This trip had been planned since last year; I had even bought the return train tickets for a trip in November 2010. However, I cancelled my plan following Mummy’s departure. The flood at the northern states which led to KTMB cancelling its train services turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I got a refund for my ticket.
Despite having earmarked last weekend as the dates for my visit, I procrastinated long enough and when I finally went to buy my ticket, I could only get an upper berth for my outbound trip – and only up to Padang Besar (don’t ask. I did ask but couldn’t understand the answer - especially when I managed to buy ticket for a lower berth for my return trip all the way to KL. I was also told I could only buy the ticket from Padang Besar 24 hours before the trip). The berth ticket to Padang Besar cost RM50, while the berth ticket for the return trip cost RM60.
So last Friday evening, I joined the crowd at KL Sentral before making my way to the platform (I had earlier in the day bought my ticket from Padang Besar to my final destination for RM13). The ETD was 2120; however, we only started our journey about ten minutes later. Unfortunately, I was unlucky enough to have to share my coach with a group of extended family/relatives/friends who acted like they owned the whole darn coach, talking loudly among themselves, cracking jokes, passing food around… I tried to read but it was hard to concentrate in such a racket. Finally, I tried to sleep as I was feeling knackered. I managed to sleep somehow although I woke up every now and then. The noisy passengers finally went to sleep too and though I was relieved of their chatter, I had another noise to put up with: their symphony of snores. Being surrounded by a symphony of snores was simply neither smashing nor splendid.
I was up by 5 and went to use the bathroom (not too bad for a train and a Malaysian one at that ;p) as I wanted to beat the crowd.
Performed prayers then tried to sleep again, only to be woken up by, you guess it, the noisy passengers talking excitedly on the top of their lungs. Fortunately they all went off at Arau and I had the whole coach all to myself (yes, I was that outnumbered). Peace at last!
We pulled up at Padang Besar at 7.30 am. Actually I didn’t know we had reached Padang Besar as there was no announcement and my view out of the window was obscured by work barriers. I only knew when I saw one KTMB staff walking towards my coach and realised this
must be my stop then. I hopped off and in my confused state somehow found the entrance to the passport control (to be honest, I was actually looking for the dining room. Heh!) so I joined the queue. First, we went through the Malaysian immigration then we walked around the corner for the Thai control. Very easy that way and nowhere as chaotic as at Woodlands. After that, I went up to check out the food on offer (limited food but I managed) before making my way back to the platform.
The ticket said the departure time from Padang Besar was 0935 but 0935 came and went and no train was in sight (our earlier train had pulled away). Finally the train came at 1015 and we boarded it. This time, I joined a coach with seats. We moved at a leisurely pace and
pulled up at Hat Yai Junction railway station at 1015 local time (Thailand is an hour behind).
The Saturday morning bustle in a border town greeted me on my way into town. There were many gold shops along the road as you exit the railway station. Sighting Robinsons, I stopped to check it out. I spent some time there before walking on. There aren’t many buildings that attracted me (Thailand is one of the few countries which didn’t succumb to any colonial rule and as such doesn’t have any colonial building or colonial-influenced architecture). It was threatening to rain so every time I felt raindrops, I ducked into a shopping complex. If you want to shop, you should check out Central and Lee Garden Plaza (opposite each other). I wanted to find some products at the Boots pharmacy (there’s a small Boots outlet in Central and a slightly larger store in Lee Garden Plaza). My early lunch was earlier had at Maliam Restaurant along the main road leading from the railway station and I must say, the noodles I had were not much to speak of.
After the brief retail therapy, I walked to the Clock Tower to get a bus to Songkhla. I had earlier booked a hotel in Hat Yai but having read the reviews, became reluctant to actually spend a night there. I read of the poor conditions of hotel rooms, the noise, hustle and bustle and the general fact that the town is usually over-run by Malaysians especially over the weekends did it for me. I finally booked a hotel in Songkhla.
I had read that I was supposed to take the green bus 1871 to Songkhla and was surprised to find the white mini-vans at the Clock Tower (though one had the number 1871 on it and one chap confirmed it was indeed heading for Songkhla). The fare was THB27 (I read it only cost THB9 so perhaps that’s the fare on the bus, which I suppose I can board from the bus station but oh it was quite a walk away). I had help from my fellow passengers and one Thai Muslim girl offered not only to show me the way but also take me to my hotel on her motor bike ;’) She could speak Malay but in Kelantanese dialect (which I don’t really have a grasp on ;p).
So she took me to Sun City Mansion and helped me check in. Then she helped write down the instruction to the motorbike taxi to take me to the minivan station the next day for my ride back to Hat Yai. She insisted on seeing me to my room and then, when I asked her about some pictures of Songkhla in the hotel, offered to bring me around. And get this, she later told me she was not well. Oh my God. I just couldn’t believe her kind hospitality and generosity and selflessness... I was really touched.
We went to Samila Beach and took some photos there. And of course, there were busloads of Malaysians there too. Next, she took me to Tung Khuan hill but I decided against going up (there were also a lot of Malaysians here). We stayed for a little while looking at the monkeys and as we set to leave, one of them actually grabbed my leg, prompting a surprise scream for me.
She sent me back to the hotel and headed home.
After freshening up and evening prayers, I went out to find dinner. There were some stalls set up along Thaleluang (Talay Luang) Road where my hotel was and a few Muslim-owned stalls. Again, I had to rely on some locals to help me communicate (this time, from a lady from Narathiwat who also spoke with Kelantanese dialect). Then I strolled along the road before heading back. Already knackered and sleepy, I stayed up to watch a Thai drama. I was glued to it (it lasted for more than an hour I think) despite not understanding the language – all because the hero was good-looking. Ha, predictable me!
I woke up just after midnight (Malaysia time) to catch footie only to discover that not one channel had footie at all. This happened when I was in Bangkok 2.5 years ago; then, no channel was showing the FA Cup matches. Grrrr...! And not to mention, I had initially booked this hotel because it promised me free WiFi but I didn’t enjoy any Internet time at all during my stay. Double grrr...!!! (I have just given my feedback to Agoda and definitely included this in my comment).
On Sunday, I lazed in (not much to see outside anyway. It showered for a while at around 11 and was I glad I stayed indoors) and read my
novel, glancing at the TV every now and then. At any one time, there was always a channel that focussed on the floods in Thailand. Don Muang airport was totally submerged. Left after prayers and asked the hotel staff to help me get a motorbike taxi (I gave the paper with my new friend’s instruction). The ride lasted only a few minutes and cost me THB50 so you can bet I wasn’t pleased with that at all. The minivan fare back to Hat Yai was THB30 (my new friend had already told me of the different rates: THB27 from Hat Yai to Songkhla but THB30 from Songkhla to Hat Yai).
We reached the Clock Tower at 1.30 pm and I walked to Odean Shopping Centre before making another repeat visit to Central. Then I went to have lunch. It started raining as I left the restaurant so I sought shelter at Robinsons before making my way to the railway station. I was lucky that the rain showers I experienced over the weekend were brief.
I boarded the train (I was surprised that there were only two coaches heading back to Padang Besar and figured the rest of the coaches were at Padang Besar). Again, luck was not on my side. This time, there were four rowdy, noisy unruly kids sharing space very close to me - and the parents doing hardly anything to control them. Really! It irks me to see people not being bothered about their offspring disturbing others. The kids were running around, after each other, up and down the metal staircase from the upper berth to lower and lower to upper… it was enough to make me simmer. When I drew the curtain, one of them pulled at my curtain and peeked in. Honestly, did he think I found it cute and endearing? No, I found it irritating and annoying and I felt like smacking the kid. It was the closest I felt to murdering someone and had it happen, it would be Murder on the Orient Express, my version of course.
We finally left Hat Yai at 1620 (scheduled at 1600) and reached Padang Besar after 5. we had to go through the same passport control but in the reverse order: the Thai side first before the Malaysian. Then we waited and waited and waited before we could re-board the train together with all the other passengers who joined the train at Padang Besar.
It was a good thing the kids fell asleep almost immediately so we enjoyed some peace at last. Luckily I packed a bit of food too as there was hardly anything at the canteen when I went swaying through a few coaches to find it. I was told that perhaps fried rice would be supplied when we reached Bukit Mertajam which was then two hours away (we’d reach it after 10 pm) and I pondered if I should be eating my dinner that late. In the end, I totally slept through Bukit Mertajam (I heard someone remarked we stopped there for two hours but I was dead to the world so can’t confirm this).
I woke up at 3.30 and fell asleep again until I heard someone said it was close to 6 am. I got up then and went to the bathroom. After performing prayers, I remained in my berth and read my novel. We only arrived at KL Sentral at 7.30 am (scheduled to arrive at 5.30 (?) according to the timetable).
Would I return to Hat Yai? Perhaps. Would I endure another train journey? Perhaps not. Perhaps I’ll take a flight or bus and join the train closer to the border. But it’s an experience I don’t regret for sure. Yes, even the noisy inconsiderate rowdy passengers formed part of the experience of this trip.
P.S. Thanks to my power of prowess and research ability (ahem), I now know that the Thai drama I was glued at on Saturday night is Game Rai Game Rak (Evil Game & Love Game) and that the handsome hero is Barry Nadech Kugimiya ;) - remember that name!
~~~~~~~~
We drew at home in last Saturday’s match against Fulham (boo hoo) and lost last night’s quarter-final match against Man Shitty. It’d be nice to win or draw but I can’t say I’m too affected by our loss.
Despite having earmarked last weekend as the dates for my visit, I procrastinated long enough and when I finally went to buy my ticket, I could only get an upper berth for my outbound trip – and only up to Padang Besar (don’t ask. I did ask but couldn’t understand the answer - especially when I managed to buy ticket for a lower berth for my return trip all the way to KL. I was also told I could only buy the ticket from Padang Besar 24 hours before the trip). The berth ticket to Padang Besar cost RM50, while the berth ticket for the return trip cost RM60.
So last Friday evening, I joined the crowd at KL Sentral before making my way to the platform (I had earlier in the day bought my ticket from Padang Besar to my final destination for RM13). The ETD was 2120; however, we only started our journey about ten minutes later. Unfortunately, I was unlucky enough to have to share my coach with a group of extended family/relatives/friends who acted like they owned the whole darn coach, talking loudly among themselves, cracking jokes, passing food around… I tried to read but it was hard to concentrate in such a racket. Finally, I tried to sleep as I was feeling knackered. I managed to sleep somehow although I woke up every now and then. The noisy passengers finally went to sleep too and though I was relieved of their chatter, I had another noise to put up with: their symphony of snores. Being surrounded by a symphony of snores was simply neither smashing nor splendid.
I was up by 5 and went to use the bathroom (not too bad for a train and a Malaysian one at that ;p) as I wanted to beat the crowd.
Performed prayers then tried to sleep again, only to be woken up by, you guess it, the noisy passengers talking excitedly on the top of their lungs. Fortunately they all went off at Arau and I had the whole coach all to myself (yes, I was that outnumbered). Peace at last!
We pulled up at Padang Besar at 7.30 am. Actually I didn’t know we had reached Padang Besar as there was no announcement and my view out of the window was obscured by work barriers. I only knew when I saw one KTMB staff walking towards my coach and realised this
must be my stop then. I hopped off and in my confused state somehow found the entrance to the passport control (to be honest, I was actually looking for the dining room. Heh!) so I joined the queue. First, we went through the Malaysian immigration then we walked around the corner for the Thai control. Very easy that way and nowhere as chaotic as at Woodlands. After that, I went up to check out the food on offer (limited food but I managed) before making my way back to the platform.
The ticket said the departure time from Padang Besar was 0935 but 0935 came and went and no train was in sight (our earlier train had pulled away). Finally the train came at 1015 and we boarded it. This time, I joined a coach with seats. We moved at a leisurely pace and
pulled up at Hat Yai Junction railway station at 1015 local time (Thailand is an hour behind).
The Saturday morning bustle in a border town greeted me on my way into town. There were many gold shops along the road as you exit the railway station. Sighting Robinsons, I stopped to check it out. I spent some time there before walking on. There aren’t many buildings that attracted me (Thailand is one of the few countries which didn’t succumb to any colonial rule and as such doesn’t have any colonial building or colonial-influenced architecture). It was threatening to rain so every time I felt raindrops, I ducked into a shopping complex. If you want to shop, you should check out Central and Lee Garden Plaza (opposite each other). I wanted to find some products at the Boots pharmacy (there’s a small Boots outlet in Central and a slightly larger store in Lee Garden Plaza). My early lunch was earlier had at Maliam Restaurant along the main road leading from the railway station and I must say, the noodles I had were not much to speak of.
After the brief retail therapy, I walked to the Clock Tower to get a bus to Songkhla. I had earlier booked a hotel in Hat Yai but having read the reviews, became reluctant to actually spend a night there. I read of the poor conditions of hotel rooms, the noise, hustle and bustle and the general fact that the town is usually over-run by Malaysians especially over the weekends did it for me. I finally booked a hotel in Songkhla.
I had read that I was supposed to take the green bus 1871 to Songkhla and was surprised to find the white mini-vans at the Clock Tower (though one had the number 1871 on it and one chap confirmed it was indeed heading for Songkhla). The fare was THB27 (I read it only cost THB9 so perhaps that’s the fare on the bus, which I suppose I can board from the bus station but oh it was quite a walk away). I had help from my fellow passengers and one Thai Muslim girl offered not only to show me the way but also take me to my hotel on her motor bike ;’) She could speak Malay but in Kelantanese dialect (which I don’t really have a grasp on ;p).
So she took me to Sun City Mansion and helped me check in. Then she helped write down the instruction to the motorbike taxi to take me to the minivan station the next day for my ride back to Hat Yai. She insisted on seeing me to my room and then, when I asked her about some pictures of Songkhla in the hotel, offered to bring me around. And get this, she later told me she was not well. Oh my God. I just couldn’t believe her kind hospitality and generosity and selflessness... I was really touched.
We went to Samila Beach and took some photos there. And of course, there were busloads of Malaysians there too. Next, she took me to Tung Khuan hill but I decided against going up (there were also a lot of Malaysians here). We stayed for a little while looking at the monkeys and as we set to leave, one of them actually grabbed my leg, prompting a surprise scream for me.
She sent me back to the hotel and headed home.
After freshening up and evening prayers, I went out to find dinner. There were some stalls set up along Thaleluang (Talay Luang) Road where my hotel was and a few Muslim-owned stalls. Again, I had to rely on some locals to help me communicate (this time, from a lady from Narathiwat who also spoke with Kelantanese dialect). Then I strolled along the road before heading back. Already knackered and sleepy, I stayed up to watch a Thai drama. I was glued to it (it lasted for more than an hour I think) despite not understanding the language – all because the hero was good-looking. Ha, predictable me!
I woke up just after midnight (Malaysia time) to catch footie only to discover that not one channel had footie at all. This happened when I was in Bangkok 2.5 years ago; then, no channel was showing the FA Cup matches. Grrrr...! And not to mention, I had initially booked this hotel because it promised me free WiFi but I didn’t enjoy any Internet time at all during my stay. Double grrr...!!! (I have just given my feedback to Agoda and definitely included this in my comment).
On Sunday, I lazed in (not much to see outside anyway. It showered for a while at around 11 and was I glad I stayed indoors) and read my
novel, glancing at the TV every now and then. At any one time, there was always a channel that focussed on the floods in Thailand. Don Muang airport was totally submerged. Left after prayers and asked the hotel staff to help me get a motorbike taxi (I gave the paper with my new friend’s instruction). The ride lasted only a few minutes and cost me THB50 so you can bet I wasn’t pleased with that at all. The minivan fare back to Hat Yai was THB30 (my new friend had already told me of the different rates: THB27 from Hat Yai to Songkhla but THB30 from Songkhla to Hat Yai).
We reached the Clock Tower at 1.30 pm and I walked to Odean Shopping Centre before making another repeat visit to Central. Then I went to have lunch. It started raining as I left the restaurant so I sought shelter at Robinsons before making my way to the railway station. I was lucky that the rain showers I experienced over the weekend were brief.
I boarded the train (I was surprised that there were only two coaches heading back to Padang Besar and figured the rest of the coaches were at Padang Besar). Again, luck was not on my side. This time, there were four rowdy, noisy unruly kids sharing space very close to me - and the parents doing hardly anything to control them. Really! It irks me to see people not being bothered about their offspring disturbing others. The kids were running around, after each other, up and down the metal staircase from the upper berth to lower and lower to upper… it was enough to make me simmer. When I drew the curtain, one of them pulled at my curtain and peeked in. Honestly, did he think I found it cute and endearing? No, I found it irritating and annoying and I felt like smacking the kid. It was the closest I felt to murdering someone and had it happen, it would be Murder on the Orient Express, my version of course.
We finally left Hat Yai at 1620 (scheduled at 1600) and reached Padang Besar after 5. we had to go through the same passport control but in the reverse order: the Thai side first before the Malaysian. Then we waited and waited and waited before we could re-board the train together with all the other passengers who joined the train at Padang Besar.
It was a good thing the kids fell asleep almost immediately so we enjoyed some peace at last. Luckily I packed a bit of food too as there was hardly anything at the canteen when I went swaying through a few coaches to find it. I was told that perhaps fried rice would be supplied when we reached Bukit Mertajam which was then two hours away (we’d reach it after 10 pm) and I pondered if I should be eating my dinner that late. In the end, I totally slept through Bukit Mertajam (I heard someone remarked we stopped there for two hours but I was dead to the world so can’t confirm this).
I woke up at 3.30 and fell asleep again until I heard someone said it was close to 6 am. I got up then and went to the bathroom. After performing prayers, I remained in my berth and read my novel. We only arrived at KL Sentral at 7.30 am (scheduled to arrive at 5.30 (?) according to the timetable).
Would I return to Hat Yai? Perhaps. Would I endure another train journey? Perhaps not. Perhaps I’ll take a flight or bus and join the train closer to the border. But it’s an experience I don’t regret for sure. Yes, even the noisy inconsiderate rowdy passengers formed part of the experience of this trip.
P.S. Thanks to my power of prowess and research ability (ahem), I now know that the Thai drama I was glued at on Saturday night is Game Rai Game Rak (Evil Game & Love Game) and that the handsome hero is Barry Nadech Kugimiya ;) - remember that name!
~~~~~~~~
We drew at home in last Saturday’s match against Fulham (boo hoo) and lost last night’s quarter-final match against Man Shitty. It’d be nice to win or draw but I can’t say I’m too affected by our loss.
|