Job Discussion Forums

[Rej]

I am going to Thailand for five weeks and will need to leave the country at some point for visa reasons. Malaysia seems my best option but after recent events, anywhere on the west coast is a no no. Can anywhere recommend somewhere good to visit for a couple of days that is fairly near Thailand?

[Hod]

Not true. I'm in Penang now. OK, 60 people did die in this part of Malaysia unfortunately, but it's all more or less back to normal for tourists now.

[sigmoid]

What kind of visa do you need to get? Do you need to just do a border run or an actual visa run?

There's also Khota Bharu on the east coast of Malaysia and there's Kuala Lumpur if you need to get a Thai visa. You can also go to Vientiane, Laos or Phnom Penh, Cambodia. If you just need to hit the border there's Aranyaprathet on the Cambodian border and a couple places on the border with Myanmar.


check http://www.thaivisa.com/ especially the forum for more info.

[Rej]

Thanks for the useful information. Khota Bharu sounds very interesting. I'm a British citizen so can stay for 30 days and was thinking of going to Malaysia then coming back as I can enter Malaysia visa-free. I could do a border run but have never been to Malaysia and having time to spare, was thinking of combining it with a bit of sightseeing. How long does it take to get to Khota Bharu from Butterworth, where the train stops? Is the only way to get there by bus?

[sigmoid]

There is another railway line that runs to Sungai Kolok on the border. Then you can catch a bus to Kota Bharu from there.

But you still might consider Penang because from there you can get to the Cameron Highlands. Of course Khota Bharu has the Perhentian Islands but it is a strict Muslim state.

[Bunny]

you could go down to Penang, then visit the Cameron Highlands via Ipoh and finish up on the undamaged and relaxing island of Pangkor. Kota Bharu is an interesting enough place, but you can see it in just an afternoon. If you make it as far as KL, I'll see you in the Beach Club!