This
is the most popular route for tourists or teachers getting another
visa or just crossing a border to get a further
month on entry.
Penang
is a pleasant little island of the West Coast of Malaysia. It still
retains its colonial charm and has several places of interest such
as the botanical gardens, Batu Ferangi beach, Chinese temples etc.
The first couple of times you do the trip, it can be a nice break
but becomes a bit dull after that.
Getting
there couldn't be simpler but book your ticket in advance to be sure
of a place. You can get a sleeper chair very cheaply or pay around
$30 for an air-con sleeper, which is a very pleasant way to travel.
Trains leave Hualompong station at around one o'clock in the afternoon
and arrive in Butterworth, Malaysia at around twelve p.m. the next
day. From here you have to take a twenty-minute ferry ride to Penang
proper which costs around 10 baht and gets you to George town the
capital of Penang. You will probably be too late to get to the embassy
that day as it shuts at twelve.
Visas
take two working days to process and please remember you have to be
aware of both Thai and Malaysian holidays. Several agents in town
will arrange your visa for a couple of hundred baht or you can go
up to the embassy yourself. Up to you. Tourist Visas are $17.50 Baht
for a single entry. $37.50 for a double entry. Non Immigrant Visas
are $20.00. The main street for tourists on a budget in George town
is called Chulia Street, a short walk from the ferry station and lined
with budget hotels and restaurants. The Swiss hotel is both cheap
and clean, as are numerous others. Many run by Bangladeshi's.
So say
you leave on a Monday, the average scenario will be arriving in Georgetown
in the afternoon of Tuesday and giving your visa to an agent. He will
take your visa to the embassy the next day and get it back to you
by Thursday. Too late for the train that day so you have to leave
on Friday getting you back to Bangkok by Saturday midday. Some agents
may be able to get your visa done quicker for an extra fee.
