u/daveliot

The policy at Sungai Kolok (Golok) immigration checkpoint (across from Ranteau Panjang in Malaysia) of all foreigners having to be interviewed by the immigration chief in his office rather than being stamped in at the normal windows seems to have ended. This had been going on for several years but the other day I was stamped in a regular lane without being asked any questions (and without being asked to show an onward ticket like I was last year) So it seems to have become a more normal crossing again like Padang Besar. If coming from Kota Bahru there is good regular bus service to Ranteau Panjang border for 5 ringgit, Visa exemptions are still 60 days despite the announcement a few months ago they were cutting back to 30 days.

Note at Sungai Golok money changers only change ringgit and banks don't do any foreign exchange. At the mini bus station about 2 kms out of town ticket to Hat Yai is 250 baht. There is no timetable, the minivans leave when they are full. They also charge double price for passengers with a lot of luggage or big bag or backpack. The woman at the ticket counter said this is the rule and I think she said something along the lines of 'you can take big bus but you will be waiting a long time'. Unless you are in a hurry to get to Hat Yai its a no brainer to just walk across the road after immigration and take the train.

Historical note - At Hat Yai the long running Cathay Guest House has been turned into a parking lot with a big 7 11 behind it. The hotel across the road from it used to have some cheaper fan rooms and a breakfast menu similar to the Cathay but not sure if it still does.

The policy at Sungai Golok immigration checkpoint of all foreigners having to be interviewed by the immigration chief there rather than be stamped in at the normal windows seems to have ended. This had been going on for several years but today I was stamped in a regular lane without being asked any questions (and without being asked to show an onward ticket like I was last year) Visa exemptions are still 60 days despite the announcement a few months ago they were cutting back to 30 days.

Note at Sungai Golok money changers only change ringgit and banks don't do any foreign exchange. At the mini bus station about 2 kms out of town mini bus ticket to Hat Yai is 250 baht. There is no timetable the buses leave when they are full. They also charge double price for passengers with a lot of luggage or big bag or backpack. This is new and I haven't encountered it before there or anywhere else in Thailand.

Hat Yai

Near Hat Yai mini bus station there is a place calling itself a Hostel with a white sign. It seems to be a guesthouse that converted itself into a hostel even though there are no dorm beds. It charges about 500 baht for air con rooms without bathroom. Sometimes its empty sometimes its full.

Back at the railway station area (80 baht on back of motorbike to go from bus station to railway station) the famous long running Cathay Guesthouse with its comment books has been turned into a parking lot with a big 7 11 behind it. There is a hotel directly across the street which used to have some inexpensive rooms and cheap breakfast menu didn't have any rooms for less than 700 baht although that may have been because the smaller ones had sold out but It may have gone a bit more upmarket. Sandee Rooms a bit further down has some single bed rooms for 450 baht with bathroom and air con.

Boat fare to island - 50 ringgit. (no dual pricing) National park fee - 30 ringgit foreigners price (15 ringgit for seniors) plus 10 ringgit island entry fee.

Captain Long House - Run differently since the Captain retired. During month of August they don't even take walk in bookings because there are so many online bookings - even for just a dorm bed. Sometimes even have party nights. Seems to be similar situation with the Dutch owned Kapas Boutique Chalets - so many online bookings that not much chance for someone to get walk in booking. - Edit -Note have been told dorm beds with fan at Captain Longhouse are 65 ringgit now.

Longsha Campground with slightly laid back alternative feel maybe under threat because D'Seri Resort which took over Koko Hut awhile ago has bought the land Longsha is on. This is the main option for budget travellers.

Quimi Resort was sold and is now called Mango& Chilli resort. Owned by a German it still has the illegal sign saying "Private Bay". The restaurant extends on to the beach which looks intrusive.

New campground at the next beach, it has "glamping tents" including some that are virtual bungalows and resemble garden sheds. The older campground has tents from about 30 ringgit. Stairs have been repaired to the snorkeling beach.

Renovations to Kapas Island resort are almost finished. Its called The Heritage now and rooms will cost hundreds of ringgit at minimum

As always most of the foreign visitors are from Europe, rarely see anyone from other countries apart from Chinese sometimes.

A mobile phone tower is being constructed on the island to improve wifi. There is still no pubic wifi although some resorts and restaurants provide private wifi for guests to use.

Other news about east coast Malaysia - Cherating near Kuantan no longer has any backpacker scene and the wooden bungalows that used to be there are long gone. Perhentian islands expensive and developed. 5 star hotel has been built on Long Beach, Perhentian Keci. Cheapest price at this beach there might be 1000 ringgit a night unless you camp. One person said Perhentian islands getting like Redang.

Singapore airport doesn't have plush couches liberally spread around like it did years ago. Just rows of ultra spartan sets with fixed armrests between them to stop you lying down. Quiet areas to crash out in the departure area but mostly hard marble floor area. Need an air mat.

Public bus 858 goes from the airport to Woodlands Interchange (S$3.50) from where you change to bus 950 for the last few kilometers to immigration check point (S$2.30). Note if taking train from airport to Woodlands you can't pay by cash and have to have a card. There is a direct bus from Changi to Woodlands and Johore Bahru which leaves from another location outside the airport but is not so frequent and would be more expensive.

Money changers at Johore Sentral give low rates particularly the one closest to immigration. Better money change rates but still low at Larkin long distance bus terminal about 6 kms away - (1.80 ringgit public bus ticket to Larkin from Johore Sentral). For changing large amounts wait till you get to a town further away.

Mersing- Long running laid back friendly guesthouse Zee Backpackers has apparently closed for good. Omars Backpacking Hostel right next to it is still open and has more facilities than the spartan Zee Backackers which used to be 20 ringgit a night. Omars is 40 ringgit for dorm beds and has rooms as well. Omar died 2 years ago and its being run by family members.

>The digital system for checking non-EU travellers’ documents is creating bottlenecks and glitches just as the peak of the holiday season approaches. As queues grow longer and passengers get more frustrated, airlines are calling for the option to suspend the checks in July and August. A spectre is haunting Europe, or at least, its external borders: the Entry/Exit System (EES), an automated mechanism for registering foreign nationals entering and leaving the Schengen Area, which risks ruining the holiday season for millions of travellers.... -Euro News

Although this opinion article is from last month it gives the best summing up of the things that don't add up about the policy of ending of 60 day visa exemptions.

>By repeatedly blaming 60-day stays for foreign criminality, government is now obliged to supply proof

>...If a significant portion of foreigners are already leaving in under 30 days, how much more effective can monitoring become by having that norm become the rule? The logic would appear to be that shorter stays mean fewer opportunities for criminality, but the vast majority of arrivals under the 60-day programme never even came close to what would be considered a long stay. If authorities insist that the longer visa-free period enabled criminal behaviour, then statistical evidence should eventually confirm this claim.

>Arrests involving foreign nationals should decline. Illegalbusiness operations should diminish. Overstay numbers should fall. Complaints from local communities should ease. Otherwise, the government will have imposed economic costs without delivering public safety benefits.This matters because Thailand’s tourism economy is one of the country’s central economic engines. Every additional hurdle carries consequences, particularly in a competitive environment where neighbouring countries are aggressively courting long-stay visitors as well as a variety of other foreign arrivals.

>The point  bears repeating. Based on available information, most foreign-related crime in Thailand is not caused by ordinary tourists staying an extra 30 days on a visa exemption stamp. Organised criminal networks do not disappear because an entry permission changes from 60 days to 30. Sophisticated operators exploit nominee structures, corrupt officials, weak enforcement and loopholes entirely unrelated to tourist visas...

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