Have Perut Will Travel...: PEN Day 5 │ Buses, Ferries & Trains: To Padang Besar and Back!

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Wednesday, 27 December 2023

PEN Day 5 │ Buses, Ferries & Trains: To Padang Besar and Back!

Buses, Ferries and Trains

Today was the day we fully experienced the Malaysian northern region’s public transportation — buses, ferries, and trains all in one go.

We woke up at the crack of dawn and left The Green House at 6:50am. Brendan’s badly blistered feet meant he sat this one out.

We walked to the Wisma MCA bus stop and caught a CAT free bus shortly after. At its final stop — the Jetty Bus Hub — we disembarked and walked a short distance to the Ferry Terminal.

Crossing to Butterworth

We bought our ferry tickets for RM2.00 each (≈ USD/EUR0.40) and waited about fifteen minutes for the 7:30am departure.

A few minutes before departure, we were allowed to board. The ferry left right on time, and fifteen minutes later we arrived at the Butterworth Ferry Terminal.

We got off, took the elevator up to Penang Sentral, then followed the long ramp to the Butterworth KTM Station.

Here, we purchased tickets to Padang Besar for RM11.40 each (≈ USD3/EUR2). Yes — we were heading two states over, to Perlis’ (almost) northernmost town bordering Thailand.

The next train was scheduled for 8:35am, so we had about half an hour to wait.

Train to Padang Besar

The train arrived fifteen minutes before departure. Once all passengers had disembarked, we were allowed to board.

At 8:35am sharp, the train pulled out of Butterworth. The journey took about two hours, and we arrived at Padang Besar KTM Station at 10:26am.

Be sure to catch our next video to see how our shopping spree went.

Shopping and the Return Journey

Our little shopping adventure took just over two hours. At 1:00pm, we hailed a “taxi” back to the KTM station and bought our return tickets to Butterworth.

The next train was scheduled for 2:35pm, so we had more than an hour to wait. There was a slight delay — the train arrived at 2:40pm and departed at 2:45pm.

Another two hour ride later, we arrived back at Butterworth at 4:53pm.

Just like this morning, we exited the station, walked down the stairs, and strolled along the long walkway back to the Ferry Terminal.

Back to Penang

We caught the 5:00pm ferry back to Georgetown, then hopped onto a CAT free bus back to Jalan Transfer, and finally walked home to The Green House.

A full day of northern region public transport — ferries, trains, buses, and plenty of walking.

What’s Next

Stay tuned for tomorrow — we’re heading to a morning market in the suburbs.