THE JOURNEY TO HAT YAI, THAILAND BEGAN

This was actually almost a last minute plan for a short get away to a place just across the border up north. It is like us staying in Johor Bahru crossing over to Singapore. The partners in crime were none other than the four ladies who were ex-coursemates of UPM TESL Class of 1993 and another  male uni mate of the same batch. The initial plan was to travel on ETS Train to Padang Besar but then we could not buy the tickets online - either the website was down or the tickets had already sold out. So the next option was, the first group flew direct on AirAsia from KL to Hat Yai, while the second group would take a more adventurous route. I decided to join the second group.

on the Pulau Pinang ferry

I took the first flight from Johor Bahru to Penang on Monday morning, 2nd December 2019, and was picked up by the other two travel mates, Puan Aisyah Aboo Bakar and Mr. Hamidun Omar. We then took the ferry to Butterworth Central and hopped on the KTM Komuter Shuttle Service (Commuter Train) to Padang Besar, Perlis.

I just could not believe the price of the train ticket - it only cost RM9.10 for a trip which took almost 2 hours. We specifically chose a weekday to avoid the crowd on the train as well as at the immigration checkpoints of Malaysia and Thailand during the school holiday.

The coach of the commuter was empty when we boarded in Butterworth. There were no seat numbers on the tickets which meant it was a first-come-first-served basis. Just imagine if one had to stand up all the way from Butterworth to Padang Besar.

However, once we approached Bukit Mertajam, people already started standing. And a few of them did not get any seats until we reached Arau as more and more people kept getting in when the train stopped at a few stations.

Unfortunately, there were also the elderly and families with small children tagging along in the train. There were also parents putting their kids inside the strollers in the coach which had caused difficulties as the space was very limited and they would block the way for people to get in and out of the train. I personally think it would best to opt for other means of transportation if you are traveling with older people and very young kids, or at least get onto the train with proper seating numbers, especially during school holidays.

Padang Besar Train Station

At Padang Besar Train Station, we got a car driver which charged us RM20 per person to get us straight to our hotel in Hat Yai.

We cleared both Malaysian and Thailand Immigration checkpoints smoothly. We were at the Thai border at lunch hour hence we were asked to pay RM1 each to get our passports stamped. That was actually the SOP as the officers were considered working overtime. (We first thought at first he was asking for bribe). You could look for the signboard which informs the specific hours when people have to pay the RM1 there.

I thought the car would take us straight to the hotel but I was srong. We were transferred to this terminal where a big van was waiting. We then had to join other passengers (there 8 people, I think) and the van made a few stops for other people to get down, before we arrived at our hotel about 1 hour later.

Our trip home on the 4th of December was less complicated as we got a car driver who took us straight to KTM Train Station in Padang Besar from the hotel. We paid 800 baht to charter the whole car, and it was faster and more convenient.

We encountered the same experience going back to Butterworth as people had to stand up starting from Arau Station. On our trip home, people had bigger bags to carry into in the train as they must have gone shopping at either Padang Besar or Hat Yai, hence there was lesser space in the coaches. I could even see people just sat on the floor of the train as that should be the best thing to do rather than standing for long hours.

Padang Besar Train Station:
waiting for the train door to open

waiting for the ferry

That was an experience of a lifetime for me - traveling from one end of the peninsular to the other, using different modes of transportation - aeroplane, ferry, car, train and van. For one thing, it was cheaper than taking the flight of the JB - KUL - HAT routes.

More stories later of my short trip to Hat Yai with my five other friends. However, do not expect too much as we traveled this time with no fixed itinerary and the plan was just to eat and shop, and let our hair down. But we still had a lot of fun. Do come back for more.


OTHER RELATED POSTS OF THE HAT YAI TRIP:

Lunch at a Cafe at Centara Hotel
Hat Yai Town At A Glimpse
Pre-dinner at Maliam Restaurant
Shopping in Hat Yai
Eating Nasi Lemak at the Street Stall
Breakfast at Tam Rab Restaurant [Day 2] [Day 3]
Shopping at the Big Market
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum [PART 1] [PART 2]
Prince Songkhla University Hat Yai Campus
Lunch at Chalee D'hatyai
Having Dessert on the Street
Shopping at Kim Yong Market
Images of Hat Yai in a Wet Wednesday Morning
Lee Gardens Hotel