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Today was a big day; the convening of the tour group, first (very short) train ride, and first border crossing. And all of this happening on the day that celebrates 59 years of the nation of Singapre.

After introductions, lunch and a briefing from our guide we had about an hour to spare before departing for the Singapore/Mayalsia border. So, some of us decided to walk over to see the Raffles Hotel (a short walk of 2.2km). This little exercise turned into a race against the clock and a battle with crowds and closed streets as the city was putting on a celebration for the national day.

The border crossing was an exercise in patience. There is a road and rail causeway connecting Singapore to the mainland of Malaysia. Pedestrians crossing into Malaysia pass through customs and immigration (for both countries) on the Singapore side and then take a 5 minute train ride across the causeway to a station in the Malaysian town of Johor Bahru. Tickets on this train must be booked in advance. All in all this process took a number of hours as many people were taking advantage of the Singapore public holiday to visit Malaysia.

The station at Johor Bahru is undergoing major upgrades and frankly the entire area is a building site. Our guide had, and we needed, a detailed route guide to get from the station to The Holday Inn which was our hotel for the night. This is despite the fact that the Holiday Inn can be seen from the station entrance hall.

That was the first day of the official Sundowners tour.

and here