Arriving at Butterworth by bus

Arriving at Butterworth by bus you’ll end your journey at Penang Sentral. Penang Sentral is a hub from which you can catch the train, bus or ferry.

From Penang Sentral there is a train service north to Padang Besar on the Thai border. You can cross the border to Thailand at the station. From there you can transfer to trains travelling north through Thailand. Or you can cross the border at the road crossing and catch buses to other parts of Thailand.

Alternatively, arriving at Butterworth by bus, you can catch other buses to various parts of Malaysia from Penang Sentral. Finally, there is a ferry service four times an hour, across to Penang Island, a 15 minute journey.

Southern Thailand by car from Malaysia

border crossing

A friend often drives up to Thailand and has given me some details which may be useful for some readers, so I share them here.

He has used the Bukit Kayu Hitam crossing many times…

From Bangkok to Penang by train (and minibus) – Part 2 – the experience

I wrote a blog a while ago about planning the trip from Bangkok to Penang by train. For more information, as mentioned in the blog, see The man in Seat 61.

Now it was time to do it. But with no planning. I flew in to Bangkok with no advanced planning and no bookings, and caught local public transport from the airport to the railway station. See a recent blog about this.

There were quite a few English-speaking staff around to help you – at first I imagined when I was accosted they’d try to sell me something, but they were just helping you with any information you might need.

I have been told you have to book a few days in advance for the train to Butterworth (the train terminus for Penang). Indeed, when I arrived at the train station they told me the train was fully booked.

ticket windows

It was 12:00, the train to Butterworth departs at 14:45. I then asked for a ticket for the next train to Hat Yai, from where I thought I might be able to board the aforementioned train if it was running late, or otherwise get a minibus to Penang. Train 35 to Butterworth is scheduled to leave at 14:45 and arrive in Hat Yai at 06:35, on the way to Butterworth; and Train 171 leaves at 13:00 and arrives in Hat Yai at 06:45, but then goes on to the south-east of Thailand.

I got a lower bunk in the air conditioned sleeper for about 845 baht. They didn’t accept cards so I had to pay cash.

my ticket

Bangkok Station is old and run down.

shopping area

platforms

I looked around a little and then decided I may as well just get on the train as it was sitting in the station.  I didn’t bother to buy any food or drink in advance, although it was available at the station.  I just wanted to take things as they came, and probably pay a bit more buying on the train, instead.

Finding the train, carriage and then the seat number was easy as everything was labelled.

my train

easy to understand

At 13:00, with no whistles or fanfare the train pulled out of the station.  Amazed it was punctual, I sat and watched the view – for 100m until it stopped and sat for a while. Then moved another 500m and stopped for a while. you got a nice view of urban blight alongside the line.

inside the carriage

The train continued along with occasional stops for an hour and a half, and one notices some modern new stations being built along the route.

aisle

Otherwise mostly urban blight.

And then finally we seem to be getting out of the city.

seats

Sitting in the train seats is reasonably comfortable, but many people had their beds made up by the attendant quite early, and then either relaxed on the bed, or slept.

bed making

The lower bunk was then much better as you had a view.

easy to relax and look at the view

People walk through the train selling snacks, drinks – water (15 baht), beer (50 baht), or meals – egg, and beef (?) on rice. At some stations people also are selling things.  The first time I bought beer I was charged 75, and then the guy assumed he could keep the change and just walked away.  It also turned out he overcharged me, as I now know.

snack seller

snacks

drinks

As is predictable, the toilet is pretty disgusting. There are wash basins at the end of the carriage, which are OK.

wash basins

The train stops at some stations, and you never know for how long, or when the train is about to leave, so it is unwise to get off at all.

one of the stops

I didn’t see any mosquitoes, but I did get one bite.

nice view sometimes

We reached Hua Hin at 6:15. The attendant comes around and tells you just before you reach your stop. Otherwise, you have no idea where you are, or if the train is on time or running late. There are no announcements. When it gets dark you cannot read the signs at all at most stations.

At some stage I walked through the train.  It is kind of dangerous walking between the carriages, and sometimes the doors are open, so you want to keep a firm hold.  The second class air-conditioned sleeper carriage I was in was the last carriage.

non air-con sleeper

Next were second class non air-conditioned sleeper carriages, then a carriage of just seats,

seats

and then the dining car.  I don’t know if there were any carriages further in front, as the dining car was my destination.  I thought it would be perhaps better to wait until the train stopped to move through to the dining car.

dining car

Following are some photos of the menu, but they are blurred as the train is not very stable or smooth.

menu

menu

menu

I ordered chicken and cashews, and it was nice. The dining car was quite a pleasant place.

chicken and cashew nuts

By Surat Thani we were running one and 1 /4 hours late. On the platform I saw many foreigners sitting and waiting, although I have no idea why.

The train continued on through the night, and the attendant slept, and when it became light I was wondering how we were progressing.

early morning view

We arrived in Hat Yai around 8 am, one and 1 /4 hours late.

Hat Yai at last

Hat Yai

timetable

map of railways in southern Thailand

Hat Yai Station

outside station

I got off, but worked out I couldn’t continue on the Butterworth train, so decided to get a minibus.  A company across the road quoted me 550 baht to Penang, so as the normal fare is 300 baht I rang up another company and asked to catch their 9am service, and said I was at the station, and asked to be picked up – which they did at 9am.

minibus

We went back to the office to pay, and they wanted to see my passport.  Then we drove and picked up some others, and then headed south. Only the driver and front passenger had seat belts, so it wasn’t so safe. And the driver drove very fast.  At 10:40 we were at the Thai border, which wasn’t so crowded, and so were through in 15 minutes – leaving the luggage in the minibus, and just showing our passports and departure card.

Thai border

At the Malaysian border a few minutes later a lot of people were waiting, but we were processed fairly quickly. We had to also take our luggage and put it though one of those airport type scanners. By 11:30 we were on our way again.

approaching the Malaysian border

We were dropped at Komtar about 2:30 pm, for a total trip time from Hat Yai of 5 1/2 hours. We should have also had the option of alighting at Chulia Street, but the driver didn’t want to.

Overall, then, if I had the chance , I would book in advance for a lower berth in the train for the whole Bangkok – Butterworth trip.  It is safer, more comfortable, and easier.  Just don’t expect any alcohol to be served on the Malaysian side of the border.

Road trip to southern Thailand – driving one’s car from Penang to Songkhla – and parts north

April 3rd, 2012 UPDATE

On Saturday March 31st, 2012 a bomb exploded in the centre of Hat Yai, killing several people, and injuring over 300, including many tourists. What I wrote below about safety seems now out of date. Further information.

The Thai border is only about two hours drive away, and the whole trip from Penang to Songkhla takes about four hours, excluding stops.  When we decided to retire to Penang, we intended to make frequent trips to Thailand, which was another country we had considered retiring to.  This way we could get the advantages of both countries.

Of course, one knows about the separatist movement in Southern Thailand, and how there is often violence, with innocent people, including tourists, being killed and injured. But that is on the eastern side of southern Thailand, in the far southern provinces (Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat).  It seems perfectly safe crossing the border on the western side of Thailand, and continuing north to Songkhla.

This blog aims to explain the process, not our trip particularly, but, for ease of writing, I will sometimes use the first person.  Malaysian immigration seems to change their procedure all the time, and I don’t know if Thailand does the same, so the procedure could vary somewhat.

Of course, once you have crossed the border you can head off to Krabi, Phuket, or Bangkok, or wherever you want to go.

the route

BEFORE DEPARTURE:

We stayed in in the BP Samila Beach Hotel – look on Trip Advisor for reviews or to find where to make a booking before going.

Consider making the outward and inward trips on a weekday, avoiding Malaysian and Thai public holidays and school holidays. Unless you enjoy long queues and bigger chaos at the border.

You will need the car ownership documents for when you cross the border.