Travel to Thailand from KL

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wanj3630
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Re: Travel to Thailand from KL

Postby wanj3630 » Wed Sep 26, 2012 12:55 pm

ajay wrote:
Rob7711 wrote:
ajay wrote:sorry to UP this quite old thread..

i plan to drive to phuket in november via wang kelian. the travelling day is on a sunday. is it recommended to enter thai through wang kelian on a sunday, as it's open for sunday market?


Wang Kelian crossing is not as popular as other border crossings viz Bukit Kayu Hitam and Padang Besar. The steep and winding hill climb and down before reaching the border restricts heavy vehicles. As such traffic is much lighter at this crossing. However the gates only open at 8:00am.

i understand about the steep & winding road before reaching the border. in fact, being less popular is my primary reason to choose this route. but my concern is with regards to the crowd at sunday market. will it hinder traffic going into thailand & thus causes jam, which defeats my original intention to avoid traffic?


Nope. if your entering to thailand there's no problem. I'm staying in Perlis. I also used wang kelian border when travelling to Krabi & Phuket.

ajay
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Re: Travel to Thailand from KL

Postby ajay » Wed Sep 26, 2012 6:03 pm

thnx wan for the assurance!

yeah, going to phuket this november via wang kelian.


btw, i notice u just registered today. welcome to MFM!

i hope u don't just register to answer mty queiry :)
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JasonLee
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Re: Travel to Thailand from KL

Postby JasonLee » Thu Sep 27, 2012 12:45 pm

ajay wrote:thnx wan for the assurance!

yeah, going to phuket this november via wang kelian.


btw, i notice u just registered today. welcome to MFM!

i hope u don't just register to answer mty queiry :)

Dear Bro ajay,

I have just returned from a road trip to Phuket. I went by way of BKH and the time I spent at the immigration going into Thailand on Sunday the 16th was 20 minutes and I left Thailand on Sunday the 23rd and the time I spent at the immigration was only 10 minutes (yes, including import/export procedures for my car). I find it hardly worthwhile to consider alternative entry points like Wang Kelian or Padang Besar for several reasons.

Unless you live in Kangar or Kaki Bukit, there is no advantage to go by Wang Kelian. Of course if you enjoy travelling on single-lane roads and see the scenic 416 to Trang then this may be your choice but I prefer to drive along dual-carriageways and highways 4 or 403 or 415 or 402 will all eventually be dual-carriageways if they aren't already. Even the dreaded stretch of Highway 4 between Phatthalung and Trang (that goes over the mountain at the Khao Pu-Khao Ya National Park) is in the process of being converted to dual-carriageway.

The delay at the BKH immigration is not certain but the extra time taken on the smaller roads is inevitable.

To use BKH effectively, remember the following:

1. Do not cross the border on a Friday or Saturday especially if the weekend is a long weekend or the beginning of school holidays.

2. Avoid returning before 5pm Thai time after a long weekend. I crossed on a Sunday at 6.30pm Thai time so there was no traffic. Tour buses usually leave Hat Yai after lunch and most leave one day before the start of the work week if the destination is Penang and 1 or 2 days before the start of the work week.

Whichever way you finally decide to take, it is very pleasant to drive along Thai roads so enjoy your holiday.
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Re: Travel to Thailand from KL

Postby ajay » Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:31 pm

thanks jason for your advice.

i'll discuss with my frens. there will be at least 3 cars going.
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JasonLee
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Re: Travel to Thailand from KL

Postby JasonLee » Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:40 pm

ajay wrote:thanks jason for your advice.

i'll discuss with my frens. there will be at least 3 cars going.

Bro Ajay,

If you have a convoy, all the more reason you have to avoid single-lane roads.

I usually gather a convoy of 2-4 cars and equip each with a walkie-talkie but usually get into 'trouble' at single-lane roads. For those of us who are used to travelling along the old A1, we are used to going onto the opposite side of the road to overtake but for those who are only exposed to the PLUS highway, many of them freeze and dared not overtake. So there was no point for me to overtake as I would invariably need to slow down and wait for those who do not dare overtake to catch up. This is a fact of life you cannot ignore. You will be travelling even slower on a convoy, especially along single-lane roads - as fast as the slowest car in your convoy.
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Re: Travel to Thailand from KL

Postby ajay » Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:59 pm

yeah will be using WT. few yrs ago we convoyed to hatyai without much hassle, except at BKH. it was on saturday morning on a normal weekend (if not mistaken) & there were full of lorries & express buses. so this time we just thought of trying another route. i also asked few frens who have taken the wang kelian route & they said it's smooth sailing. but, i think good point u brought about overtaking on a single lane bro. we'll take note on that.
from Garmin Que for Pocket PC to Garmin Mobile XT for Windows Mobile to Nuvi 205W to Papago M9 for Android & now Garmin Nuvi 2576.

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JasonLee
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Re: Travel to Thailand from KL

Postby JasonLee » Thu Sep 27, 2012 2:17 pm

ajay wrote:yeah will be using WT. few yrs ago we convoyed to hatyai without much hassle, except at BKH. it was on saturday morning on a normal weekend (if not mistaken) & there were full of lorries & express buses. so this time we just thought of trying another route. i also asked few frens who have taken the wang kelian route & they said it's smooth sailing. but, i think good point u brought about overtaking on a single lane bro. we'll take note on that.

Good.

But you should note that BKH to Hat Yai is dual-carriageway all the way so you haven't yet discovered the behaviour of your frens on single-lane roads. Meet a slow-going lorry and you are stuck.

Lorries are not an issue at BKH because they have their own lane. It is the express buses that we want to avoid. For sure, almost none of them will be crossing the border on a Sunday. Imagine the delay you have to face if each express bus increases the length of your queue by 40-50 persons and processing is 2-4 (average 3) minutes per person. Although the checkpoint is designed for drive-through, it is never practised so your passengers and the driver (after parking the car) will have to queue to get their mug-shots taken, then the driver does the import documentation and finally collect the car.
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Re: Travel to Thailand from KL

Postby ajay » Thu Oct 25, 2012 3:34 pm

hi again..

i want to know what is the operation hours for shops that sell thai insurance, in changlun for instance?
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Re: Travel to Thailand from KL

Postby alyem » Thu Oct 25, 2012 6:36 pm

ajay wrote:hi again..

i want to know what is the operation hours for shops that sell thai insurance, in changlun for instance?

Thai insurance was selling at the check point.
Check point open at 7am Thailand time.
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ajay
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Re: Travel to Thailand from KL

Postby ajay » Sat Nov 03, 2012 5:00 pm

alyem wrote:
ajay wrote:hi again..

i want to know what is the operation hours for shops that sell thai insurance, in changlun for instance?

Thai insurance was selling at the check point.
Check point open at 7am Thailand time.

normally people buy it before hand at changlun shops isn't it? maybe to avoid hassle at the check point?
i am going via wang kelian by the way & was told that the border there opens at 8am. could be m'sian time.
from Garmin Que for Pocket PC to Garmin Mobile XT for Windows Mobile to Nuvi 205W to Papago M9 for Android & now Garmin Nuvi 2576.


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