Visa Run

Asia » Malaysia » Penang
January 15th 2008

Published: February 8th 2008

Go!

"Of course, my husband loves to follow me around shopping! Why else would he come?"

Train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok to Hat Yai then bus to Penang, Malaysia

The train ride from Chiang Mai is a nice change from the overnight bus trip to Bangkok. At about 8 pm a steward comes around to make your bed with clean white sheets and tells you to get in. In the morning he wakes you up about 6 am and tells you to get out. The sleeping car had lots of foreigners. Arriving in Bangkok I bought a train ticket for the next day to travel to Hat Yai, near the Malaysian border.
The train arrived in Hat Yai around 9 am and then I caught the next mini-bus at noon to cross the border into Malaysia .
It's interesting that whereas the gas price in Thailand is about the same in Canada ($1 per litre, Nov 2007). In Malaysia its half that because it's subsidized by the government!

Arriving in Georgetown, Penang I got a bed in a Little India hotel that I used before. There were a few younger travellers together with a long time German sticking around for the Thaipusam Festival.
Most young people were at the monthly full-moon party at the

"This Way"

beaches of Thailand. Thaipusam is
also at the time of the full moon and most young people prefer the party.

Thaipusam

Thaipusam is celebrated on a full moon and this prevents lots of young backpackers from leaving Thailand because 10,000 of them converge on the islands in the south of Thailand for the infamous full-moon-party.

I've been here for Thaipusam three times now and that's enough.
It's picturesque but the crowds are more enormous each time.

Years ago when I visited the Thaipusam festival it began in a temple of Little India where the devotees had their skewers inserted into their bodies by brahman priests.
Today it takes place a few kilometres away in a large parking lot. It seemed more dramatic in the temple, although the participants still suffer the same.
The Hindu Thaipusam festival is not practiced in India any longer. It celebrates the day Goddess Parvati gave her son, Lord Muruga, the lance to destroy evil. The lance denotes spiritual insight and the ability to differentiate right from wrong.
More popularly, its the birthday of Muruga, the younger son of Lord Shiva.
A lot of people dance while going

Chiang Mai to Bangkok Train

It cost a little more than the overnight bus but you get a bunk for the night.

the distance up Penang Hill as a thank you for some wish that's been fulfilled. There's a surprising number of Chinese that take part in this largely Tamil gathering.

In town,

A Chinese lady saw me looking at the rates of the various money-changers and approached me saying that because I was white I would get an artificially low rate. She quoted an unlikely exchange rate and invited me for a drink to discuss it. Here was a scam in the making. Although banks don't sell ringgit for foreign currency (why?, I don't know) they will sell foreign currency for ringgit. This was a lower rate than the Chinese lady was saying she could get for me. I must look really stupid wearing these shorts.

The Thailand embassy stopped issuig a double-entry Tourist Visa so I used that as a rational reason to visit Kuala Lumpur and try the embassy there. Thailand has clamped down on long term visitors that haven't got a non-immigrant visa for the year. They want to discourage transient type travellers and hope to concentrate on the long term retirees.
Lots of English teachers are leaving Thailand because of the inconvenience

Little India in Penang

of the stricter visa system. Hopefully when the new government takes over from the military they'll revert back to the previous system.

Watch the videos only if you have a really fast computer.
And turn the sound down in each case. Audio is terrible on these little cameras.

1. Procession of milk carrying dudes (short length)
2. Psyching himself up; getting ready (medium)
3. Oooh, that hurts; piercing (long)
4. Ouch! (long)
5. Go (long)

Turn Sound Down

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