My Visa Trip To Georgetown, Penang, Malay. From Bkk

[TheJahMeister]

my first post

please go easy on me

i apologize if any of this is redundant to the post board

pardon the typos and spelling

my second trip to georgetown/penang, my first alone

i didnt want to go but then, i didnt want to leave

it was a wonderfully refreshing (visa) holiday from many things including the phone and TV

many people speak english there

the food is wonderful

many guys out at night (and lady boys), not so many gals

intersting culture and place

i used nj visa service and money exchange (both times)

i called them, before i went, a few times

sure they got my visa but my sense is they are your typical (S.E.A.) hustlers for a number of reasons

maybe better to use banana guest house, both lodging and visa, they were wonderfully to me

BTW i have added pages twice to my usa passport, have many many 30 day visa exempt stamps, including the numbers 1,2,3 highlighted on the last 3, which expired on (and so i left) jan 24, and no problem getting a 60 day tourist visa

i called the CONSOLATE before i went, with some of my questions and concerns about getting a visa

the man i spoke with sounded very nice kind and considerate

beware of malay, thai, and muslum holidays

also i hear chinese new years is a long holiday and booked up

for money exchange, check a few places out, you may get a little better deal

if i am not mistaken (i checked at the airport before i left to go back to BKK) the exchange was not too bad there, if you need to use the service

warning, i think it is difficult to exchange ringet to baht in thailand

it is feasable to do a visa run in one night/two days going by air

but i would not risk the time pressure

i gave myself two nights

fly in a.m. first day, drop off passport before noonish, get vsia next day 2:30pm, fly out the third day

book well in advance with airasia for the best fare

seats are not assigned, beware of massiv que

you are not suppose to eat your own snacks on board (very bizzare), i wasnt even sure you could bring them on, but yes, no problem, in my pack

beware of stardust guesthouse

i found a bunch of what i am sure were bed bugs in my room at night

i got angry and demanded a refund and left at 530 am

also they locked the door at times

so you have to wake them up to get in and out

who the hel_l wants to 'ask permission' to come and go? (rhetorical question)

plus there is a locked gate to the rooms

this is an extreme and scary fire hazard

i checked out many rooms, hotels, guesthouses. etc...

outside of the guesthouses:

for the budget traveler, especially alone, who doesnt share the expense,

you may want to try the 'Modern' anything but modern but only 35-40 ringett for a large room

off the main drag (not chulia) also the Waldorf between 52 and 64 ringette

the place next door to the waldorf looked nice but i could not preview any rooms (full)

note i did not stay at any of these but would consider it in the future

for the money, the bigger, more expensive hotels didnt seem to have much more to offer IMHO

I was able take a bus to the airport in penang, however, typical SEA, no one could tell me much about it until i tried for myself, in fact i was discouraged to try by those i had asked

but i did on my day going back to thailand when i had a bunch of free time

you can flag down just about any bus without a bus stop on the same side of the street as nj and banana guest house on chulia street

cost me about 70 cents to go from chulia to KOMTARE (bus station)

then i paid 2.5 ring. for a bus to the airport, i think bus 3-4, easy to find, ask!

i asked the guy taking money on the bus and he said the bus runs from 5 am to 11 pm every 20 minutes (for what thats worth)

coming in to GT, dont book a taxi beforehand, you will get jipped for 30 or 35 ring (350 baht!!!!)

you can grab some farang and split a cab and pay 5 or 10 each depending on how many you get

or if your adventurous and really on a budget you can take the bus:

leaving departures, you pass the parking lot and go right, walk out to the main road

cross to the other side of the street, there is a bus stop,

(you want to be going in the direction of your right as you are coming from the airport road to the main road)

as a note

i excahnged all but 4 ring. in town to baht,

i was extremely lucky as thats about what it cost to go by bus

i had time, the food looked good on the corner where the bus stopped

the people were kind enough to take baht

it was almost an even 1 ring. to 10 baht exchange at the time, so it can be easy to calculate

my first trip years ago was by train

takes a long time

note the lower sleeping bunk in 2nd class was actually bigger than the sleeping bunks in first class

if you are going it alone you may want to secure the bottom bed which is designated according to your seat

also in first class you are sleeping perpendicular to the trains movement, a bizzare feeling, in second you sleep parallel

TIPS:

i didnt set up my voice mail box properly before i left, on my thai true simm card, so i dont know who tried to call me while i was out of the country

next time i will bring more instant coffee, as its hard to find small amounts without sugar in georgetown

i failed to bring my watch thinking i'd use my phone, mistake, as i had no network there nor an outlet adaptor

opposite the 7/11 on chulia is a cute little mom and pop shop with some great local treats, fun to shop there

i hope this is helpful for some of you

i know how it can be trying to figure it all out yourself

[Maestro]

It's always nice to see a new member post on ThaiVisa.

While for many a trip to a Thai embassy/consulate in a neighbouring country may be routine there are many others who are new at this and your detailed report should put them at ease about the whole procedure. Thank you for this report, and keep reading ThaiVisa and posting.

--

Maestro

[tijnebijn]

Indeed ,stories like this are very helpful,especially when you want to go there in a while.

A couple of years ago I did visit penang,but I did not do any research about the place.If I read a story like this then,it would sure be comfortable.I went with the speedboat to Sumatra instead,the other place at the ocean is boring ,but land inwards is one of the most best scenery I have seen in SEA.I would have loved to go to Penang,but after I read about they do not give non-o over there anymore, unfortunately I have nothing to go there for anymore,I found it out to late...Is a pitty though,cause sounds much more relaxed and cheaper then KL.

[tropo]

Thanks for your great report. I'll be heading there myself early March.

Edited February 3, 2007 by tropo

[Badbanker]

Good report!

This is Thaivisa is about!

If we all gave regular reports about each Thai Consulate we had got our visas at it would make it easier for everyone to do their required visa.

When is someone going to do a Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh Visa Run?

These seem like two of the only Thai consulates that have not been covered recently.

Still banking

Badbanker

[onebir]

Good report!

This is Thaivisa is about!

If we all gave regular reports about each Thai Consulate we had got our visas at it would make it easier for everyone to do their required visa.

Might be an idea to have a "visa-run report" sub-forum - that'd make it a lot easier to spot reports like this...

[aehn]

Good report!

This is Thaivisa is about!

If we all gave regular reports about each Thai Consulate we had got our visas at it would make it easier for everyone to do their required visa.

Might be an idea to have a "visa-run report" sub-forum - that'd make it a lot easier to spot reports like this...

yeah, a good idea indeed

[Maestro]

= Might be an idea to have a "visa-run report" sub-forum

I see a little problem in that different members use the term “visa run” to mean different things. In descending order of frequency:

1. A tourist travels to a land border, enters foreign country, returns the same day to get a new visa-exempt entry stamp for Thailand, giving permission to stay for 30 days.

2. The holder of a multiple-entry non-immigrant visa or of a tourist visa valid for more than one entry travels to a land border, enters foreign country, returns the same day to get a new entry stamp for Thailand, giving permission to stay for 90 days in the case of the non-immigrant visa, 60 days in the case of the tourist visa.

3. A foreigner on a temporary stay in Thailand travels to a Thai embassy/consulate in a neighbouring country to obtain a new tourist visa or non-immigrant visa.

--

Maestro