Have Perut Will Travel...: PEN Day 6 │ ETS Butterworth to KL!

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Sunday, 29 December 2024

PEN Day 6 │ ETS Butterworth to KL!

Going Home

We were catching the ETS 9107 train at 1:05pm from the Butterworth KTMB station later today. We woke up at 8:00am and spent the morning packing and getting ready.

I booked a 6 seater Grab in advance for 10:00am, and at 9:45am we received word that the driver was already on the way. The fare was RM27.00 (≈ USD/EUR6).

By the time we walked down the staircase, our Grab car was turning the corner. Five minutes later, he dropped us off at the Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal.

Ferry to Butterworth

We tapped through the turnstiles with our Touch ’n Go cards and were immediately ushered onto the ferry departing at 10:00am — perfect timing. The ride cost only RM2.00 (≈ USD/EUR0.40).

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal in Butterworth and walked toward Penang Sentral.

Brunch at Penang Sentral

With plenty of time before our train, we decided not to head straight to the KTMB station. Instead, we explored Penang Sentral and settled on Iqbal’s Café for brunch.

We all had white rice — Cat and I with fried fish, Brendan with curry chicken. With drinks, our meal came to RM43.30 (≈ USD10/EUR9).

We left the café at 12:00pm and walked to the KTMB station. We were allowed to check in but not yet permitted to go down to the platform.

At 12:45pm, the gates opened. Our luggage was heavy, so we waited for the elevator instead of taking the stairs.

The Train Ride

The ETS 9107 departed Butterworth at 1:06pm. The ride was uneventful, smooth, and at times reached speeds of over 140 km/h.

The train stopped at Bukit Mertajam, Taiping, and Ipoh. Instead of KL Sentral, we chose to disembark at Kuala Lumpur Station, arriving just before 5:00pm.

We hailed another 6 seater Grab for RM18.00 (≈ USD/EUR4) back to our condominium.

Door to door, it took seven and a half hours to get from Hutton Suites to our home — not bad at all.

Final Thoughts

If we had to do it all over again, we would have taken the Aeroline bus back. Lugging heavy bags from Grab → ferry → train → Grab again wasn’t fun. That said, we’d definitely take the train if we were travelling light.

Just our two cents.

It’s back to the daily grind now — but stay tuned for a special trip at the end of January.