CROSSING OVER THE BORDER INTO THAILAND VIA WANG KELIAN/WANG PRACHAN IMMIGRATION CHECKPONTS

   21st NOVEMBER 2024    ~ This was our first road trip into Thailand, with Mr. Ridwan Wahid driving accompanied by his wife and daughter, Puan Suhaila Sulong and Miss Reihana, respectively, and me.

Mr. Ridwan proposed to me to join his family on the trip 2 weeks prior to the date. We started doing our homework - finding information on the Internet as well as getting reliable tips and advise from three friends staying up north in Kedah and Penang who are seasoned travelers into Thailand.

Even though we had had all the essential information and documents, we still had some doubts and fear to get through the Thai Immigration, as this was our first time. The weather that day was also not that helping.

First of all, when we arrived at Malaysian checkpoint in Wang Kelian at about 5:00 p.m., there were no other visitors except us, which was a huge relief. This could probably because it was a working day and we arrived quite late actually. We were afraid there would be a long queue and the border gate would be closed by 6:00 p.m. As for Thai side known as Wang Prachan, surprisingly everything went smoothly and we were permitted into the country in a breeze.

Once outside the checkpoint, there were two rows of stalls/shops on the left and right side of the road. We stopped for a while to get That Baht and to get sim cards for the mobiles. Fortunately, the shopping activity had not yet started.

We then continued our journey to our first destination - Pakbara.

PROLOGUE

The Gathering in Changlun
Blogging from Pakbara
Blogging from Hatyai

Crossing over the Border

Nurul Huda Mosque in Satun

Having Dinner at Pakbara, Thailand

The First 7-Eleven Visited in Pakbara

La Ngu Morning Market near Pakbara
Pakbara Viewpoint
Having Breakfast at the Hotel

The Second 7-Eleven Store Visited in Pakbara

Bara Bara Budget Satun Hotel in Pakbara

Satun National Museum

Lunch at Paktam in Tanyung Po

Khlong Hae Floating Market in Hatyai
Central Hatyai Mall
Having Supper at After You Cafe

Bang Han Restaurant in Hatyai

Kim Yong Market

Songkhla Zoo
Ban Na Korn Nai Museum in Songkhla

The Gastronomic Adventure at Samila Beach

ASEAN Night Bazaar
Breakfast at Marita Dim Sum
Sakom Beach Market

Buying Roasted Chicken by the Roadside in Sakom
Coco One Beach Hotel and Restaurant in Sakom
The Last Gastronomic Adventure of the Southern Thai Road Trip
PM Residence in Hatyai

EPILOGUE
Blogging from Bayan Lepas
Dinner in Bayan Lepas

MY SABAH ROAD TRIP WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN

The first leg of my Sabah Road Trip was to get to Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Johor Bahru to Labuan. To do that, I took the YoYo Express Bus at Larkin Sentral on 23rd February at 11:45 p.m. The bus took me directly to Terminal 1 of the Airport, and arrived at the wee hour of the morning, at about 4:30 a.m. on 24th February. The very last time I was here was one day before the Movement Control Order [MCO] was implemented when C19 hit hard, back in March 2020.

Then I had to wait for my flight to Labuan at 8:00 a.m. so I had a lot of time to kill. What else to do then to get something to eat. In my hunt for something light to eat at dawn, I settled for toast [but later opted for steamed bread], half boiled eggs and coffee at Ya Kun Kaya Toast. A simple traditional breakfast could now be commercialized and we have to pay much more for it, especially when it is located in the airport building.

I was lucky to get to fly with Malaysia Airlines [MAS] this time as I managed to buy my ticket when there was a special offer. Unfortunately, I could not fly back with the same airline as the time was not suitable so this was just a one way trip with MAS.

With RM200, I got my in-flight meal and entertainment, plus the 20 kg of baggage.

I met a friendly young man from Kundasang who is studying in UPSI and the whole 2 1/2 hours trip was a sleepless one as we chatted all the way.

It was time to continue with the next leg of the journey as I had to meet with my travel companion cum driver cum guide.

[MY SABAH ROAD TRIP MAIN PAGE]

PROLOGUE: MY SABAH ROAD TRIP 2023

Initially, it was just a plan which I did not expect could be carried out. However, one fine day, surprisingly, I was told by my travel companion/driver/guide that it was possible after all.

I was in Labuan in June last year but Labuan was an island gazetted as the Federal Territory. Therefore, this should be my very first trip to Sabah, the mainland on Borneo Island.

The focus of my holiday trip this time was a road trip covering the route Labuan [of Federal Territory] - Menumbok - Papar - Kota Kinabalu - Kundasang - Ranau, and back. According to Google Map, the journey from Labuan from one point to Ranau at the other point was 283 kilometres. Because of the [bad] road condition, traffic congestion and the rain, more time was spent on the road, trying to get to one place to another on time. I was there away from home from 24th February until the 1st March.

Most of the time, people from the Peninsular would fly straight to Kota Kinabalu but I guessed I chose the road not taken. Therefore, I got to see Sabah from a different perspective.

Even though I did not get to visit most of the tourist attractions as we had not enough time and the weather was not kind to us, this should be one memorable trip for me to be able to see Sabah from a different point of view. This should also be a valid reason to go back to Kota Kinabalu some other time in the future.

the friend I made from my last trip to
Labuan June last year

Be ready to check out more posts of my 4D3N escapade to the Land Below the Wind, coming to you real soon.

LINKS TO OTHER POSTS OF MY SABAH ROAD TRIP:

FROM JOHOR BAHRU TO LABUAN

ANNUR MOSQUE OF LABUAN REVISITED

DINNER AT YM CAHAYA RESTAURANT IN LABUAN

THE FERRY FROM LABUAN TO MENUMBOK [PART 1] [PART 2]

LUNCH AT RESTORAN NASI AYAM KIMANIS

BOWLING AT SABAH CENTRAL

GAYA STREET MARKET ON SUNDAY MORNING

SABAH STATE MOSQUE

SABAH MUSEUM [PART 1] [PART 2] [PART 3] [PART 4]
JAMAL SALIM RESTAURANT, RANAU

SABAH ORIENTAL HOTEL AND THE BREAKFAST BUFFET

SABAH TEA PLANTATION & THE BREAKFAST SESSION

DESA DAIRY FARM, KUNDASANG

JIC SENG NURSERY IN KUNDASANG & THE PLANTS

THE TREKKING TRIP AT PULAU MAWAR

  2ND DECEMBER 2022   ~ From the main beach, we had to walk to Pulau Mawar. The island was actually connected to the mainland by a long stretch of sandbar which could submerge underwater during high tide.

The main objective of this activity was to arrive at the stone arch on the other side of the island.

We had to walk on the narrow swampy area beach. The first challenge was to make sure not to get our feet in the running waves or else the shoes would get wet, and not to step onto the muddy sand.

The real challenge was for the young and young-at-heart was to climb this steep and rocky hill, and then climbed down a wooden ladder. Thank God there was only one spot like this but I still had to be extra careful. Getting injured was something I would not want to experience from this trip.

We made our way back to the main beach after the photo shoot sessions at the stone arch [which will be in another post] and managed to get back before the tide got higher. 

That should me an achievement for me and I prayed that I did not have to walk like a crab the next day.

NEXT: THE STONE ARCH

ENJOYING THE BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL PANORAMA AT PULAU MAWAR

  2ND DECEMBER 2022   ~ One of the group members [who pulled out last minute] recommended this place. I did not expect Pulau Mawar [TRANSLATE: Mawar Island] to be a beautiful place like this and was instantly mesmerized with its picturesque panorama.

First of all, there was an entry fee of RM5 per person.

The first part of the place was one stretch of a clean sandy beach on one side, and another curved not-so-clean beach on the other. However I am not sure whether the place was suitable for swimming and we could not find anyone in the water when we were there.

There were also pine trees on the beach which provided the canopy for picnickers. This would definitely be a perfect spot for people to take photos for various reasons and occasions.

I would love to come here just to sit down and enjoy the view and the sea breeze.

This place has been gazetted as a marine park. It is said that Mersing had been the centre of volcano eruption 300 million years ago.

We were there not just to admire the beauty of nature but there was another challenging activity. We would have to do some trekking to get to the rock arc of Pulau Mawar.

spot the goats

NEXT: THE TREKKING TRIP