From Koh Phangan to Penang for less than 20$
Unfortunately, our time to leave the paradise island of Koh Phangan arrived, and because we did not book our plane ticket and Airasia flights to Malaysia were full on those dates, we decided to go to Penang by land.
We had travelled exactly the same route, but on the reverse way, from Penang to Koh Phangan, only 60 days before, paying 110 MYR (about 25$) for the whole trip on a minivan, including the ferry ticket. Well, things turn out very easy in Penang thanks to our travel guru Jim of Jim’s Place, but in Phangan there is no Jim and every single agency asked a fixed price of 1,500 baht (about 45$). What? That price was almost double for the same route on the reverse way!
We might not understand the language, but because we had plenty of time at disposal, we decided to find an alternative way of transportation, in order not to be scammed by local travel agencies. Therefore, we needed to discover how to get from Koh Phangan to Penang on public vehicles, avoiding all intermediaries.
How did we get from Koh Phangan to Penang for less than 20$?
We took the 05:00 am ferry, arriving at Don Sak Pier at 07:30 am. The cost of the ticket was 310 baht, including the bus ticket to Surat Thani centre (which costs 90 baht). We bought the ticket at Raja Ferry counter, at the pier in Koh Phangan.
The trip took 2,5 hrs to arrive at Don Sak Pier, plus another hour on a bus to Surat Thani bus station. From there, we took a local bus to Hat Yai. There are two daily buses: the first one leaves at 08:30 am and the second one at 12:00 (noon).
If you are the first one disembarking from the ferry and the first one boarding one of the buses to Surat Thani centre, right in front of Don Sak Pier, you will have some chance to be able to catch the 08:30 am bus to Hat Yai from Surat Thani bus station. But, if like us, you are slow, lazy, over equipped and disembark last from the boat and even want a coffee at the pier, then you will have to wait until the next bus, the one leaving at noon. The cost of this bus is 140 baht and the ticket can be purchased directly on board.
Although there was no air con, the local bus from Surat Thani to Hat Yai was quite comfortable. Fun fact: a curious fellow passenger did not stop talking during the whole trip! In fact, someone just placed an alive and talkative chicken in a carton box at our feet! The journey took about six hours, including a 20 minutes stop at a gas station, to satisfy our personal needs and buy some food.
We arrived in Hat Yai at 06:20pm and the minivan service going to the border (Padang Besar) was just next to the area where the bus left us, inside the same bus station. The frequency is every 30 minutes and the border closes every day at 09:00pm. If you are on a visa run out of Thailand and back on the same day, consider that Malaysia is one hour forward, so you need to pass all the controls before 08:00pm, Thai time.
Our Saturday night in Hat Yai
Because we felt tired and hungry, we decided to spend the night in Hat Yai, even though we were a bit sceptical in the beginning, because of all the scary things we had read about this town, in Western travel guides.
Despite a first doubt, we could not have been more happy with our decision to stay. In fact, although Lonely Planet, Rough Guide and similar sources suggested for years not to stop in this area for security reasons, we found it safe, well-organised and pretty lively too.
Since we happened there on a Saturday evening, we opted to hang out as locals do over the weekend. Therefore, we went to the night market for a local meal. What a pleasant spot, with plenty of cheap and decent accommodation options, friendly people and delicious food. We also bought some cloths and sunglasses at a cheap price. All the action was confined in the area between Festival Mall and the Asia night market.
As a result, we felt like in the middle of a huge street fair, with plenty of activities for families with children and street music played by local bands. Message to Lonely Planet: Hat Yai is safe, fun, and we highly recommend a stop here before entering Malaysia! Specifically, we enjoyed trying their local food specialities, while observing how people from the south of Thailand really live.
From Hat Yai to the border
Then, the next morning, after buying a couple of things at 7Eleven and after eating our last Thai fresh street sapalot (pineapple), we took the minivan to the border at 10:00 am.
The cost of the ticket was 50 baht, the frequency was every 30 minutes and the journey took about one hour. A cute little boy, the driver’s son, entertained us during the trip and, after about an hour, we arrived at the immigration checkpoint. We got our stamp out of Thailand, and we walked for about 200 meters to go through the Malaysian control.
After getting our stamp in, we asked where we could get the train to Penang, and the official pointed a train station, which was at less than 100 metres, on the right side of the Immigration building.
At this stage, remember that Malaysia is one hour forward, so you need to change the time of your watch, unless you are on a short visa run and re-enter Thailand after getting your stamps in and out, in the Malaysian side.
Because we decided to enter the big duty-free shop, and we lost precious minutes there, we missed the 12:40 pm train. However, if this happens to you too, don’t worry, there are plenty of trains to Penang during the day and the last one is at 08:40 pm. There are also four daily trains to Kuala Lumpur.
Although we bought the tickets to board the 02:30 pm train (about 3$), they cancelled that journey and they put us on the following train, which was at 03:30 pm. In less than two hours we arrived at destination. Surprisingly, the train was very comfortable, and our wagon really looked like the wagon of any European city train. If you are a woman travelling solo, keep in mind that there are also sections reserved for ladies only.
Once in Penang, right outside the train station, there was a free shuttle to the pier where the ferries leave to Georgetown Jetty, which is located just in front of Little India, by the sea.
The price of the ferry ticket was 1,20 MYR (0,30$) and the journey took twenty minutes. On arrival, consider a 15 minutes walk to the backpackers’ area of Chulia/Love Lane/Muntri streets. If you need to go straight to the airport without visiting Georgetown, let us tell you that it’s a big pity and that you are missing a special and unique spot, which is the perfect fusion between vintage and modern, as we described in another post.
However, the bus to the airport is just in front of the Jetty Pier and you may catch both buses 401 or 401E. They run between 05:30 am and 11:30 pm. One single fare costs 2,70 MYR (0,70 $).
Warning:
The journey is completely safe and the price is very affordable, but because you need to take different public means of transportation in two different countries, with different time zones and the bus frequency from Penang to Hat Yai is quite limited, we don’t recommend using this route for a “visa run” out of Thailand and back on the same day.
We recommend this route to travellers with plenty of time at disposal and with limited carried luggage (both the minivan from Hat Yai to the border and the train from Padang Besar to Penang don’t have specific baggage compartments). From Hat Yai to the border we got charged 50 extra baht because of our backpacks.
Beside that, there are infinite steps up and down inside the train station in Padang Besar. Remember that you may walk down to the platform only when the staff authorise you, even though the train is already there. Make sure you follow their instructions, because they may become very rude if you attempt to walk the steps down before they tell you that you can do so.
If you travel the same route and you find any update, please feel free to share the info in the comments box. Thanks
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