Monday 21 October 2013

This tour is about to get underway. Tomorrow's departure from Don Meuang Airport (FD3104) is at 10.10 hours arriving in Hat Yai at 11.25 hours. There then follows at trip across the border at Sadao with options by van or bus. Hopefully, arrival in Penang will be early evening where accommodation is already booked. Apart from that, there is no fixed itinerary except that the stay in Malaysia has to be for a minimum of 5 days to comply with Thai visa restrictions. Most likely the stay will be for 1 week taking in Langkawi Island as I move back closer to Thailand. The second week will be spent in Satun and Trang Provinces with a return from Trang Airport on 4 November.

Day 1, Tuesday 22 October 2013 - Georgetown

Heading for Don Meuang..... Now, three weeks into my stay in the Far East I'm about to depart for the main 2-week tour to Northwest Malaysia and South Thailand. I'm awake before 6 am and coffee and croissant will suffice this morning as I prepare for departure. At 7.15 am I'm ready and contact the call centre for a taxi which turns out to be a good option as a route is found around the north of Don Meuang Airport avoiding congestion along Ramitra Road. By 8.30 am I'm in the airport. The check-in is effortless as with only hand luggage I'm able to avoid the bag drop and use the automated check-in service. As I head for the gate I'm thankful for good weather which is a big improvement on last week when I cancelled some trips. Don Meuang, of course, used to be the main international airport before Suvarnabhumi opened but even so, still handles international flights to destinations within the region attracting carriers such as Air Asia and Nok Air. In fact, it has plans to expand and certainly competitive for Bangkok's 2nd airport offering a most comfortable experience. It's so far so good.
Air Asia..... Air Asia's flight FD3104 gets underway about 15 minutes late and makes its way out across the Gulf of Thailand and down the peninsula. There is partial cloud, but there is enough visibility to observe the coastline and the island of Koh Samui and even as far as the Andaman coastline on the opposite side of the peninsula. In no time the airbus A320-200 is making its decent towards Hat Yai International Airport arriving just 10 minutes late.
On to Hat Yai..... I'm out of the airport in no time and confronted by the inevitable taxi drivers looking for business, yet I already know that the songtheaw pick-up is the best option. These are available on the main road outside the airport reached by a short walk across the car park. I'm charged 30 baht (I'm sure the local rate is 20 baht) but well happy with this. It's 12 kilometres at least into the city. On the way the songtheaw passes the bus station but on this occasion I don't need a bus. Despite my dislike of minivans, I know that these will take me right into Penang city dropping me off at my designated hotel. It's just a question of finding one. I know that the ticket office is near the train station and as my transport enters the inner city of Hat Yai it crosses the railway line with the station to the right.
The songtheaw, however, bares to the left and terminates. Here there is no obvious transport other that motorbike taxis, but I'm told to head off down the street opposite. Sure enough after a 10-minute walk I see the train station to my right.
The minivan must be near and so it is, opposite the Aloha Hotel. By now it's after 12.3 0pm and it seems I've just missed a departure. The next one won't be till 3 pm. This will put me in Penang quite late especially considering Malaysian time is 1 hour ahead. But there is a silver lining. At least I have a target to aim at, plenty of time for lunch and, totally unexpectedly, time to call at the railway station which turns out to be reasonably productive. I head back to the ticket office to wait for the van.
Departure for Penang..... I give my destination to the office clerk who assures me that the driver knows his way around Penang. Just a little after 3 pm the van arrives. I'm presently surprised that this version will accommodate just 11 passengers (10 will actually travel) which is much less than the 15 on most services in Thailand. Extra space is provided for luggage and there is more legroom. Soon after departure for the border I get some sleep. The border post at Sadao is not new to me but the last time I made a crossing here was 14 years ago. The formalities on the Thai side are normal; giving in the departure card, but I am told that the Malaysian border controls include capturing biometric information. Well, that facility does exist apparently but is not in use on this occasion. Baggage must be checked through a scanner but overall the formalities are straightforward.
The minivan is soon on its way as I notice a sign 'Welcome to Malaysia' but nobody told the weather which looks threatening. It has been cloudy since leaving Hat Yai, but now it has started to spot with rain. Within 15 minutes a tropical storm was raging. As the van heads south, low-lying land is submerged in water for miles on end. Nevertheless, progress is good due to a well maintained dual carriageway financed by tolls. The rain eases and then stops. As signs to Georgetown appear, the roads are now dry and I am able to count down the kilometres. Dusk has fallen accelerated by the bad weather but as I pick up signs to the Butterworth turn I know we are close. Penang Island is reached by a long road bridge and crossing here at night reveals the spectacular Georgetown skyline lit up in the gloom. The journey is nearly at an end, but first there are the busy streets of Georgetown to negotiate and passengers to drop off. I will get a nighttime tour of the city as I wait my turn but not for the first time on a tour I find myself at the end of the queue..
Grand Inn Hotel..... As the van heads into Jalan MacAlister there is some confusion as I arrive opposite the Grand Inn. For some reason I wrote down 'Grand Hotel' and to confuse matters they have another sign which reads Grand Inn Hotel, but thankfully this is the right place. It's been a long day and it's now about 8.30pm local time. The room is comfortable enough but without a fridge. Complimentary tea and coffee is available though and they supply a flask to obtain hot water from a dispenser in the corridor. Still, it's at the top of my limit for what I care to pay on tour. Then there is another issue. Glancing around I appear to be a way out of the city centre bringing back memories of pre-booked accommodation in Cambodia earlier in the year. The lobby staff tell me it's a 15-minute walk to the nearest food mall, but the evening is cool and I'm eager to try the local cuisine which has a good reputation.
Food for thought..... It doesn't seem too far and I find myself at Sin Kim Sun Coffee Centre and head inside where an interesting array of food vendors keen to do business compete surrounding a central seating area. This is typically Malay. It offers the customer a wide choice and quite frankly the food freshly cooked for you heaving with spices in blazing hot pans is a wonder in itself: The taste simply magical. Just as magical is the price. This really balances out my budget for the day. One thing I need to mention is that this outlet sells halal food. It means that there is no pork on the menu standard to Muslim culture. It also means no alcohol, but they don't object to non Muslims participating. However, conscious of this I find competition next door: This time from the Chinese. They are happy to sell a number of alcohol brands, the two most familiar in Europe are Carlsberg and surprisingly Guinness. The latter is tempting but pricey at 15 ringgits for a large bottle (ice-cold of course). A number of customers have selected the half pint and it's not until I read the label that I understand why! 6.8%, now that’s what I call a Guinness. Well the fact that I'm publishing this proves I made it back to the room OK.
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