Our flight arrived in Penang at 10 am, and we headed directly to KTMB Bukit Tengah. We had already purchased our tickets for the same day for RM 10.40, and advance booking was not required. The Utara Komuter train runs every 2 hours, so we referred to their website for more information.
UTARA KOMUTER SCHEDULE
After reaching Padang Besar, the Malaysia telco signal was weak, and we noticed a time difference of one hour compared to Malaysia. While at the ticket counter, a promoter approached us with a mobile card offer for RM 20, unlimited data for ten days, and a van to Hatyai counter. Initially, we planned to get an agent at the counter, but they informed us they required a full passenger before proceeding. Waiting at Padang Besar station was quite a waste of time, and we lost our patience.
It was challenging to get a Grab car to customs immigration, but we found plenty of taxis, motorcycles outside, and negotiated the fare before entering. We finally negotiated with a taxi driver who offered us RM 15 to Malaysia border custom immigration. He also informed us that there was a cab waiting for us ahead that would take us to the bus station.
Once we had cleared immigration and collected our passports, a cab was waiting for us, and the driver offered to take us to the bus station for RM 10. We agreed, although we were not sure if it was a cheap or expensive fare.
We bought our bus tickets for 60 baht per person at the counter, and the journey to Hatyai took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Upon reaching the Hatyai bus station, a guy wearing a jacket with a shark logo asked us where we were headed, and we told him Lee Garden. He offered to take us there for 160 baht for 2 pax, which meant 80 baht per person. It turned out to be a motorbike service similar to Grab transportation, and we followed him.
We stayed at the Mayflower Grande Hotel New Wings for RM 156.00, and at the reception counter, we were required to hand over our passports or pay a 500 baht deposit. We read about this on TripAdvisor and decided to pay the deposit as our passport is quite valuable.
Due to time constraints, we were unable to visit Evergreen, so we decided to explore the area near our hotel instead.
our first stop was the 7-Eleven store.
The next morning
We had to wake up early the following morning to catch the bus, so we checked out of our hotel. A tuk-tuk driver approached us and offered to take us to Hatyai bus station. We informed him that we wanted to go to Padang Besar bus station and he understood immediately, as he asked if we meant Dannok or Padang Besar. He quoted us a price of 150 baht for two people and drove us to the bus station. Once we arrived, we noticed various counters where we could choose our destination, which was interesting. After purchasing our ticket, we had to wait in the designated area until the van was full, after which it took us to the Thai immigration border, which was a nice experience.
As usual, motorbike drivers were waiting to offer us a ride to KTMB for 100 baht per person, or a car ride for 300 baht for multiple passengers. Since we were only two people, we opted for the motorbike, which was a fun way to travel and more suitable for our needs.
We safely arrived back in Malaysia and that concluded our journey. We hope that the information we shared was helpful to you.
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