Malaysian Border

March 20, 2009

Hat Yai, Thailand

Another nine hour journey (with the bus and the waiting) down through Southern Thailand. The overnight stop was Hat Yai.

Hat Yai is know for a number of things. It is frequently a place where Muslin extremists and others clash. There had been a terrorist bombing here in 2006 and the Lonely Planet Guide doesn’t recommend it to everyone. It is also the pleasure city for everyone coming out of Malaysia who is looking for cheap booze and even cheaper women. (That sounds good but it is probably the other way around).

We didn’t get in until 10 p.m. and, after taxi drivers trying to rip us off at the bus station, wandered up and down the downtown looking for a guesthouse. Finally took a room in a hotel with a big lobby and rooms that needed more then a little maintenance. Had a burger at a western style pub and tried to count the number of working girls on the street.

I, of course, thought it was a wonderful place but Lana wanted to go so off we headed to Malaysia the next morning.

This was the first border that we crossed which was a serious one. Barbed wire fences, machine guns on the military (MP5s I think but I thought it would be in bad taste to ask to hold one) and a lot of serious looks. On the other hand, we just breezed through and it was all very efficient.

Once you get over the border, I immediately saw some differences with Thailand. There was less garbage, more heavy equipment and the road was marginally better. Unlike the Cambodian border, we got to keep the same van and driver for the whole trip as there is a lot more trade between Thailand and Malaysia than Thailand and Cambodia.