Crossing the Border

October 10

I slept quite well in the sleeper beds (the seats converted into full beds) and was quite refreshed when I got into Hat Yai (on the Thai side of the border). But, once again, the timing was off and I had to wait until the afternoon to catch the train south into Malaysia.

That train was cold cold cold, and I was going backwards the whole time. Not only that, they had to show really bad TV programs and the movie Kangaroo Jack, so I was not happy. I got into Butterworth, took the ferry into Penang (Georgetown), got ripped off by the taxi driver, and checked into a decent room ($5) with mosquitos and a huge fan. It was the only room, as the guy after me was turned away. And the owner gave me mosquito coils that actually prevented me from being bit. It was also nice to take a nice long shower.

So far, not so good. Oh, did I mention it was raining?