First thing first, NEVER TRAVEL DURING PUBLIC HOLIDAYS. Yes, that is a lesson I learned through the hard way. You thought Singapore immigration was tough, think that again after lining up for 4 freaking hours at the immigration just to get a stamp... Gila mampus
Ok, we planned to travel to Hatyai before the Merdeka holiday but it was canceled because Isa just recovered from HFMD, thank God the hotel accepted our cancellation without any charges through Bookings.com
Fast forward, I booked the same hotel again a month before the recent holiday. Best part was, I did not noticed that it was a public holiday until around 2 weeks before we departed. But I thought, redah ja la. Bila lagi kan. I wanted to drive into Hatyai but because Pak Yeo was a kiasu person and he doesn't like to get stuck in traffic in a confined place, he suggested the train. I thought why not. Secara logic, we will think that a human queue would move faster than a car queue. NO! We were so wrong.
We woke up at 5.30 just to catch the 7.57am train. I thought 'Eh sikitnya orang hari ni', Happy giler. When the train came from Butterworth, we had to stand for around 20mins. Pack giler train.
We arrived at the Malaysia-Thai border train station at around 8.30am. But because there is a 1 hour time different, Thai was only at 7.30am. So we waited another 30 mins before the ticket counter opens. And so I thought. We had to line up 2 hours just to get to the ticket counter. Hell why? Apparently, their ticketing system still uses the old method with only one counter. Itu pun, fax printer is set up on piece of table. Bukan laser printer or printer moden lain yang kita nampak di counter KTMB Malaysia. With the PH at that time, the line could go up to half of the station. Every ticket print is counted because there are quotas for each train. Kalau Malaysia ada ticket counter mcm ni, sampai esok pun xhabis print lagi *sigh*
Their 7-Eleven is a must place to go when in Thailand. It is similar to Japan's but at a smaller scale. Not many halal food is available there but I purchase some of their cosmetic products :-). Prices are quite reasonable. Definitely cheaper if they were imported into Malaysia. There are many choices of drinks too.
Grab: RM30
ASEAN night bazaar: RM100
Clothes shopping: RM40.00
Tuk-tuk : RM12.50
Food massage: RM72 for 3 person / an hour
Tips if you're traveling with a kid or toddler:
1. Bring at least 2 USB fan.
2. Loads of water.
3. Kid's snacks. There is a cafe upstairs too.
4. Bring change of clothes and wet wipes.
5. Bring a stroller for your kid to sleep while waiting.
6. Wear comfortable clothes because it's gonna be really sweaty and warm.
Tips at the Thai immigration:
Thai has a very strict practice when it comes to their law. Do not jump queue when lining up at the immigration because they noticed details. You'll end up having to line up all over again if they sees this. Always stay in your line. Obey the laws when you're in their country. Punishments and penalties are no joke in Thailand.
Ok, we planned to travel to Hatyai before the Merdeka holiday but it was canceled because Isa just recovered from HFMD, thank God the hotel accepted our cancellation without any charges through Bookings.com
Fast forward, I booked the same hotel again a month before the recent holiday. Best part was, I did not noticed that it was a public holiday until around 2 weeks before we departed. But I thought, redah ja la. Bila lagi kan. I wanted to drive into Hatyai but because Pak Yeo was a kiasu person and he doesn't like to get stuck in traffic in a confined place, he suggested the train. I thought why not. Secara logic, we will think that a human queue would move faster than a car queue. NO! We were so wrong.
We woke up at 5.30 just to catch the 7.57am train. I thought 'Eh sikitnya orang hari ni', Happy giler. When the train came from Butterworth, we had to stand for around 20mins. Pack giler train.
We arrived at the Malaysia-Thai border train station at around 8.30am. But because there is a 1 hour time different, Thai was only at 7.30am. So we waited another 30 mins before the ticket counter opens. And so I thought. We had to line up 2 hours just to get to the ticket counter. Hell why? Apparently, their ticketing system still uses the old method with only one counter. Itu pun, fax printer is set up on piece of table. Bukan laser printer or printer moden lain yang kita nampak di counter KTMB Malaysia. With the PH at that time, the line could go up to half of the station. Every ticket print is counted because there are quotas for each train. Kalau Malaysia ada ticket counter mcm ni, sampai esok pun xhabis print lagi *sigh*
Once you have purchased your tickets, you have to proceed to the Malaysia immigration before going into the Thai immigration to get your passport stamped. And that takes another 2 hours.
Once you get your passport stamped, you can board the train. There are only 2 trains a day going into Hatyai from Padang Besar. The 9.30am train will wait for those who purchase at that time and will wait until the rest of the passenger finished stamping their passports. The Thai authority has the right to close the ticketing door once the ticket quota is met. So those standing in between will have to catch the 2.30pm train. The 9.30am train will depart around 12pm (Malaysia time). On normal weekends, it could be earlier depending on how fast the passenger finished getting their passport checked.
The train traveling to Hatyai is the diesel powered type with high horse power. It is not an air conditioned train so I suggest that you bring extra USB fan.
There are 2 types of ticket. One is for sitting and standee. You can't choose, it depends on the ticket that they issued. If it's a standee ticket, the word 'STANDEE" will be written on your ticket. It's not a free seating system. But the train coming from Hatyai into Padang Besar is free seating system.
Overall, traveling ke Hatyai was really although we had to go through hard time at the immigration. We only had 1 night to explore but I suggest that you spend at least 2 to 3 nights. There are a lot of things to explore apart from the main tourist spot that you read on traveler's blog and vlog. But most of them are a bit off from the main town of Hatyai.
We had RM500 to spend excluding hotel and it was within the budget. Food was a bit pricey cause we ate at a restaurant. We didn't wanna waste our time searching for street food as we we were all hungry. Pagi tak sempat nak makan apa pun.
Their 7-Eleven is a must place to go when in Thailand. It is similar to Japan's but at a smaller scale. Not many halal food is available there but I purchase some of their cosmetic products :-). Prices are quite reasonable. Definitely cheaper if they were imported into Malaysia. There are many choices of drinks too.
Lunch: RM60
Souvenirs: RM110Grab: RM30
ASEAN night bazaar: RM100
Clothes shopping: RM40.00
Tuk-tuk : RM12.50
Food massage: RM72 for 3 person / an hour
Tips if you're traveling with a kid or toddler:
1. Bring at least 2 USB fan.
2. Loads of water.
3. Kid's snacks. There is a cafe upstairs too.
4. Bring change of clothes and wet wipes.
5. Bring a stroller for your kid to sleep while waiting.
6. Wear comfortable clothes because it's gonna be really sweaty and warm.
Tips at the Thai immigration:
Thai has a very strict practice when it comes to their law. Do not jump queue when lining up at the immigration because they noticed details. You'll end up having to line up all over again if they sees this. Always stay in your line. Obey the laws when you're in their country. Punishments and penalties are no joke in Thailand.
