anak_negeri

Hello friends!

Here is the story of my journey done on February 2017. The journey started from to Jakarta airport, from which I flew with Malaysia Airlines to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Then from the Malaysian capital the journey continued to Genting Highland, Penang, until the Malaysia-Thailand border at Padang Besar, Perlis.

As usual, please apologize me for my bad English, and there will be more photos than words. Don't be surprised if you see similar reports in other sites or forums; I wrote all of them by myself.

IMPORTANT NOTE
The "KL" abbreviation on this story refers to Kuala Lumpur, not KLM's IATA code. Please not to be confused.

BRIEF BACKGROUND
As a fellow undergraduate student, while also owning a small-scalle travel agency, I was very happy that the usual 1-month holiday would come after a semester with full of assignments and tests. This holiday would be also my last holiday before a long process to do my final research paper before graduation. Then I decided to once again visit my "negeri jiran" (neighboring country), Malaysia, a country with many cultural similarities with Indonesia.

At that time, Malaysia Airlines, Malaysian flag carrier and a member of Oneworld, offered cheap ticket price from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur for only IDR 650,000 (around USD 50.00), while usually the ticket price is more than IDR 1 million. Without too much thinking, I quickly bought it. Then how about my returning journey from Kuala Lumpur? I decided to fly with my favourite Dutch flag-carrier, KLM, which also offered cheap ticket price from Kuala Lumpur for only IDR 480,000 (around USD 37.00).

After buying those tickets, I booked my rooms at First World Hotel (a 3-stars hotel), Genting Highland for only MYR 60.00 (around USD 14.00) and WeLuv Travel Guesthouse, Penang for MYR 45.00 (around USD 10.50). I also arranged the whole trip, and I decided to visit the Thai border at Padang Besar, as it is very easy to reach from Penang by commuter train. If I have more time there, I would across the Thai border.

So now we enter the main story, that is divided to these parts:
Part 1: Jakarta - Kuala Lumpur by Malaysia Airlines, Boeing 737-800
Part 2: 2 Days in Kuala Lumpur & Genting Highland
Part 3: Kuala Lumpur - Penang by intercity bus + night in Penang
Part 4: Penang - Padang Besar - Alor Setar by commuter train
Part 5: Alor Setar - Kuala Lumpur by intercity bus
Part 6: Short city tour of Kuala Lumpur
Part 7: Kuala Lumpur - Jakarta by KLM, Boeing 777-300ER

anak_negeri

PART 1: Jakarta - Kuala Lumpur by Malaysia Airlines, Boeing 737-800

February 13th of 2017, a day after my birthday.

From my lovely home at southeastern side of Jakarta, I hop an express bus to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. It was time when commuters left their home to their offices, so the traffic jam could not be avoided, especially on the Bogor-Jakarta toll road and Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR).

At the west side of Bogor-Jakarta toll road the construction of LRT tracks was still ongoing.


Congested traffic.


The elevated busway project still also ongoing in Ciledug area.


Around 10 kms from the airport, the traffic was normal without congestions.


Entering the Soekarno-Hatta Airport area. A 747 of Lion Air could be seen.


Our bus reached terminal 1, domestic terminal, before entering terminal 2.


Finally the express bus arrived at terminal 2. The bus journey took 2 hours from my residence.




MALAYSIA AIRLINES
Jakarta Soekarno Hatta (CGK) - Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
February 13th, 2017
Flight no: MH 710
Reg code: 9M-MLN
Type: Boeing 737-800
Dep: 11.45 a.m. (UTC+7)
Arr: 2.15 p.m. (UTC+8)

Our flight number was MH710.


Then I proceed to check in counter, with quite long queue. Indonesian and Malaysian passengers dominated the flight, but there were also many People's Republic of China citizens going home through KL.

By the way, the flight would be my 1st flight with Malaysia Airlines after 15 years. My last time with it was in December 2001, when I boarded it from Medan to Penang, then from Penang to KL. There were no meal sets on those flights, only "kacang masin" (salted peanuts). The Medan-Penang route of Malaysia Airlines had been discontinued after the arrival of its LCC competitor, AirAsia.







After the check in process, I proceed to immigration counter to have my passport stamped. Then I walked to the boarding gate. While on the way to the gate, there was a small playground area for kids.



A 777-300ER of Saudia could be seen, ready for departure to its base, bringing some "umrah" pilgrims to Mecca.


Gate D5, our boarding gate. There was an ongoing construction behind the screen.




Our aircraft ready for departure. The loading of foods and luggages were in process.


A Thai Lion Air fleet.


A330 of Garuda.




At around 10.45 a.m., the boarding process started. The passengers were separated based on the colour of cards distributed to passengers before entering the waiting hall.

Entering the aircraft, we were welcomed by senior cabin crews.

The front area of the cabin was dedicated to business class.


Then the economy class area behind it.


At around 20 minutes after that, all passengers had embarked. Then the IFE LCD started showing safety instruction video in 3 languages: Malay, English, and sign language.




At around 11.45 p.m. the aircraft started to take-off. But not so long after that, we faced bad weather condition for around 15 minutes.

Then the weather had been stable again. I started to open the table and explore any stuff inside the seatpocket.

The headphone.


Safety card.


"Going places" magazine.








Then I explored the IFE. There were updated movie collections, and also lot variaties of musics, especially Asian musics (Malaysian, Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean). I was very happy to see an album of my currently favourite K-Pop duo, Akdong Musician (AKMU), on the IFE.



















While listening to AKMU's album titled "Spring", the cabin crews started serving meals. They only offered 2 options: chicken or fish. I said them "fish". Then they gave me a lunch set containing rice, a Malay-style fish curry, vegetables, and a cup of water. The fish curry was so yummy and reminded me to my mother's cooking. The size was also enough to fill my stomach at this lunch hour.


The cabin crews also served drinks, but as we were in a not-so-good weather condition with small-scale turbulence, it was quite difficult to serve them. Some drops of the orange juice then were poured on my shirts. The senior cabin crew politely apologized to me.

After the lunch, I continued listening to musics on the IFE. This time I listened to another duo. This duo were not singers, but very talented guitarists. They were DEPAPEPE from Japan. I had attended their concerts in Jakarta twice.


The first song of the album was titled "START". It was a popular song for our guitar practice when I and my friends were in high school.


And this was the toilet condition. Clean and well-maintained.


During the journey, the aircraft faced bad weather condition 3 times, and even in other times some small-scale shakes happened.

Then finally the aircraft landed safely in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 2.15 p.m. (UTC+8), 1 hour ahead of Jakarta. While the aircraft was on the way to the apron, we saw 2 Boeing 777-200 of Malaysian Airlines parked. The one was in a full white colour without liveries. Malaysia Airlines faced their worst year in 2014, when they lost 2 777s in the same year. A 777 was lost while en route from KL to Beijing, while another 777 was shot down in Ukraine.




The aircraft stopped on the apron, the seatbelt signs were turned off, and it was time to leave. While disembarking, the plane's speakers played a song from Depapepe titled "Sunshine Surf".

And this is the final picture of the aircraft.


The situation inside KLIA's main terminal.




After immigration checks, it was time to claim my baggage.


*FYI, I arrived in KLIA on the same day when Kim Jong-Nam, the stepbrother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, was murdered in klia2 (KLIA's LCC terminal). The investigation of his death is still ongoing, which makes the diplomatic relation between Malaysia and North Korea currently deteriorated.

anak_negeri

PART 2: 2 Days in Kuala Lumpur & Genting Highland

From the arrival hall, I went down to the KLIA bus station, to hop an express bus to Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS), KL's main intercity bus terminal. There I would buy a ticket of intercity bus to Penang.






From the KLIA, the bus took some passengers in klia2, KLIA's low cost terminal.


The congested traffic of KL.




Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) literally means "southern integrated terminal". It is currently largest intercity bus terminal in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia, serving routes to all states in Malaysia and international routes to Singapore and Hat Yai, Thailand. Entering the terminal, you will feel like in the airport, with great design and bus operation management.

Here I bought my ticket to Penang for the day after that. I was affraid that the tickets would be sold out, so I bought it in advance. You can buy the tickets either through the e-ticket machines or through ticket counters served by terminal's staffs.









From the terminal, I took the KLIA Transit train to KL Sentral, from where I would later take the bus to Genting Highland.





KL Sentral is a KL's main transport hub, containing stations of intercity train, commuter train, Kelana Jaya Line LRT, KL Monorail, and express buses to KLIA and Genting Highland.



I arrived there at around 4.45 p.m., while the bus bringing me to Genting would depart at 7.00 p.m. So there were still 2 hours and 15 minutes to spend.

I decided to go out from KL Sentral and explore the Brickfields area. This was KL's "Little India". There were so many Indian shops. Here I have my dinner, knowing that the prices in Genting were 2-3 times more expensive than in other places in Malaysia.







Nasi lemak, chapati, and "teh tarik". Not a perfect combination, but I think it's enough.


At 6.30 p.m. I returned to KL Sentral, to hop the bus to Genting Highland. The bus journey took a hour to reach Awana Skyway Station, from where we had to take cable cars to First World Hotel.











This was my first experience taking a cable car on the night, with strong winds. Very scary. I could not do anything but pray any prayers I know. Our Father, Hail Mary, Gloria Patri, and others. Actually I tried to take some snapshots, but the pictures were terrible. Inside the cable car, I was together with an Indonesian migrant worker. He came from Surabaya and was working on the casino.





Then finally I arrived at First World Hotel. I proceed to the hotel's lobby and did the check in process through machines. As the Guinness World Record holder of World's Largest Hotel, with more than 7.000 rooms, it will be very inefficient if the check in process must be done in counters, so the machines are very helpful.













Here is my room. I was so lucky to book this comfortable room for only USD 14. You will have more chance to get cheap price from MYR 50 on weekdays.







I spent only a night here, and I spent majority of my time here only to sleep and relax. I also visited the shopping centre for a while, but I did not enter the casino.



You can read more pictures and story about Genting Highland in my previous trip report here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28080120-post4.html

anak_negeri

Part 3: Kuala Lumpur - Penang by intercity bus + night in Penang

It was Valentine's Day. I checked out my room at First World Hotel and leave the Genting Highland by cable car and bus. Before that, I bought a famous "Durian Goreng" for my breakfast.

Unfortunately the weather was not good enough to enjoy beautiful scenery outside the cable car.












The bus arrived at Gombak LRT Station. From here I hop trains to TBS terminal, with a transit at Masjid Jamek Station.








Then I arrived once more at TBS, to hop the express bus to Butterworth, Penang. The bus operator was "Pancaran Matahari" (literally means "sunshine"), with final destination at Kuala Perlis, the boat jetty to Langkawi Island.







The 360-km journey took about 5 hours through the North-South Expressway, including stops in Duta Bus Terminal to take some passengers and a toilet break at Sungai Perak Rest Area.



Hentian Duta, a smaller intercity bus terminal at the northern side of Kuala Lumpur, serving routes to northern peninsular Malaysia.


North-South Expressway.






Sungai Perak Rest Area, located near Kuala Kangsar, royal capital of Perak State.


Arriving at Butterworth, a town across Penang Island.




From Butterworth, I took a ferry to Georgetown, Penang Island, where I would stay that night. I enjoyed the sunset here. Very nice to see.











From the ferry harbour, I took the free bus to the WeLuv Travel Guesthouse.


Arriving at the guesthouse, I was greeted by the owner. He was very friendly and helpful. He informed me great places to eat and visit in Penang.

After resting myself for a while, I went outside to have my dinner. I decided to eat "kway teow", a Penang-style rice noodles, at Sin Guat Keong coffee shop located on Kimberley Street. The fried "kway teow" contained eggs, prawns, and tauge (beansprouts).




The night in old city of Georgetown seems very calm.




*Don't be surprised if you find places in Malaysia with English names, like Georgetown, Butterworth, Port Dickson, etc. Malaysia had been colonized by English for more than 200 years, and it's currently a member of Commonwealth. You will find strong presence of English heritage in Penang and Malacca, both of them listed as World Heritage Sites.

anak_negeri

Part 4: Penang - Padang Besar - Alor Setar by commuter train

February 15th, 2017. I woke up at my bed in WeLuve Guesthouse. I recommend this place for you to stay in Penang, with clean rooms and friendly staff.





Close to the guesthouse was Chowrasta Market, a morning market occupying Chowrasta Road. There were stalls selling daily goods and accessories. Here I bought some souvenirs of Penang for my friends and relatives.






Then I walked to Transfer Road to have my breakfast. There was a popular "roti canai" stall here. I also ordered a chicken curry, and I didn't expect that the chicken was very big like that.




After breakfast, I explored the Georgetown area.




There was an unique road in Georgetown named Jalan Masjid Kapitan Kling. The road contained 4 worship places of 4 worlds' main religion: a mosque, a Hindu Temple, a Chinese Buddhist Temple, and an Anglican Church.

Masjid Kapitan Kling, a mosque with Indian and Moorish architecture. "Kapitan Kling" literally means "Indian captain / chief".


Hindu Temple.


Kwan Im Temple.


St George's Anglican Church, one of oldest church building in Malaysia.


The 2 streets adjacent to the church were named "Lebuh Gereja" (Church Street) and "Lebuh Bishop" (Bishop Street).




Lunch time. I decided to have my lunch at Hameediyah Restaurant, selling famous "nasi kandar", a fragrant rice dish accompanied with fish curry or other side dishes. Other than "kway teow", this is the "trademark" of Penang.




After having lunch, I went to the ferry harbour to catch ferry back to Butterworth in mainland Malaysia / Asia.






A luxury cruise docked, seen from our ferry.


Penang Bridge, one of longest bridges in Southeast Asia, connecting Penang Island with mainland Asia.




Arriving at Butterworth. From the harbour, I proceed to the train station to take the EMU commuter train to Padang Besar at the Malaysia-Thai border.

At the train station, I met a group of Chinese bikers, touring with their bicycles from China to Malaysia overland. What a very long and challenging journey. Perhaps they were on the way to go back to their country.









The commuter train to Padang Besar departed at 2.20 p.m. It was very comfortable journey. It took almost 2 hours to reach Padang Besar. The scenery outside the train was dominated by palm and rubber trees, as in other villages in Malaysia.







Then I arrived in Padang Besar at 4.15 p.m. The Padang Besar trains station was also a departure point of express trains to Hat Yai and Bangkok in Thailand. Here we can see Thai trains preparing for their departure to Thailand.







ETS Train, express EMU train to Kuala Lumpur.


The border.


Outside the train station, some van drivers were waiting for their passengers to Hat Yai and other cities in southern Thailand. Unfortunately I only had a short time here, so I did not accross the border to Thailand. But I had felt heavy presences of Thailand here, from cars with Thai vehicle numbers and imported goods. Even when I played "Pokemon Go" here, the monster I caught here shown its location as "Sadao District, Songkhla, Thailand".











"Arked Niaga", a large market containing imported goods from Thailand (clothes, electronic items, snacks, etc). I bought some snacks here. I was also surprised to see that majority of the sellers hold Thai passports.





Then I left the Padang Besar border town to the train station. I took the commuter train again, but this time my destination was not Butterworth, but Alor Setar, capital of Kedah state. When I entered the commuter train, I saw many people bringing bed covers, blankets, pillows, clothes, and other things. They bought many imported goods in Padang Besar, as it was cheaper compared to prices of similar things in Penang or Alor Setar.

anak_negeri

Part 5: Alor Setar - Kuala Lumpur by intercity bus

The commuter train from Padang Besar reached Alor Setar at 6.05 p.m.









Alor Setar is a medium-size city. It is the administrative and business center of Kedah state. Not many tourists come here, so perhaps you will find different situation here compared to touristy Kuala Lumpur or Penang.





One of famous landmarks in Alor Setar is Masjid Zahir, a large mosque. The mosque's design was inspired by Masjid Azizi in Tanjung Pura, North Sumatera, close to my mother's hometown in Medan.





At the right side of the mosque is a clock tower.




Menara Alor Setar, a shorter version of Menara KL (KL Tower) in Kuala Lumpur.


Then I walked to one of famous food stall in Alor Setar, the Laksa Ikan Sekoq. "Laksa" is a Malay-style noodles soup, influenced by Chinese / Peranakan culture. Well, it would be difficult to explain this food by words, but it was delicious.







After eating the Laksa, I walked again to the Shahab Perdana Bus Terminal to buy ticket for my journey to Kuala Lumpur by bus. There were still 3 hours before departure to KL, so I spent rest of my time at an outlet of Kentucky Fried Chicken close to the terminal.











The "Sani Express" bus arrived at the terminal from Kuala Perlis, and departed from the terminal at 11.30 p.m., bringing me back to Kuala Lumpur. The bus was modern and comfortable. There was 2 LCD TVs, one in the front and another in the middle side of the bus, using Astro mini-satellite.









There was an accident, causing a short traffic jam.


The journey from Alor Setar to KL took about 7 hours, including 3 times stop at rest areas. After a tiring journey from Penang to Padang Besar then to Alor Setar, I slept peacefully inside the bus.

anak_negeri

PART 6: Short city tour of Kuala Lumpur

February 16th of 2017, 4 a.m. While still inside the "Sani Express" bus, I checked the position of KLM aircraft that would bring me home to Jakarta. It was still in Germany, not so long after departure from Amsterdam. The registration code was PH-BVF "Yakushima".



The bus reached TBS terminal at 6.30 a.m.










Here I took a bath at the terminal's restroom. From the terminal, I continued my journey to Chinatown area by LRT trains.









I decided to buy my breakfast at "Hon Kee" Porridge Stall in Chinatown. The fish porridge was delicious. Actually the raw fish fillets were separated, and after I inserted the raw fish to the porridge, the fish became cooked. Very unique.





From the Chinatown area, I walked by my own foot to the Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square), one of KL's landmarks. It was the regular place for the ceremony of Malaysian Independence Day every August 31st. It also contained Malaysia's tallest flagpole.







From the Dataran Merdeka, I took LRT train once more to the Petronas Twin Tower, currently the world's highest twin towers, and had been the world's highest building for some years before the opening of Taipei 101 in Taiwan.



Located on ground floors of the twin tower was Suria KLCC, a large and luxury shopping center.





From the Petronas Twin Tower, I took a free GO KL bus to Bukit Bintang, a shopping district. Here I would buy souvenirs for my friends and relatives. My parents also asked me to buy some medicines difficult to find in Indonesia.





A "Wonderful Indonesia" promotion site in Bukit Bintang.




Sungei Wang Plaza, a famous place for cheap items, including chocolates, phone accessories, and also Japanese anime & game merchandises.





After buying merchandises in Bukit Bintang, I took the monorail train to KL Sentral, from where I would take the express bus to KLIA Airport.





After arriving at KL Sentral monorail station, as it was lunch time, I decided to have my lunch at Vishal Restaurant located in Brickfields area. It was a traditional Indian restaurant serving foods on the banana leafs. The chicken briyani was delicious.







I returned to KL Sentral to take the express bus to KLIA. The bus departed at 2.00 p.m. It took about 1 hour to reach KLIA from KL Sentral.

anak_negeri

PART 7: Kuala Lumpur - Jakarta by KLM, Boeing 777-300ER

KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines)
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Jakarta Soekarno Hatta (CGK)
February 16th, 2017
Flight no: KL 809
Reg code: PH-BVF (Yakushima)
Type: Boeing 777-300ER
Dep: 5.15 p.m. (UTC+8)
Arr: 5.45 p.m. (UTC+7)

From the airport's bus station, I proceed directly to the check in counter. The counter's staff offered me a seat on the window side, and I accepted that offer. After 3 times on board with KLM, this would be my first time which I would seat on the window side.













The check in was done, and it was time for immigration check. But before that, there was a simple security check. The police personnel checked my boarding pass and passport. Then I proceed to the immigration counter.

After immigration check, we were welcomed by these unique miniatures. A miniature of my country's flag-carrier, Garuda Indonesia, also existed.






As it was in the main terminal, while our boarding gate was in the satellite terminal, we had to took the people mover. Cabin crews of KLM were also with us inside.


While inside the people mover, a 787 of British Airways could be seen.


Arriving in the satellite terminal. Full of Chinese New Year decorations.






On the way to the boarding gate.


There was an A330 of Cathay Pacific with new livery seen outside. From April 2017, Cathay Pacific will stops its operation to KL, to be replaced by its subsidiary, Cathay Dragon.


A 777-300ER of Saudia ready for departure, bringing "umrah" pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.


Quite long queue to enter the gate C3, with usual security checks.


Waiting hall of gate C3.


Our aircraft ready for departure to Jakarta. The registration code was PH-BVF, titled "Yakushima". It was 6 years old, operating since 2011.




At around 4.30 p.m. the boarding process started. Senior citizens, passengers with infants, and Sky Priority members were given priority to enter.








*Unfortunately at that time I forgot to take pictures of the business class cabin. But you can see them in my previous reports with KLM here and here. It was similar with them.

I proceed directly to my seat, number 55A. At my left side was a window. The seat at my right side was vacant. At its right side was an Indonesian man, same with me. Majority of passengers were Indonesian, Malaysian, and some Dutch. There was a group of Malaysian school pupils on board, I think they would participate in a competition in Jakarta. I didn't see any people holding passport of American countries, unlike my previous trip when I saw a lady holding Peruvian passport.

While passengers were still embarking, the IFE system had been turned on and could be used.


All passengers had embarked, and the IFE started to show safety instructions video. The video was made with tile animations.






The outside's scenery was also interesting. The Saudia was still on the apron.


A 777 of Cathay Pacific with old livery.


Malindo Air planes.




Mahan Air, an Iranian carrier.


A 787 of British Airways.


At 5.15 p.m. (UTC+8) the aircraft started to take off. Outside the window, we could see oil palms plantation area surrounding the airport.






The take off process was smooth and safe. About 5 after that, the seat-belt signs were turned off. I decided to go to the toilet. Clean and well-maintained.


The cabin situation from rear side.


Then I checked any stuff inside the seat pocket.
The earphone with so-so quality.




Safety card.


Disposal bag, with KLM destination cities written on it.


"Holland Herald" magazine.








Inflight shopping catalogue.


Then I explored the IFE. The movie collections were up to date, but as I was not interested in movies, I skipped them. There were also lot varieties of musics.










I chose to listen a J-Pop album performed by TM Revolution. His songs are popular as soundtrack of anime series, especially "Heart of Sword", opening song of Rurouni Kenshin or Samurai X.


The flight info.




Then cabin crews started to serve us with snacks and drinks. As usual, for the KUL-CGK sector, KLM served only a potato curry pie. I also requested a cup of orange juice for my drink.




During this journey, the weather seems so good. There were no announcements to stay in our seat due to bad weather condition. Here I also bought a miniature of KLM's 747. It priced EUR 15. Not too expensive.

Around 5 minutes before landing. The Java Sea and seashore of Jakarta could be seen.




The weather was clear and nice. We were passing the industrial area of Tangerang city, surrounding the area of Soekarno-Hatta Airport.




Finally the PH-BVF jet landed smoothly and safely in Soekarno-Hatta Airport at around 5.45 p.m. local time (UTC+7).




A 787 of Qatar Airways could be seen.


There was also a 777 of Garuda Indonesia, just landed from London.


The Japanese duo: JAL and ANA.






A 737-900ER of Lion Air.


AirAsia.


A320 of Batik Air.


The KLM finally stopped on the apron. It was parked together with Emirates. Unfortunately, the condition was not ideal to take the final snapshots of the KLM.




As usual, we proceed to the immigration counter. From there, we went directly to the baggage claim zone.


Then I left the terminal building to the bus shelter, where I would hop an express bus to my lovely home.








OK, that's the story of my journey in Malaysia. Any feedbacks and suggestions are appreciated. If it is necessary, I will post the total costs and resumes later.

Thanks for reading!

Bonus: the miniature of KLM 747 which I bought on board.

offerendum

Thanks for sharing Didn't know Lion-Air so far and after a research I decided I will not try soon..,,

JSLUVB

Thank you for your detailed and interesting report. I am planning to visit Penang and Ipoh next year.

flyingstudent

It's refreshing to see reports with yummy street food and modest hotels. Please keep posting future reports.

bitterproffit

I love reading your trip reports. Your trips are always so interesting, and you go to a lot of places in a short period of time. And the food! Helpful ideas for KL and Penang as well. Thanks!

RttlnSnK

Nice to see some familiar sights on this forum. I used to stay in Penang for 3 months during my college internship and the food there is just fantastic. Padang Besar is also very interesting since Thailand is literally a stone throw away. The train station's perking lot is only separated from Thailand by a wall. I am curious on how you managed to get around in Alor Setar and Padang Besar since the public transport options are non existant to say the least.

anak_negeri

Well, sometimes in several Indonesian domestic routes you have only 2 choices: Garuda and Lion Air. With the very large price gap between them, people don't have any other choice but Lion Air. Their service and time punctuality are inconsistent. But perhaps they do better in international routes to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Ipoh is also interesting place. Don't forget to try Hor Fun and Malaysian authentic "mee" (noodles) at Cathay Mee Stall (I watch it many times on TV).

Thanks for your appreciation. I still don't have enough money to eat and sleep at luxury places, so street foods and budget hotels/guesthouses are my 1st choice.

Thanks for your comment & appreciation.

Padang Besar is a small town, so going anywhere on foot is enough. But Alor Setar is much bigger than it, and you're right, it's very difficult to find public transport. If you're on the tight budget, you need to have strong feet, and you'll have to walk anywhere. Otherwise, you can use Grab or Uber.

Madone59

What an awesome trip, the food looked great ^. Thanks for sharing.