I am no stranger to long-distance bus rides. In fact, I took the coach to Kuala Lumpur and back, with each journey being five hours. I also took the coach to Malacca and back, and each journey is about three hours. Hence, I do not mind taking coaches, especially at night when it saves time and accommodation.
This trip to Redang I decided to take a coach because it is just more troublesome flying in. Since there is a direct coach I thought why not? Some people think I am crazy, because the trip direct to Kuala Terangganu will take nine hours per way. Some say with this kind of timing, I may as well fly, but if I fly, it will not be a direct flight, which is why I prefer to take a direct bus.
I took the coach at nine at night. The journey there is uneventful. Except stopping twice every two to three hours for a bathroom break, the coach went on its way smoothly, reaching Kuala Terangganu early in the morning.
Initially I was uncomfortable, as when I boarded the coach, I was the only female passenger, the rest were males and there were six of them. Luckily I was sitting right in front behind the driver and they were sitting behind, so there was no trouble. However, the bus went to Kotaraya terminus in Johor Bahru and picked up the rest of the passengers, so the bus was full before it went on its way to Terangganu.
Even though it is an express bus, the driver would stop at little towns along the way and dropped passengers off. I have no idea where we passed by though since it was late at night. What I am surprised is that at our second pit stop, it was in front of a big hawker centre. It was around three in the morning, yet the toilet was really clean, and there were still stalls operating at that hour. I wonder if these hawkers cater to tourists like us, or to the local population as well? Do people stay out at that hour?
The journey back is another story. I took the bus from Kuala Terangganu at half past eight at night. It was a relatively full bus as most of the passengers were going to Singapore. However, the bus driver made several stops along the way, either at petrol stations and pit stops selling food. He would then stop there for an hour or so and took the opportunity to sleep.
Again, I am surprised that at one of the pit stops, it was a store selling local produce and titbits, At four in the morning, they were operating. People could still buy the stuff. Do people really buy titbits at that hour?
By the time the bus made it to Johor Bahru, it was already half past six in the morning. Hence the journey back across the Causeway took much longer as it was jam-packed. By the time we reached across the Causeway, it was crowded with people who come across the causeway everyday to work. So by the time I actually reached home, it was almost nine in the morning.
Which means the journey back took twelve hours or thereabouts. No wonder my back was aching when I reached home! Luckily I booked myself for massage today, so hopefully the aches and pain would be gone after that!
The only nice thing is that I managed to catch the sun rising over the Johor Straits. Although it was not as spectacular a sight as I thought, it was still a good sunrise to see.
Sun rising over the Johor straits
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