Penang - How Long?

[martaway]

can anyone give me the email addresses and phone numbers of the agents in penang ?

[Fred Sanford]

Anybody can reply to my important question?

Please teach me what do you do if,

police ask u show passport on the street,if u have no exchange paper for passport from consalate?

If the agency lose your passport?

Jet: Just my opinion. I can't say for sure because I've never been to Penang, so cannot be sure about the frequency of stop/requests for your passport by the police. Maybe Lop knows more about the comparison between Thailand/Malaysia, so he might like to add something here, but this is my own view:

There's ALWAYS some risk you will lose your passport when it's IN YOUR OWN possesion, no matter how careful you are. I can't imagine (bearing in mind this is thier business and thier entire reputation is on the line) the risk of an agent losing your passport is significantly any greater than you losing it yourself.

As to getting stopped and asked for your passport, can you honestly say you EVER carry your passport around in Thailand? I certainly don't and I don't know ANYONE, not one person, who does, unless they need it for a specific reason i.e. they're going to a club, immigration, whatever. In nearly 15 years of on/off visiting/living in Thailand I have NEVER ONCE been asked on the street by the police to produce my passport. I've been approached by police (usually when they've closed down a bar/club I'm in) and told to "go home" plenty of times, but never once have they asked for ID. I guess because I've just been polite and done what I've been told. Again, I really don't know if the comparison between Thailand/Malaysia is useful, I'm just making an assumption.

I think the chances are even less that you get stopped in Malaysia than thailand. Guess that puts the probability very close to zero

[oMega69]

i give the NJ Books my passport yesterday.... payd 20 RM for the service and 110 RM for the visa . . . so the tourist visa from malaysia is over 1000b then. . shouldent that be the same price as in Laos ? . . strange,...

[martaway]

any good bars in the georgetown area ?

[tropo]

can anyone give me the email addresses and phone numbers of the agents in penang ?

www.banananewguesthouse.com

They charge 20 ringget for their service. They'll do your photo right there for 80 and they have good value rooms and food.

They also charge 20 ringget (each way) for transport to and from the airport.

[tropo]

any good bars in the georgetown area ?

I enjoyed the Soho Bar on Penang Road. The ambiance was good, food ok and they had free wireless in there.

Check out this link for more info on pubs in Penang:

Penang Nightlife

Edited July 26, 2007 by tropo

[oMega69]

can anyone give me the email addresses and phone numbers of the agents in penang ?

www.banananewguesthouse.com

They charge 20 ringget for their service. They'll do your photo right there for 80 and they have good value rooms and food.

They also charge 20 ringget (each way) for transport to and from the airport.

yes been to banana... good food good staff..... but rooms are ugly as hel_l and smells...

think hutton lodge....have almost newly rooms great value close to main roads... http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/malaysia/penang/17330/

[tropo]

can anyone give me the email addresses and phone numbers of the agents in penang ?

www.banananewguesthouse.com

They charge 20 ringget for their service. They'll do your photo right there for 80 and they have good value rooms and food.

They also charge 20 ringget (each way) for transport to and from the airport.

yes been to banana... good food good staff..... but rooms are ugly as hel_l and smells...

think hutton lodge....have almost newly rooms great value close to main roads... http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/malaysia/penang/17330/

The rooms are just for sleeping over, but certainly convenient if only one night is required and the person is on a tight budget. It's more like backpackers' accommodation than a hotel....but for a bed at 18 ringgit they serve a purpose.

[Fred Sanford]

If you've stayed in 200 baht rooms elsewhere and it is doable for ya, then surely the banana rooms do the job. If you require 1 star accomdations and up, my advice is go elsewhere

Edited July 27, 2007 by Fred Sanford

[deejah]

can anyone give me the email addresses and phone numbers of the agents in penang ?

www.banananewguesthouse.com

They charge 20 ringget for their service. They'll do your photo right there for 80 and they have good value rooms and food.

They also charge 20 ringget (each way) for transport to and from the airport.

its 25 each way using banana

i heard some other agents charge only 20

who might they be?

and yes its possible to get a visa in one day with some agents but you will pay quite a bit extra for the service and its not a sure thing

[Fred Sanford]

NJ used to be 30 coming and 20 going back. email for the #s

[deejah]

not a big issue

but it can be a bit confusing wether you have to pay full fare or split it by the number of people in the 'taxi'

i suppose you must negotiate, like with most things, prior

[MKAsok]

Okay here's my debrief on Penang:

Air Asia

Flight left on time, arrived early, (according to Fred this is pretty much standard on the outbound), so anyone concerned about timings (bear in mind we left on the 25th and returned on the 27th), if the flight's delayed and you do arrive too late to get your passport into the consulate before 12.00pm, you CAN DEFINITELY get the expedited service from NJ the next day (more on this later) and still leave on the early (10.35) flight the following morning.

I'm sure much has been written on Air Asia on the board, and given the lack of choice... well, what can you do? ... but here's my two bob's worth: There is very little to commend Air Asia. I've travelled with them a few times and if anything they just get worse. I'm willing to put up with the ' no frills, budget airline' disadvantages - i.e. long bus ride to the plane which is relegated to an outpost of the airport nearly a mile away from the terminal; no seat alocation, leading to hellish and undignified scrum to board the aircraft; paying for drinks; crappy old planes etc etc - if I'm paying a budget airline price, but 9,000 bht (2 persons return) for a flight of this distance is not what I would consider a budget price. I've had cheaper flights on major scheduled airlines with comparable distances in Europe and the US and received the kind of service you would expect from a major scheduled airline. The only thing which in any way redeems Air Asia is thier staff who are all outstanding: helpful, polite and cannot be faulted.

NJ Books

Despite some mixed reviews on the board, I really can't recommend these guys enough. They are highly competent, run a very slick, proffesional, honest (my opinion based on my own SINGLE experience obviously) operation and Ali, in particular is a helpful, resourseful and thoroughly charming bloke. In fact, if it wasn't for his quick actions and willingness to act well above and beyond the call of duty we would have certainly missed our return flight as a result of my own stupidity (long story, basically had a brain freeze that morning involving the time difference).

Anyway, Ali picked us up from the airport and sped us back to NJ. Forms filled out with the minimum of fuss (I would say don't forget to have your 2 pics with you since there are no obvious facilities near NJ and obviously time is a big factor if you want to get your passport in before 12). Total charges: 220 rin/2200 bht inclusive of all fees, transfers to/from airport & NJ/hotel.

In answer to my original question: Yes, it is possible to get a TV in one day. NJ will do the expedited service for 80 rin/800 bht (plus the 110 rin for the visa). I have no idea what it would cost if you went to the consulate yourself.

NJ's number: +6042616113 (Fred's already posted thier e-mail somewhere in this thread)

Cititel Hotel

Fine for a mid-budget hotel. Great location (right on Penang St, not far from the end of Chulia St) and walking distance to the Hotel Continental and all the bars up that end. Small rooms and a somewhat overpriced for this reason. Fred recommends the Bayview if you're looking in this price range (around 195 rin per night including breakfast): bigger rooms, but not so well located. Book well in advance since they always seem to be full.

Penang

I've read on this board that Penang is both 'boring' and 'a dump.' I think neither comment is fair. Sure, Penang is not Thailand. If it was we'd all be living there right? And no, the nightlife is in no way comparable. But if you find yourself experiencing problems being away from Thai nightlife for a couple of nights, you really need to be asking yourself some serious questions about your lifestyle. I've been on visa runs to far more boring (Singapore) and inhospitable (Cambodia) places. If you're on your own, I'd seriously consider taking a portable DVD player and a few movies, since the TV in the hotels is, frankly, rubbish. I was with my girlfriend and we hired a bike from Ali for the day (20 rin/200 bht, none of the kind of 'Oh, you scratched it a bit, that will be 5000 bht please or I'm keeping your passport' hassles that you get on some Thai islands, he didn't even bother looking at the bike when we returned it). There's plenty to see on the island: Monkeys, beaches, nice views, big bridge to the Mainland etc. I would say if you're not confident on a motor-bike then Georgetown traffic might be a bit mental. Rain can also be a problem if you get stuck on some remote part of the island.

In all we enjoyed Penang. Fantastic food, generally friendly people, and very cheap (we spent a total of 2500 bht while we were there on food, drinks etc). And the whole point of the trip, the visa, was done with such ease, it seemed almost irrelevant. I'd definitely do this trip again.

Finally thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread for all the great help and advice. I hope anyone reading this finds it useful and good luck to you wherever you're going.

mk