We only spent a couple of nights at Kota Bharu but we really liked it. We had got a really cheap public bus there from Kuala Besut for 6 Ringgits each and it terminated 100metres from our Hotel - Temenggong, so we were in a positive mood when we got there. Paul's Nikon shop was 20 metres from the hotel and he purchased a 16-300mm lens to replace the one that had broken in Taman Negara (at a 25% lower than UK price!). We stocked up on some other stuff including some very cheap t-shirts for Paul. Kota Bharu was a no-hassle town, not a tourist destination, just a friendly, small, predominantly Muslim town with very little western influence. Check out the photos of the vibrant marketplace - almost like a souk (Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah). There are lots of cheap Indian and Chinese restaurants in Kota Bharu too. We got up early on our final day and got another cheap bus to the Thai border. We were dropped off really close to the border so just a 100m walk to the Malaysian exit point, then 100m to the Thai checkpoint. We later discovered that the guy who had stamped Paul's passport only gave him 14 days instead of the requisite 30 day visa exemption that I was given. We then walked, laden with backpacks, for around 1km to the centre of Sungai Kolok on the Thai side before we stopped for a breakfast of tea and cakes. we then got a motorbike taxi each to the minivan station to start our 10 hour journey to the province of Krabi for white sand beaches and tropical islands.