1,350.9km was the speedometer clocking after I have completed my 5D4N escapade to Penang, Haadyai , Taiping and back to Melaka. This is my year end rest escapade. My family and I together with our close friends, Steven and Wan Sin started out from Melaka on the bright and sunny morning on 25th December, 2008. By the time we hit Senawang for our favourite laksa, we were hyped with excitement over our trip. We had planned this trip a little over 3 weeks prior to the actual date of travel. I could still remember how excited we were and how I have tried my level best to finish up as much work as possible before I go for this trip. For once, I really felt good and stressless when we travelled on the road that morning. 
After some cruising along the highway, we were ready for some good stuff for lunch. So, the next stop was Bidor town where we had "yam siew pau", " herbal duck soup" and "wan tan mee" special in Puh Chun coffeeshop in Bidor.
The taste - good, cheap & love it!~ Then it was back to the highway to Penang for our first stop of the day. Our destination was B-Suite Hotel, Penang. 
We arrived in Penang and checked into the hotel at about 3.30pm. Then, it's off to Queensbay Mall for window shopping before heading out to the nearby hawker centre for some food. At about 10.30pm, we met up with our family in Penang [ BA, Jessy, Alyna, Esther, Deriss,Darien, Alyna's daughter, Deline and John ] for a great time of fellowship over pots of saliva-watering frog and eel moi. It was really great to see these blessed people again and to have a really good time with them. I really felt so blessed knowing them and they gave me Christmas gifts and I really felt so blessed! 
Thank you so much for your hospitality, 
love and your caring ways. Thank you so much! BTW, I love B-Suites hotel as the room is really spacious, well-kept and affordable. Three cheers to B-Suites!The next morning, Steven brought us to his favourite "char kueh teow"shop. He says it's the best in Penang! Yes, it tasted good and we had our first taste of ambla drink! The drink is not bad while the char kueh teow was not too bad too.
Then it's off to Bukit Kayu Hitam and then to Haadyai. Our journey to BKH was uneventful while we made sure that we got our money changed from RM to Thailand baht at the so-called Mini Supermarket. It is super duper confusing when it comes to exchange rate. BTW, the rates weren't good at that time [RM 1.00 = Baht 9.703 ] Then it's off to the Malaysian Immigration border which took a while for us to drive in as it was jammed packed with cars from Malaysia and Thailand. In the grand efficiency level of our Malaysian Immigration, there were only two counters open to service hundreds of car that day! Sigh! That's real efficient! Anyway, if you think the Malaysian Immigration is good enough , wait till you hear of the Thailand Immigration! Now, that's a different story altogether!! This I can promise you!We parked cars at the Duty Free Complex which is located on " a no-man land" area and some Thais were already hot on our heels to hire their vans or cars. You see, as we are on no man's land, they could come in and go out easily within this range and nobody could do anything about this. Finally, Steven found a reasonable van driver , we loaded up and boarded the van. 
It was a short 2 minutes ride when we arrived at the Thailand border and our first encounter with the Thai Immigration. We alighted from our van, posed pictures and headed to the Thai Immigration passport counter. There were plentiful of counters opened unlike their counterparts. However, it was here that I get the first shock of my life. It was here that I was told to put a RM 1 in my passport as a token of appreciation for the authorities! What? I was flabbergasted at that and I was told that everyone knows about this. An elderly gentleman in front of me was kind enough to explain that that's how things are in Thailand. He even told us that if we did not put the RM 1 in our passport, we are in for a torrid and horrid time. Like it or not, we put RM 1.00 in all our passports as I didn't want to jeopardise my family's & friend's vacation. 
When it came to my turn, I could see a drawer filled to brim of RM 1.00 on the left side of the booth and the officer didn't give a two hoots to who I was. As I turned to leave the complex with my family and friends, I couldn't comprehend the behaviour and corrupt practise of the people in authority of this foreign land.
It was a short 2 minutes ride when we arrived at the Thailand border and our first encounter with the Thai Immigration. We alighted from our van, posed pictures and headed to the Thai Immigration passport counter. There were plentiful of counters opened unlike their counterparts. However, it was here that I get the first shock of my life. It was here that I was told to put a RM 1 in my passport as a token of appreciation for the authorities! What? I was flabbergasted at that and I was told that everyone knows about this. An elderly gentleman in front of me was kind enough to explain that that's how things are in Thailand. He even told us that if we did not put the RM 1 in our passport, we are in for a torrid and horrid time. Like it or not, we put RM 1.00 in all our passports as I didn't want to jeopardise my family's & friend's vacation. 
When it came to my turn, I could see a drawer filled to brim of RM 1.00 on the left side of the booth and the officer didn't give a two hoots to who I was. As I turned to leave the complex with my family and friends, I couldn't comprehend the behaviour and corrupt practise of the people in authority of this foreign land.Sawadeekap ! Welcome to Thailand, babe!
1 comment:
oh yea Thai immigration.. i went Phuket couple of years back also interestin. We didnt have to put a dollar though. It was the immigration guy. My dad gave him all four of our family passport so he took it and chop all WITHOUT openin to check the photo name and what not. He just took one, chop, pass it back to us ask one of us to cross the line then repeat. Ended up we cross with different passports in hand.
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