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| Malaysia Flag - Aug 31 is Malaysia's Independence Day (Merdeka). Happy Merdeka Day ! |
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| Peninsula Malaysia & Thailand Map |
Day 1 - start of our group's train ride from Kuala Lumpur > Padang Besar, Malaysia > Hatyai, Thailand > Hua Hin (total mileage 1,267km one way)
1) taking a LRT train from Subang Jaya SS15 > KL Sentral (Rm1-senior)
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| Subang Jaya SS15 LRT station |
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| KL Sentral LRT station |
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| Hoisting of Malaysia flags at KL Sentral station to celebrate 31st August as Independence Day (Merdeka) |
2) taking a KTM train from KL Sentral > Padang Besar (09.52>15.15) - Rm42 (senior)
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| KTM train's food service counter |
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| various food , noodles on sales - RM9 per pack |
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| hot coffee or Milo - RM2.50 |
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| KTM ETS train daily departure - 4 in the morning & 3 in the afternoon |
3) Taking a connecting Thai Shuttle Train (Bht70) from Padang Besar > Hatyai (14.45 > 15.30) after the Malaysian & Thai Immigration clearance & luggage screening. Malaysia is 1 hour ahead of Thailand ! As soon as you arrive at the Padang Besar train station, go to the Thai Railway ticketing counter & purchase your tickets and then join the queue at the Malaysian Immigration Departure counter. Alternately, if you opt for a mini van drive from Padang Besar to Hatyai, just queue up at the Malaysia Immigration counter and after clearance proceeds to 1st Floor and take the sky bridge and walk towards the end when you see the Thai Immigration checkpoint.
4) Early dinner (5pm) at a coffee shop / street food stalls in downtown Hatyai near the Hatyai Railway Station, before boarding a sleeper train departing Hatyai at 6.15pm to Hua Hin
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| Bht660 for this dinner + rice + hot tea for 4 |
5) Rice dumpling (Bht20) for our breakfast / supper
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| Rice dumpling (Zhongzi) - Bht20 each for our morning breakfast |
6) Yummy tuna mayonnaise sandwich bread (Bht10) as a quick bite when hungry ! If you have not eaten before in the Land of Smiles, try once and you will love it ! On sales in most of the convenience stores ie 7-Eleven, Family Mart etc
7) Hatyai Train Station - my 6-7 encounters after all the years of travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Thailand during the last 2 decades !
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| how about a train coffee drink in this stall ! |
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| Just queue up & buy your train tickets by presenting your passports to the counter staff |
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| Visit this counter if you are buying train tickets in advance |
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| how about putting up a night at the train hotel as soon as you exit from the Hatyai Train Station |
8) Sleeper train departing Hatyai 18.15 arriving Hua Hin 06.02(Bht779 upper bed / Bht869 lower)
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| awaiting for the arrival of our train from Golok to Bangkok |
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| Hatyai > Hua Hin sleeper train |
9) Having a cup of hot coffee (Bht30) at the train's canteen at around 21.00 before retiring for bed ...
Day 7 (Final Day) - saying bye bye to the Land of Smiles !
1) Morning breakfast at a popular noodles shop in downtown Hatyai
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| Beef & pork noodles Bht90 + Coffee |
2) taking a tuk tuk (bht40) booked by our hostel to Hatyai mini van (Bht50) station and then to the Thai Padang Besar Immigration check point and a private taxi to KTM train station in Padang Besar at the Malaysian end - however, this way is more bureaucratic and long winded ! For a more straight forward return trip, Hatyai train station has two daily departures to KTM train station in Padang Besar ie 7.30am & 1.30pm so pick the appropriate one to catch your return train ride from Padang Besar for a connecting train back to Kuala Lumpur or Butterworth.
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| 14 seater van drive from Hatyai mini van station to Padang Besar (I hr) |
3) rows of rubber trees greeting you as you exit near Padang Besar towards the Malaysian border. Southern Thailand has in recent years become a major producer of rubber in the world !
4) Arrival at the Thai Immigration check point and taking a private taxi (Bht50 per pax) to Malaysian Padang Besar train station
4) Taking our train from Padang Besar > KL Sentral (13.58>17.13) - Rm55 (senior)
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| a quick lunch - Nasi Lemak + hot coffee at Padang Besar train station's canteen |
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| Padang Besar > KL Sentral, 1 morning departure & 3 in the afternoon |
5) Home sweet home ! Oil palm plantations greeting and welcoming fellow Malaysians home !
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