transgresses on the constitutional right of domicile and the right to travel. Excessive travel taxes are to my view a restriction on the right to travel.

 

Malaysian flag



 

 

Arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 1:20 o’clock in the morning, we traveled for four hours by bus for an overnight stay at Johor Bahru City near the Malaysian border, for us kids to enjoy Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and Little Big Club.  No more time for Legoland Theme Park.

 

 

Malaysia Seri Hotel, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

 



The view from our hotel room

 

 

Upon arrival at Johor Bahru (Malaysia's progressive border city), we chose to walk as Malaysia Seri Hotel is but a walking distance from Larkin Sentral. Not finding a crosswalk was our first dilemma as we didn’t want to break local laws. But seeing some people merely crossing the street we just followed.

 

“Look! They’re just crossing the street!”  So we just crossed and drivers stopped or slowed down courteously for us.

 

As they drive on the "wrong side of the road" (right-hand drives), the crossing is a problem as we are used to checking for ongoing traffic from the left rather than from the right.

 

The next day we proceeded to Singapore for its sights, and attractions, to meet some relatives and friends, and as always, simply to observe to truly say "I was there".

Universal Studio - Singapore

As in Johor Bahru, I was curious about how the City State regulates its motor vehicles, noting what seems to be an unregulated and "un-standardized" car license plate design.

 

While the Philippine regulatory agency of motor vehicles has its hands full of issues concerning standardizing license plates and replacing over a million registered motor vehicles, in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur the issue seems to be the least of their concern.

 

Merlion Park, Singapore



Marina Sands, Singapore

In both countries license plates all look like what may be classified in the Philippines as "improvised plates" that are authorized in case of lost plates, no plates available, or change the car's registration denomination that an appropriate plate is awaiting manufacture.

 

 



Non-uniform car license plates in Singapore and Malaysia

Malaysian and Singaporean license plates were cut out sets of alphanumerics (a combination of letters of the alphabet and numbers), different font sizes, and configurations. Some have the letters placed above the numerics and some merely lined up.

I didn't see a police or traffic officer that I can ask how a car's validity or authenticity of registration can be easily determined with such an arrangement, other than with the less visible registration sticker on the car's windshield.
 
On our way to Clarke Quay from the Merlion Park in Singapore the taxi driver was so friendly and jolly, calling himself as an "Erap" look alike (referring to the present Manila City Mayor which indeed he resembles), and even greeted me with "Mabuhay", the traditional Filipino greeting which means "long live".
 
I asked him how cars are registered at Singapore, noting the irregular license plates configurations.
 
With a sigh, he said that Singapore is the most expensive place worldwide to have a car, and he said I can check that out.

One has to first secure a "C.O.E." or a Certificate Of Entitlement which may cost about 200,000 Singaporean Dollars. It is only after the C.O.E. is secured that a car may be purchased, for about 600 to 800 thousand Singaporean Dollars for a Mercedes Benz.
 
He explained that this is for the government to control the number of cars and avoid traffic congestion. Is it because, unlike Malaysia which has its Proton, Singapore has no local car manufacturer?
 
The cap is called the Vehicle Quota System (VQS) adopted by Singapore in May 1990 where car ownership for a period of 10 years is bid out through an online electronic auction system. COEs are allocated through the market mechanism, which provides the most efficient and equitable means of allocation. This quota is calculated based on the allowable growth rate of about 3% annually in the vehicle population that is sustainable for the long term. 

New Bridge Road, Singapore, Daytime Traffic



New Bridge Road, Singapore, Night Traffic

However, with the pace of road expansion slowing down by half, the annual vehicle population growth rate has also been reduced by half from 3% to 1.5% p.a. since May 2009 for 3 years to ensure that it is sustainable. The vehicle growth rate was recently reviewed in 2011 and it will be further reduced to 0.5% p.a. from February 2013 to January 2015.

 
Only about twenty-six (26) companies are allowed to operate taxis all over Singapore. Taxis are rented out by taxi drivers at a fixed daily rates, the latter shouldering gasoline and other incidental expenses.

Our taxi driver said that they don't discriminate on fares, nor pick up or unload passengers anywhere outside of designated areas. "You wait for taxis outside the taxi bays, the rain will come but no taxi will come".

He was proud of his city and government. "Corruption is zero, zero crime rate, no floods, well paved roads, and meritocracy in the bureaucracy. Singapore doesn't discriminate... It matters not if you're Chinese, Indian or Malaysian. As long as you can do the job you are hired."
 
The cab driver laments that Filipinos work in Singapore for four years and they can build a "Malacañang palace" back home, but the locals work hard and remain boxed-in. Why does there seem to be no adverse public reaction in Singapore to motor vehicle volume regulation? Simple. There are alternative public transportation modes that are efficient and comfortable even for daily commuting executives. Because there are no traffic jams and well-planned highway networks departure and the arrival of buses are precise as scheduled, with or without passengers.

The only heavy traffic I observed was along the Malaysian-Singaporean border.  I learned later that there is an influx of weekend vacationers and workers from Malaysia returning to Singapore on Monday mornings.
 

Malaysia - Singapore Border Monday Moring Traffic

 

 

 

The vehicular traffic system in Singapore is so efficient that who would think of driving when one could ride and get to his destination on time?

Larkin Sentral, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Notice on Bus  Bookings

 

 

Unlike in Hong Kong though, subway train or watercraft main terminals are not at as impressive in Singapore.  I was expecting the high-end mall-like aura of terminals, or the comfortable and ultra-clean express trains of Hong Kong.

 

 

 

Hong Kong Water Jet  Terminal for Macau

 


Kuala Lumpur Commuter Sentral
 

Comfortable Express Train of Hong Kong

 

Pedestrians’ convenience is of prime consideration though elevated crosswalks are well-lighted and equipped with escalators to encourage their use. They're practically safe to use even at night (except perhaps in Kuala Lumpur).

How I wish the same is true in the Philippines regarding traffic management, road network, and the bureaucracy on the issue of meritocracy.

 

Maybe the quote from Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, that "government is not the solution to our problem, the government is the problem" is correct.

 

It's not in the form of government, but in the system and people who run the government, including ethnic or cultural idiosyncrasies.

Funny, the Singaporean government’s control of car purchases is the real "vehicle reduction scheme", and not the "number coding" where certain cars depending on their plate endings are not allowed to go out on major thoroughfares.

 

This "vehicular volume regulation" was not taught to us at the National Center for Transportation Studies of the University of the Philippines. Yes, there was the route measured capacity that controls the number of public utility vehicles plying a specific route, which concept could also be modified for other motor vehicles.

 

Transportation planners were trained then more in road network design and traffic control systems but failed to consider vehicle volume control instead of resorting to additional road networks, which may not pass financial engineering parameters.

 

Building more roads and maximizing road capacity alone will not be able to ensure smooth flowing roads. In the Philippines, the policy directions lean towards the expansion of road networks that in no time get congested by tricycles, pedicabs, and lumbering overloaded cargo trucks that downgrade a network's level of service.

 

The introduction of the mass railway transport in the 1980s and flyovers along EDSA in Metro Manila a decade after was a welcome relief, but in less than 20 years they have become inadequate. Motor vehicle and passenger demand growth rate should not be higher than road capacity or road density.

 

 

To the Philippine pseudo-human rights advocates this would not be enough reason for the State to regulate. Neither would scheming politicians who would ride on to adverse public reactions agree, as local Philippine chief executives seem to bepolitically held hostage by tricycle drivers and jeepney operators.

  

An argument in the Philippines would be that this kind of government control of a motor vehicle may hurt the automotive industry and the national economy. But secondary to vehicular traffic congestion the National Economic Development Authority reported that the Philippines is losing 2.4 million pesos or 500 million U.S. Dollars per day in potential income and lost productivity.

 

Add to this the 1.9 billion U.S. Dollars, or 2.6% of the Philippines' Gross Domestic Product, that is the total national cost of traffic accidents.

 

Visiting countries won’t be complete without purchasing something personal, other than the usual souvenirs and “pasalubongs” or coming back presents for friends back home. 

I bought a watch in Singapore’s China Town District, at a greatly lower price difference than in Manila stores.  The store gave me a tax refund for the watch because I am not a local resident. 

I was entitled to a tax refund in a foreign territory but in the Philippines, citizens are taxed for leaving their country for whatever reason.

 

The store won't ship though to the Philippines because of items lost in the mail.  This is something that the Philippine government has also to look into.

 

After enjoying Universal Studios at Singapore we returned to Kuala Lumpur to visit Petronas Twin Towers and other landmarks.

 

 


Petronas Twin Towers. KL Business District may be safe though to go at night

 

Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Singapore are 350 kilometers apart and yet travel time by bus are but seven hours, including stops at two immigration and customs checks.

  

It was an expressway by Philippine standards all the way, with landscaping and adequate informative signs.

 

 

 

Landscaped 350 kilometers Highway from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

 

 

Malaysian highways are illuminated in their entire width that from the air it looks like a network of bright amber, not broken beads pattern of lights like that of Manila's Roxas Boulevard.

 

These highways are so beautifully lighted that the night view of northern Malacca from above, along KLIA's air navigation glide path to Runway 032R, is magnificent for a small town where the pilot dims the cabin lights to give passengers a better view.

 

 



Cellular communication towers disguised as trees

 

 

Malaysia seems to be more of an "environmentalist" State. The 350-kilometer expressway from the Singapore border to Kuala Lumpur is lined with trees and palm oil plantations that blend well with the landscape foliage of the highway.

  

Cellular communication towers in urban areas in Kuala Lumpur (and Johor Bahru) are even camouflaged with artificial branches and leaves to blend in with the trees.  The communication masts resemble trees rather than being aesthetically obtrusive.

 

Massive plantings may be dictated by necessity as Malaysia's soil appears to be clayish that is prone to erosion if not held together by trees and foliage.

 

The seemingly endless palm oil plantations remind me of a report in Thompson Reuters Foundation (Trinna Leong, Reuters) that "Almost 3,000 rapes were reported to the police in 2012, of which 52 percent involved girls aged 16 and below, according to police statistics.

 

'Convicted rapists face up to 30 years in prison and whipping, but many on Internet sites wanted stricter punishment.

 

'We are seeing a prevalence in rape cases because boys are raised in an environment where they think it is okay to use violence," Suri Kempe of Sisters in Islam told Reuters."

 

We were forewarned though my friends in Singapore to be careful in Malaysia.  The warning was helpful as indeed the atmosphere around Hotel Sentral in Kuala Lumpur wasn’t that conducive late at night.



Leaving Singapore for Kuala Lumpur
It was 7:00 o'clock in the evening but the sun is still up

  

The seven-hour trip maybe has been pleasant and comfortable if not for the odoriferous experience.

 

Without being racist, there are non-Singaporeans and non-Malaysian residents whose body odors make taking public transportation a nightmare for others, like the two men that boarded the bus right after crossing the Malaysian border.

 

Personal hygiene preferences or culture should not be offensive in a host country or to its other guests.

 

I had this question in my mind, why does Singapore impose stiff penalties for bringing on board public conveniences durian fruit (Durio zibethinus  L.) but does not prohibit or discourage foul body odor?

Pardon, but Filipinos are just very particular about personal hygiene particularly when in public places or with company.

 

 

 

Many still do give their seats to children and passengers with heavy bags,
that is, even seats not designated as such.

 

In subway rides, even in the rickety monorails, chivalry is still alive. Men, as an obviously African, had done, still offer their seats to ladies and children. But charm is rare in many store attendants, like the waiter who simply waived us to bring our order cards to the counter.

 

No wonder Filipino migrant workers abound because of the personal attention given to customers, like the gracious Filipina sales lady at the store where I purchased my watch.

Many locals hardly speak English which may affect trading and the tourism industry, unlike in the Philippines where English-speaking people are not a rarity.

 

Singapore may be the cleanest city, and a “Fine City” too because of the many prohibitions with exorbitant fines.  But like in the Philippines, Kuala Lumpur has also its own share of dirty bathrooms (tandas).  The "tandas" at the KL Commuter Central is so dirty.

 

Local cuisine may not really be to our particular liking.  It cannot be expected that it will conform to a non-resident’s palate, except perhaps for the adventurous ones working with National Geographic Channel or the Lifestyle Network.

 

 

 

 

What may be a typical Malaysian breakfast.  In the buffet table
I just took some rice, beans, potato, cucumber and peanuts

 

 

It’s too spicy in Singapore and too oily or bland in Malaysia.  Delicious as they are, we have to take meals from international fast food chains just to make sure.

 

 

 



This delicious bowl of noodles served at Singapore is enough to burn a hole
in the tongue.  It is loaded with sun dried chili flakes



  

As from the Bicol region of the Philippines which is known for spicy foods, Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine is still too hot for my liking, though delicious as it is, the spiciness is aggravated by its being served piping hot, which is enough to burn a hole in the tongue.

It should always be expected that local foods in other countries will not always conform to a non-resident's palate.  Menus may not be different from one country to another in fast food chains but still, they differ in taste or texture.

 

In one American fast food chain for example in Hong Kong, the hotdog is firm and tastes more of a kielbasa or Hungarian sausage than those served in Manila, and they have this burger bun with squid ink coloring that is not available in some countries.

Kentucky Fried Chicken is firmer in Singapore and KL.  I wonder if it is how Colonel Harland David Sanders meant it to be.

I wonder if the Colonel had that recipe, he’d be a General.

 

Multi-national companies in food manufacturing and retail business vary their products according to local majority preferences.

 

 

Old town White Coffee.  A fastfood chain where the foods are appealable
to different ethnic groups

 

Old House White Coffee, where we have to take a midnight dinner upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur, is interesting.  Its menu is definitely appealable to many ethnic groups, and I  love its strong Malaysian blend of coffee.

If I have the capital I’d like to open a franchise here in the Philippines.

 

In both countries though, Singapore and Malaysia, fast food servings are quite bigger than the regulars in other countries like the Philippines and Hong Kong.  Their regular-sized fries at McDonald's are even larger than the "large" or upsized size. And the baby back ribs at Chilis is actually a huge slab of ribs that is good for two heart eaters.

 

  

 

Regular French fries that's Large fries in the Philippines


 

 

Regular Fries-A-Plenty

 

 

Our bus ride from the KL Commuter Sentral Bus Station to the KL International Airport (KLIA Terminal 2),  which is 65 kilometers from the city proper, just took  55 minutes.  A bus leaves every hour to the airport.

 



Approaching KLIA Terminal 2, which was recently
completed to accommodate budget airlines

 

 

 

 

KLIA-2 may not precisely be at par with KLIA-1, Changi or Hong Kong airports but still it's very impressive compared to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), where international passengers are made to go down to the tarmac to ride a bus then made to climb up a vacant tube to immigration and customs then at wee hours line up for ages to get a taxi, not at the arrival ramp but at departure passengers unloading area.

 

 

Taking a ride from NAIA is always a problem. There are no taxis at the arrival area other than the monopolized services that charge higher flag down and per kilometer rates or the per zonal charging that are not even seen after 10 o'clock in the evening.

 

In Hong Kong we were also made to ride a bus from the tarmac but just because the immigration counters were at the ground level.

International airports are supposed to have all the facilities that foreign visitors may expect. It's not just about plane handling capacity, customs and immigration facilities but about users' comfort, an airport with courteous and honest personnel. That is if our airports are intended to be support facilities for tourism efforts and as public conveniences.

 

Comparatives are not intended to degrade nor ridicule but only to serve as benchmarks of service delivery to challenge planners and policy implementers.

  

Study tours or “lakbay aral” that local government units are fond of are precisely for this reason – for benchmarking,  but they usually just turn out as junkets that drain on government coffers, as in the case of 3rd class municipalities benchmarking on "best practices" or projects which definitely the latter cannot financially,   geographically or culturally afford to replicate.

 

Travelling outside the Philippines is always coupled with the prospects of some inconveniences like the constant lining up for immigration and customs clearance, changing into local currencies, forgetting to bring appropriate travel adaptors for phone chargers, "reverse electrical switches" that you push down to turn on the lights, or doors that swing to the outside.

 

 

Electrical switches that "On" is down, and "Off" is up

 

Then there's the occasional turbulence. After a few minutes after takeoff at KL, lightning bolts explode but a few meters away from the plane's wingtip. First time that I've seen lightning up close.  It was scary but won't bring the plane down. All these are part of the trip and memories.
 
The captain has now switched on the "fasten seatbelt" sign as the plane is on its final descent towards NAIA's Runway 06.  

Time to switch off my iPad and say that the trip was worth it as well as educationally worthwhile... and to be back to life’s realities that we are accustomed to.