Jim stopped in Penang in Malaysia to get a new tourist visa on the way through from Kuala Lampur north to Thailand. He wrote, "Georgetown on island of Penang is an amazing place to visit. Great Indian and chinese food!" We spent a few days there several years ago and I have to down there myself in early Janurary to get a new tourist visa thanks to another change in regulations from Thai Immigration. The photo above is with a wonderful family,Y and Kai and their two children in Nakhon Si Thammarat whom Jim met while hitching.
Here are some more photos of Jim's trip from Butterworth (mainland across from Penang) in Malaysia. He writes:
Getting to Khon Kaen, Thailand from Georgetown, Malaysia was a rather complicated and tiring trip requiring planes, trains, ferries, buses, walking, and hitching. Took three days starting on Dec. 16th, 2008. (Of course, there are easier ways to cover the same ground.)
From my guesthouse, it was a 15 minute walk to the ferry terminal. Then half an hour to Butterworth on the mainland. Waited a couple of hours for a train to the Thai border. The train left at 2:20 PM The trip took about 5 hours. After stamping out of Malaysia and into Thailand, walked out to the highway and eventually hitched a ride to Hat Yai where I checked into a GH near the train station.
Next morning, caught a train to Nakhon Si Thammaret where I walked around for a while before hitching a ride to the airport about 12 miles north. My flight left at 8 PM, arrived BKK at 9 PM. Then a free shuttle from airport to bus terminal and a city bus to the Don Muang train station. There I caught a late train to Ayutthaya and checked into Minthouse GH and crashed.
Next morning, got a train at 11:25 AM going north to Keang Khoi where I got off and hitched to the highway, another ride to Nakhon Rachisima, a third ride to KK with guys going to Laos. Then a fourth ride to the gate near Narong and Noi's home. It was about 4 PM. Made incredibly good time from Ayut. to KK that day - took just 4 1/2 hours."
Trust me - although one does have to use many forms of transportation to get from Chiang Mai to Penang, my trip will not be as complicated as Jim's!
