Iskandar boleh
The rosy narrative of Malaysia's booming growth corridor Iskandar, Johor has waned in recent years. Little by little, the economic zone is getting back on its feet. Can it get its mojo back?
SINGAPOREAN Marc N is living the dream with his wife and 2 maine-coon-persian mix cats in Iskandar Malaysia - a "hop, skip and a jump away" from Singapore; or so it seemed until the pandemic-led border curbs stretched the short distance from the dense city state.
Seven years ago, the 52-year-old, who works for a book-keeping and software company, moved to his self-designed Tuscan-styled home in a freehold gated township that boasts a 200-acre (81-hectare) golf course in Malaysia's southern tip Johor. His villa of 2 semi-detached units merged into 1, with 6 large ensuite rooms, rests on 6,000 square feet of land at a cul-de-sac and fronts a dreamy large pond where pink water lilies float and shelter fish, which are in turn magnets for storks and otters. From their colonial-style balcony that wraps around their abode, he and his Penang-born wife Jen often take in the breath-taking sunset and sunrise over the hills to unwind or simply to "be present".
"It's the best of both worlds to me. If it's my mom's birthday, I can just pop into Singapore and spend the night at my mother's, and then come back here," he said, recalling pre-pandemic times. He added: "I always like to think of Johor in conjunction with Singapore."
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
