It said on our ticket that we had to be ready for pick up between 6-6.15am. There's no way we though that it would be on time, but we didn't take the risk. I popped to the 7/11 to grab some snacks for the long journey!
As I came back around the corner the bags were on board and Scott was just about to get in the minivan. They were on time! And... We had first dibs on where we sat because we were first pick up!! The seas reclined but Scott didn't want to get his hopes up at being able to recline it just yet.
Without any doubt they filled the minivan and they put the bags all around us, we were sandwiched into the van. Scott was able to recline his seat but I had a guy with long legs so I couldn't. It was a pretty smooth ride and we both managed to get some good naps in before we as to get off the bus in Hat Yai and change buses to go onwards to Penang.

Scott got chatting to a few lads from Singapore and was asking about whether we could go up the marina bay sands resort pool (it's an infinity pool in a ship balancing on three high story buildings!) he said yeah for about $20 you can.
Then... This American guy, (you know those ones that think they're right about everything!) butt his nose in and started disagreeing with everything and telling his story on things, everyone looking confused except me with a scowl on my face screaming inside SHUT UP! In the he was on about something completely different!

Scott soon made friends with him on the bus unfortunately, not even stereophonics on full blast could drown this conversation out! Your think if you were going to tell so many compulsory lies you'd stick to the same story all the time!? No.
Then we got to the border and he's overstayed his visa, didn't have any money on him, could only take money out at a western union bank in Thailand and didn't realise we were going straight to the border... What!? We are going to Malaysia and we were sat in Hat Tai city for over half an hour with banks all around us. Argh.
This meant we all had to wait for him to go to a bank (luckily enough there was one there)
We eventually got to Penang at around 6pm (Malaysian time - one hour ahead of Thailand)

The city was booming! Cars everywhere, people everywhere, and a lot of modern shops. (Oh by the way according to the American turnip Malaysia is just as undeveloped as Cambodia...No.)
We grabbed a taxi, a really friendly Indian was talking to us and he spoke excellent English! Better than us - which isn't hard.
We were surprised at how built up Penang is, how developed everything is, roads and cars, shops and buildings!
We seen a variety of different cultures just in the 15 taxi ride to the hotel! Indians, Malaysians, Chinese; everything! Different religions aswell! I thought that Malaysia would be quite reserved with modesty and clothing but not so much, there are people walking around in strapped tops and shorts.

We got to our hotel, it was in a housing estate.. We soon realised it was a home stay. It's a little further out of the main streets of Georgetown but there are still lots going on around us. There are two big shopping malls by us with food stalls and restaurants within it.

We got to the electric gate... Posh, I know! All of the houses seemed to have them so I don't know whether to take it as a good thing or a bad thing?
The lady that greeted us in the yard was wild! She was flapping her hands about repeating the word hello and come, come!
That's as far as her English went but I'm pretty sure she thought we were fluent in Malaysian because she didn't stop nattering on at us! She was funny, she showed us our room (it has yellow TRACTOR bedding! Hehe)
The shared bathroom downstairs and how to work all the electric doors and gate. We had our own buzzers! It's like fork nocks here!

We got a much needed shower and went down to the main shopping centre to find something to eat. Palagaon plaza is posh.. And it has everything you need! A bit like a St. David's centre but bigger and better! It even had a Debenhams in it! I mean... What is with Malaysia! Get. Out.

We got some grub and had an early night, dumb and dumber tried walking through an automatic glass door which turned out to be a window... We only realised when we got up close and personal, about to touch it to make it open when we noticed the glue between each pain of glass. Uh yeah don't mind us! It's been a long day! Haha.


Our little beds are so comfortable! I fell asleep with a great big smile on my face! And the pillow was even better! Ah, just what we needed after a long day!