Part 3 To Phuket by Bus

12 Mar 2012 – Thai Local Bus from Hat Yai to Phuket (7-8 hours)

From Hat Yai Bus Terminal, we took the 11.45am local air-conditioned bus to Phuket. It was a 7 1/2-hour journey.

Bus counter

The bus was supposed to make 4 stops – Pattalung, Trang, Krabi and Phuket city. But only one stop was made where passengers actually got down which was Trang. The Pattalung and Krabi stops were short, just to pick up new passengers and drop off some.

The buses leave every hour

Trang was our toilet and lunch stop, we reached Trang after a 3-hour journey. We decided to get down at Talang city, which is before Phuket city as it’s the nearest stop to our hotel. We reached Talang at 7.30pm.

Bus ticket (in Thai)

Well, reaching any place at night leaves you vulnerable to taxi operators who will try to cash in on your late arrival. After bargaining, a 10min drive to our hotel costs us Bt400 (RM40).

Road sign highlighting Phuket

Back to the bus journey, as a whole, the Thai roads were good and being a Malaysian I couldn’t help but notice immediately the absence of toll booths. But having said that, the price of petrol is higher in Thai than in Malaysia, RM3.90 per litre! Sort of explains the high cost of travelling in Thailand.

The bus conductor's son was to quick to find friends

Thailand is the land of rubber trees. We saw an unending stretch of rubber trees all along the route.

When we reached Phang Nga, we noticed endless limestone hills and caves - a whole series of them.

I noticed many women motorcyclists too. They don’t necessarily wear helmets.


The food stop at Trang was clean. N had rice while the kids and I had fruits and noodles. The noodles was actually tom-yam flavoured Maggie in cup, and it was so hot and spicy….yummy. Even their Maggie noodle tastes so good.

Overall, would I do bus travel again? The answer is no. Main reason is time. Although we weren't rushed for time, a whole day was spent on the journey, which I wouldn't want to repeat.


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That night we checked into our hotel late. The hotel provides shuttle service to the road that leads to the shops and restaurants.

so pretty..

The hotel lobby

The shuttle

We shuttled till the main gate and took a long walk for dinner. We didn't mind the walk as it was cooling and clean. 

The boys during dinner that night

There were many restaurants with first class service. We found one that suited our budget and once again were very happy with our meal – both in taste and price - which came to about RM36 for 4 pax.


Some tips on bus travel :-

1. Don't do the bus unless you can spare the time. On the plus side, we got to see the countryside and many other things which we would have missed such as the limestone hills of Phang Nga, Krabi town, locals getting on with their daily lives and the Sarasin bridge that connects Thai mainland to Phuket.

2. Buses leave for Phuket every hour - so don't worry about booking in advance.

3. There are also other options such as the VIP buses and mini-vans. The difference being the cost, lesser stops and reach about an hour earlier. The departure time is also different, it's not hourly.

4. The bus was clean and spacious. There were empty seats so our kids jumped seats to get the window seat each.

5. The bus ticket comes with a voucher that you can exchange for fruits or drinks at the food stop.

6. You can inform the driver beforehand if you want to get down at non-designated stops as long as its along the route.

All pictures are copyrighted. I can be reached at sivakay2009@gmail.com.

Part 1 To Hat Yai by Train

10 Mar 2012 - KTM’s Senandung Langkawi from KL Sentral to Hat Yai (overnight)

On 10 Mar 2012, our excitement peaked. The day we leave to our neighbouring country, Thailand, has finally arrived. The Hat Yai bound Senandung Langkawi was scheduled to leave KL Sentral at 9.20pm. To my utter surprise, it left on time, exactly at 9.21pm!

Senandung Langkawi at KL Sentral

We had wanted so much to get the sleeper coach but it was fully booked. KTM should add more sleeper coaches. So, we ended up in the 2nd class air-conditioned seaters' coach. The seats was comfortable except for two things-



1. The food tray at most seats were faulty and falling apart. It’s high time they be replaced.



2. The air-condition was centralized so you can’t adjust the temperature, it was COLD.

Harish very quickly found ways to occupy himself

At about midnight, we walked a long way passing many coaches to get to the canteen. The food prices here were almost double of the normal price. A cup of ‘teh tarik’ / hot tea costs RM2.50 compared to the normal price of RM1.50. But the canteen was cosy and so we sat long sipping our tea while watching the night pass by.


There were toilets between each coach; squat and sit toilets. They were tiny and crampy inside but clean.

KTM Staff on duty walked their rounds cleaning toilets, collecting rubbish etc.


The train made many stops at various stations. I lost count of how many..

At dawn, we saw the sunrise over paddy fields.

The sunrise at dawn...

The green paddy field

At about 8.30am, we reached Padang Besar.

At Padang Besar railway station

We carried our luggages out for immigration check. A Thai railway officer gave us the arrival cards to be filled up. We went through a queue for passport check and stamp and to have our photos taken through a tiny web scanner. It was pretty quick.

Immigration check at Padang Besar

We headed for breakfast at Padang Besar railway station's cafeteria. Again, the price was slightly more expensive than normal.

The cafe in the Padang Besar train station

We had a long wait at this station; two hours!

The long wait at padang Besar station

Think this was what they were waiting for..the engine coach?

At last we were allowed to board the train

Finally when the train started moving, we crossed to Thailand very quickly. I realized I was in Thailand when I noticed the signages in Thai language. We passed by many rubber trees, banana trees, fruit orchards, vegetable farms, villages, small towns and mini pagoda shrines.


By the time we reached Hat Yai train station it was almost noon.

Hat Yai Train Station

One look at the Hat Yai train station, my heart sank. It was dirty, old and the tunnel stank of urine. There were people sitting on the cement floors ; beggars and vendors.

The moment the train stopped some Thai men entered the coaches and started approaching the white travellers first and then anyone that didn’t look Thai. These were the taxi and van guys. They were trying to get passengers. We ignored them and walked with our bags out of the station. We weren’t being rude but we just couldn’t understand their language.



Some tips for those wanting to try KTM’s train to Hat Yai :-


1. The booking of tickets opens one month before the date of your travel – so do early booking to get the sleeper coach, especially if you plan to travel on a Fri or Sat night. The booking can also be done online. I went 2 weeks after the booking opened but couldn’t get the sleeper coach. KTM’s booking office is at KL Sentral 2nd Floor, near the KFC.

2. It's a 12 hour journey, but be mentally prepared for a 15 hours.


3. The ticket price for children is not discounted at 50% of the adult rate. But lesser nevertheless. Adult seat =RM48. Child = RM28.

4. If you opt for the seater coach, be reminded that it can get cold at night. If you don’t plan to wear shoes, at least bring stockings to cover your feet. I saw some families with blankets.


5. Check the location of the coach on the train. The end coaches can be bumpy. And do check the location of the canteen from your coach.


6. Pack your own food especially if you are travelling with kids, as the canteen food is not that cheap. One packet of bee hoon is RM4.


7. Be informed that the white fluorescent lights are kept on throughout the night. If you are in the seater coach, this can be annoying.


8. The train leaves on time. So, be on time.


9. Malaysia is ahead by 1 hour – 10am here is 9am in Thai. So you gain an hour upon crossing the border.

10. Expect to be delayed at Padang Besar. It's not because of the immigration check.


All pictures are copyrighted. I can reached at sivakay2009@gmail.com.

Pre and Post Phuket - Counting Days / Gone By

Our Phuket trip is drawing close, just 9 days more. We will be arriving Hadyai on 11 Mar 2012 and leaving for Phuket on 12 Mar 2012.



The boys are preparing for their First Term Exam from 7 – 9 Mar 2012. They seem to be working extra hard as they know they will be rewarded with a holiday. They finish exam on 9th Mar and we board the train 10th Mar (school hols). Must be exciting for them and yes for me.


I have been planning this trip since Oct 2011. And I have read all there is to know about Phuket from the net, I think.

Internet is such a marvel. All the info u need is just a click away.


Below is what I have gathered from what I have read so far….


1. Phuket is soooooo commercialized – it is an island full of tourists and foreigners, especially Patong.

Post-Phuket : Yes, very true, everything is as pricey as KL if not more, esp Patong. But if you follow a local, you may find things a little less pricey.


2. Phuket is expensive thanks to the ‘rich’ foreigners who are ever willing to pay more.

Post-Phuket : Yes, very true, Because of the tourists influx, the taxi guys, the tuk tuk guys and the traders have learnt to price everything higher. Tourism seems to be the bread and butter to many Thais.


3. You can’t experience Thailand in Phuket as all activities are tailored to meet the needs of foreigners; the food, the adventure packages, the bars/clubs, the supermarts, 7 and 11, etc

Post-Phuket : Yes, very true. The activities are tailored to meet the need of mostly white foreigners. In some places like Patong and Karon, the beaches are fully taken up by them.4. There are plenty of tour packages to choose from.

Post-Phuket : Yes, very true and to suit your budget too. Not that you can bargain much, as the tour package prices do not differ much from one agent to the other. It's all pre-fixed.


5. Phi Phi Island is mentioned mainly in relation to a Hollywood movie that was shot there.

Post-Phuket : Yes, it was definitely mentioned by the captain of our boat to Phi Phi Island. And Phi Phi Island is very much for singles and couples. Everything is even more expensive than in Phuket, a roll of chicken kebab is sold at 100 baht - about RM10.


6. Tuk tuk drivers are gangsters, stay away from them.

Post-Phuket : Hey, this is not that true, I wouldn't say they are gangsters. But they do hang around outside hotels and restaurants and always start with a 100 baht.


7. So are the mini-van fellows – who are sure to rip you off.

Post-Phuket : We did take the mini-van from Phuket to Hatyai for about 400 baht per adult. The driver did a 120 km/per hour and was on the handphone a lot. They promised we will reach between 5-6 hours but it actually took 7 hours.


8. Hire a car – but don’t hire one if you don’t have an International Driving Licence (still confused)

Post-Phuket : We enquired and could have got a car for 1000 baht per day. But how do we navigate the many streets with so many Thai sign boards. So we didn't.9. Phuket gets boring after the 3rd day or so.

Post-Phuket :Wrong - we didn't get bored at all. We wished we had more time...


10. The local girl in Phuket’s main tourist area will most likely be a lady boy.

Post-Phuket : Wrong - I only saw one ladyboy in Patong town. Maybe I couldn't differentiate or I didn't hang around to see them come out at night.11. Beer is cheap.

Post-Phuket : Correct - It's about 500 baht per can at 7 and 11 outlets.


12. You can shop for clothes.

Post-Phuket : Correct but just couldn't find the time.


13. You shouldn’t miss on a Thai massage.

Post-Phuket : We missed this one, not enough time.


14. Fantasea is damn expensive – u can give it a miss.

Post-Phuket : We gave it a miss.

15. There are two ways to go Island Tour – either by speedboat or a ferry.

Post-Phuket : We took the boat.


16. The police are there to rip the tourists.


Post-Phuket : No encounters but I must say the police uniform is very body hugging.

17. The Thai people smile and sawadekap more than they talk English.

Post-Phuket : Yes, the Thais are such polite and soft spoken people. Language is certainly a barrier.


18. Many old white men hang around with young local girls.

Post-Phuket : Yes, we saw plenty of this.19. The whites go to Phuket for party, booze, girls, diving, snorkelling and yes, laze.

Post-Phuket : Yes, true ...they love the sun.


20. There is fortune telling in Thai temples.

Post-Phuket : Yes, at Wat Cha Long - we tried it.

21. Don’t miss the sunset at the cape.

Post-Phuket : We missed the sunset as we were there in the early afternoon under scorching sun.


22. Don't miss their mangoes and coconuts.

Post-Phuket : Yes, we loved Thai food.

I plan to do a Post-Phuket on this same list once I am back.


Till then – adios.

More updates coming soon with plenty of photos...

Siva Kay