First, I went to KL Sentral, to buy the train ticket. Unfortunately, the ticket from KL to Hat Yai had finished. Then I bought the return ticket, from Hat Yai to KL, sleeping coach, for RM54. Wednesday night, the information girl said that I can go to Hat Yai by bus, so I went to Puduraya Bus Terminal to buy the bus ticket for RM50. The seller is very kind, the actual price for the bus is RM60 :p For your info, if you want to travel to the north, the bus will depart from Puduraya, but if you want to go to the south (e.g. Melaka), you have to go to Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS).
Friday night, right after work, at 7 pm, I went to KL Sentral to change my money into Thai Baht. I got THB 1,000. I reached Puduraya at 8:30 p.m. The bus will depart at 10 p.m. I waited and chatted with the ticket sellers in Puduraya, and also a nice gangster (!!) At 9:30 p.m. I waited in the departure platform for KKKL bus, platform 15. I met a nice Thai. I didn't believe he is Thai until he showed me his passport, LOL. His name is Yotsak, he works in Indonesia. He spoke bahasa Indonesia very well. I also met a Thai lady, her name is Sumalee. She works in KL as a restaurant waitress. She is a cheerful lady. She often use the bus to go home from KL.
The bus was late, like Sumalee said to me, it usually 1 hour late (!!). Yes, we departed to Hat Yai at 11 p.m. KKKL is a nice bus, but the driver seems unfriendly, a big Tamil with lack of smile (smile, sir :D). I sat in the corner. Few minutes later, the bus crew collected our passports for immigration document printing. I could sleep well until we reached the Malaysian immigration checkpoint in Changloon, Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah at 5 a.m. in the morning. The bus stopped for a while, then the crew returned our passports with the printed document. All the passengers dropped off from the bus and queued in the checkpoint. The bus crossed the border and waited for us. We continued our journey for 5 minutes with the bus, and stopped in Sadao, Thailand immigration checkpoint. We had to bring all luggage to the checkpoint. Yes, I passed the border and welcome myself to Thailand :D
Inside the bus
The bus reached Hat Yai city at 8 a.m. Thailand time. It took 10 hours journey by bus, from KL to Hat Yai. Thailand time is 1 hour later than Malaysia time. Dropped in the Hat Yai city, I walked around, looking for Cathay Guesthouse, a Lonely Planet's recommended guesthouse. I've booked that guesthouse via internet, with no booking fee. Cathay Guesthouse is located in Niphatuthit 2 Road, near the Haadyai Train Station. I passed several Thai traditional markets while walking to Cathay Guesthouse. I asked people using sign language (or tarzan language :), because people in Hat Yai are rarely understand English. I arrived in the guesthouse at 9 a.m. The receptionist lady is nice, she understands English. She gave me a free Hat Yai map and showed me interesting places to go. Cathay Guesthouse had its own cafe. I waited for my room there, because the rooms are full. I met a french guy named Germain, we chatted while waiting for the rooms. I got my room at 9:30. Only twin-bed room left, so I had to pay for 200 Baht (about Rp60,000). It's cheap, and not too bad for 200 B. The room is quite wide, it has 2 bunk-beds, a bathroom with squat toilet, and a window. I could see Hat Yai roads from the window.
The receptionist
The 200 Baht twin-bed room
The bathroom
View from the window
I asked the receptionist lady, how to go to the Giant Sleeping Buddha Temple (Wat Hat Yai Nai). She said that I can walk there. I walked to the temple. It was far. Then I gave up and asked a motorcycle man to take me to Wat Hat Yai Nai. It costs 20 B. Wat Hat Yai Nai is near Thai traditional market. I saw the Giant Sleeping Buddha there, and also several Thai temples.
My breakfast: Hokkien Mee
Giant Sleeping Buddha
Temples in Wat Hat Yai Nai
From the Wat Hat Yai Nai, I went to the Clock Tower with a motorcycle man. It costs 30 B. Travel tips: ask the hostel receptionist to write Thai letters of important places on your map, because not all Thai can read "normal" (Roman) letters. Clock Tower is the place to get the minivans to Songkhla. It took about an hour to go to Samilla Beach, Songkhla. A trip by minivan (Thai people call it "bus" not "minivan") costs 30 B.
Samilla Beach is famous by its the Lady Mermaid statue. I had to queue to take picture with the Lady Mermaid. The beach has 2 islands nearby, known as Cat & Rat Islands. I saw the statue of cat and rat there.
Lady Mermaid
Cat & Rat
Cat & Rat Islands
There are many fresh seafood restaurants around the beach. They also sell and cook weird sea creatures :)) I wanted to try some, but I was afraid of allergy, since I went alone :p I also found a weird Thai snack: Kai Khao, or embryonic egg -whew!- The shape looks like a boiled egg, but you can taste the chicken embryo inside...
Fresh seafood
Kai Khao
On my way back from Songkhla to Hat Yai, there are many students with their black-and-white uniform. Reminds me to "Yes or No," a Thai movie :) I thought they were high school students, but I was wrong, they are university students! hahaha... In Thailand you still have to wear uniform although you are university student :)
I faced language problem on my way back to the guesthouse. The guesthouse is near the Haadyai Train Station, so I asked the driver to stop in the train station. But he was misunderstood. He dropped me in the bus station! Well, be careful when you mention the word "station." I took a tuk-tuk to go to the guesthouse. Well, another misunderstood, the driver initially asked me "fifty bahts" and draw the number on his hand. I agreed. But right after we reached the guesthouse, he refused when I gave him 100 B. Then I knew what he mean was "one hundred-fifty bahts." OMG... As I said before, not many people in Hat Yai understand English. I've been asked several times, "Where are you going?" and it took few minutes to understand that what they mean was "Where do you come from?" (--")
I walked around Cathay Guesthouse. I saw traditional markets and shopping malls. I looked for catholic church around, and I found one :) The mass is on Sunday morning, 7 a.m. On my way back to the guesthouse, I met a Swedish, Pierre and his Thai girlfriend, Wan. They had the same map. Then we walked together for dinner. Lucky we have Wan, who can speak Thai language and read Thai letters, because almost all the menu were written in Thai. Wan explained us with her broken English.
After dinner, I went back to Cathay Guesthouse. Had a shower for a while, and then watch some TV show in the guesthouse's cafe. No free internet there. You have to pay at least 10B for 30 minutes, for PC internet or WiFi service. I spent the night chatting with other backpackers from France, Sweden, Slovenia, and Italy. We had awesome talk with Merlot and Chang (Thai beer). Those guys opened my mind and encourage me to go to Europe ^^
I had my blurry eyesight when we finally end the chat. I walked back to my room and few minutes later someone knocked the door. Well, it was the receptionist guy (not the girl). He brought an empty bottle and went to the bathroom. Then he asked me something, I didn't understand what he wants, then he pointed himself. Whoa, I said "no, thanks :)" and he walked out of my room. Finally I'm alone. I locked the room and sleep.
I woke up early in the morning, realizing that I smelled like a bar, hahaha... Then I had a shower and walked to the church to attend Sunday mass ^^ The mass was in Thai language and all the books are written in Thai letters. Hmm.. I didn't understand what they said, but I could follow the mass :) At least I knew how to greet each other at the beginning ^^ "Sawadee kha!" The priest is white, but he spoke Thai language very well! When I asked him, he said that he's been living in Thailand for 40 years :))) no wonder then.
Hat Yai in the morning ^^
Hat Yai Catholic Church
Mass schedule
After the mass, I walked around for breakfast. I found an interesting food, but I didn't know how to order the food ^^;; I just pointed, "I want this, this, and this :p" But... guess what, they charged me 90 B for the food >.< Well, another language problem. People in Hat Yai also understand Chinese language, but I don't understand Chinese either hahaha, wo bu zhi dao!
90 Baht breakfast
Back to the guesthouse, I packed my things and checked out. I met a Philippines lady who wanted to check in. She was confused, she works as a maid in Malaysia and she went to Hat Yai just for passport stamp like me! She worried whether the Malaysian immigration won't give her the stamp when she back to Malaysia. Immigration problem ^^;;
I also met a kind grandpa from Sweden, Bjorn. He asked me to join Servas INT, a backpacker organization like CouchSurfing. I promised him, I'll contact the Indonesian representative :) Then I met a TV producer from Taiwan, Paul Chou. He spoke to me with his broken English, but he is very nice! Bjorn, Paul, and me went together to Thai traditional market and then we continued our journey to Hat Yai City Municipality Park. We used tuk-tuk for 10B to get there. Hat Yai City Park is good for sport, hahaha... We climbed the hill to see the Kwan Im goddess statue on the top, and also Giant Buddha statue. We didn't see any bus, so we walked. It was steep, far, and tiring. Finally we reached the top. We could see beautiful view of Hat Yai city from above. Actually there are cable cars to go to another hill, but I didn't have time to go there, I had to go back to KL at 4 p.m. by train.
Hat Yai City Park
^^ *picture taken by Paul*
peace, Paul!
Pandaaa
Water Dragon
Kwan Im goddess
with Grandpa Bjorn ^^ thanks, Paul!
I'm slim ^^
Judge Bao :))
Buddha on the top!
We walked down the hill. Grandpa Bjorn was good ^^ he asked a passing car to stop and give us ride downhill. We were lucky! We saved our time and energy ^^ We took songthew (small tuk-tuk) for 20B to go back to Hat Yai. We had some cold espresso in a cafe (lucky, there was WiFi service in the cafe :) before finally I say goodbye to Grandpa Bjorn and Paul, because I had to catch the train to Kuala Lumpur. Bjorn and Paul continued their journey to Hat Yai floating market which started at 3 p.m :)
I walked to Haadyai Train Station. It was near, only 5 minutes walk. I saw a group Thai girls army there. The train has already there. Right after I reached the coach, rain poured down. Well, I got a sleeping coach ^^ I could sleep in the train. The view along the journey was beautiful. The train stopped for 45 minutes in Padang Besar Immigration Checkpoint. They also added the coaches there. The journey from Hat Yai to Kuala Lumpur took longer time by train. We finally arrived in KL Sentral at 8 a.m. in the morning. I changed my clothes, had breakfast in KL Sentral's KFC, and then go to my office in Bangsar by LRT :) Work starts at 9 a.m, hahaha... I crossed the country border to work! It was a precious experience, creating my own lonely planet :)
Hat Yai train station
Thai girl army :)
Two monks beside the train to KL
Sleeping coach ^^
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