PENANG -INITIAL VISA RUN

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Free Guide maps are obtainable from most guest house and hotels. This map is good because it shows the street where the Thai Embassy is situated.

A Note on the Currency

• The Malaysian currency is the ringit, one of which is about equal to 10 baht. Be sure to exchange your ringit back to Thai Baht before leaving Malaysia, as it is difficult, if not impossible to exchange in Thailand.

Getting There

• My trip was by "minibus," the Thai term for a van equipped with seating for eleven people. The trip is in two stages- Suratthani-Hatyai and Hatyai-Penang. The ticket from Suratthani to Penang is about 540 baht (one-way). Buy the return journey ticket in Penang as it's about 100 baht cheaper there.
• Some suggested things to take with you for the trip- a book, some nourishing snacks and a bottle of water (meal stops are infrequent), an inflatable neck pillow, a set of earplugs and one of those blindfold-type things.
• When you arrive in Penang you will be on the equivalent of Bangkok's Khaosarn Road. There are lots of places to stay, money changers, restaurants and shops.

Accomodation in Penang

• Penang is a big city, and has a variety of accommodation available. Cheap rooms cost about 30 ringit, but don't expect much. More moderately-priced units are about 50 ringit. I stayed in one of these- the Oriental Hotel, as I was pretty tired from my trip.

Buy books!

• Penang has a lot of second-hand bookstores with a large selection and they are cheaper than in Thailand, so this might be a good time to stock up. Apparently there aren't a lot of bookstores in Suratthani.

Outside of Penang

• If you want out of Penang for a day or two while your visa is being processed you may want to consider the island of Langkawi. It's near the Thai border, off the west coast of Malaysia. It's quite developed (over-developed?), but is easily accessible from Penang by boat or air. The boat ride takes about an hour and a half and a flight about half an hour. Nice beaches, particularly the sand which has the texture of brown sugar. Sugary Sands Resort has bungalows in the 40 ringit range.
• If you have some time to spare and want to explore Malaysia a bit, the east coast of the country is apparently strikingly beautiful. I've never been myself, but have heard many times that it is good.

Arranging the Visa

• My Non-Immigrant B visa (three months) cost 280 Ringit.
• Go to the embassy yourself.
• A consideration is that you will not get your passport back until the next day in mid-afternoon, so you will only get as far as Hat Yai on your return journey if your plan is to leave by minibus on that day.
• If you go to the Embassy you could ask them if they could give you the documents at mid-day to enable you to travel back to Suratthani.

Charon & Alet visit April 2008

• We found a very nice place called Stardust Guest House,  on Lbh Chulia St. Price 28 Ringits per night. It was very clean with two beds. However it was a shared bathroom on the floor. It has a good restaurant / bar down stairs.
• Going to the Royal Thai Consulate-General we took a Taxi ( TEKSI ) from the hotel early the next morning. The Taxi driver spoke English and we had no problem. The last bus from HatYai leaves at 1600 so make sure you can make the connection or you will have to stay in Hat Yai for the night.

Please draw maps, street names, timetables etc etc. To make it even easier for the next "Visa Run"