Medan to Bali - Flight

This flight caused us quite a lot of confusion and problems when we tried to book it. Firstly we couldn't find any direct flights from Kualanamu International Airport in Medan as they all had one stop. Some of these seemed very short and we presumed we would miss our connection. However we then realised that these planes stop once to drop off and pick up passengers without you changing planes.

We found Lion Air to be the cheapest airline offering flights to Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport. They have 3 flights departing a day and we selected the cheapest one. However after several attempts and different credit cards it wouldn't accept any. After some research online, people said it doesn't accept international credit cards. The next plan was to use tiket.com to purchase these flight tickets. I had read mainly positive comments about this website. This time I had my credit card blocked at the payment stage (also happened to a friend). After unblocking my credit card and confirming my transaction was unsuccessful I gave up with Lion Air. 

My next option was Garuda Indonesia which I had heard great things about. Yes two flights cost quite a bit more at 3,185,000 IDR but using there website was quick and simple. The only downside was the departure time of 7am!

After booking we got confirmation electronic tickets and a couple of days before the flight we checked in using the mobile app. This allows you to pick your seats and collect your tickets at the airport as finding a printer can sometimes be a hassle!

The airport shuttle taxi cost 200,000 IDR and we got picked up at 3.30am. Thankfully at this time of the morning there is no traffic. Medan is very new and modern and we arrived just before 4.15am. We checked in with no problems and passed through airport security. We found some comfy sofas with plug sockets to chill on for a couple of hours before boarding. Around 5.30am some cafes started to open so we managed to grab a coffee and some breakfast!

Impressed with Medan's new airport!

Boarding was quick and efficient, we took a short shuttle bus out to the small plane. The plane was around 2 thirds full with plenty of room for everyone. During the first flight we received complementary breakfast and drinks. Breakfast consisted of sausage, omelette, veg and fruit. They also had a selection of hot and cold drinks to pick from. The food was good for a flight. 

Boarding

We landed at the first airport in Palembang around 8.30am and waited for people to disembark and embark. This took about half an hour and we were off again with the plane half full. The second flight was fine and again we got another small meal. This time is was spicy beef with rice and some jelly fruit. Not bad again but quite hot!

Finally we landed on time at Bali Ngurah Rai International and collected our luggage. Now a lot of people write about taxis from the airport to anywhere and getting ripped off. It's cheaper to head out of the airport or to maybe head to arrivals but we thought we would try the taxi counter.

On the sign behind the desk is a price to all destinations, don't pay more even if your hotel is slightly out of the centre! For Ubud the price is 300,000 IDR which was fine however they asked for 350,000 IDR as my hotel wasn't in the centre. Our hotel was on the road next to the main road and I refused to accept. The young guy behind the desk was very arrogant and I felt sorry for the drivers who wanted the fare! I said no and headed back towards the airport where I'm sure I could find someone to take us. A second later another guy from the desk shouted wait wait, 300,000 IDR is fine. Of course they won't turn away money. It just puts you in a grumpy mood that they try to constantly rip you off.

The drive was fine and took about 1 and half hours and the driver was nice. However no tip was left due to way the taxi desk acted.

One final point about Uber, we think that this is now legal in Bali. I believe the price is under 200,000 IDR, so if you already use them maybe it is a cheaper better option! Just don't tell people that you use them as a lot of signs have been put up in Ubud saying they are banned.

4 out of 5

Kuala Lumpur to Medan - Flight

We booked our flights a month in advance as we knew we would be leaving Kuala Lumpur the day after the F1 Grand Prix. The flights weren't expensive and cost 314 ringgit for two people. This package included a meal and 20kg luggage. Once again I didn't receive any confirmation emails from AirAsia when I booked the flights and had to contact them.

With our flight at 8.40am we decided to jump in a taxi from Chinatown (Petaling Street) around 5.30am, as the LRT doesn't open until 6am. We got the taxi to KL Sentral for 15 ringgit and then got on the KLIA express train to the aiport KLIA2. This again cost 55 ringgit per person but was very quick and efficient.

Compared to other airports on our travels, this one was huge! Check in and baggage drop off didn't take long and we headed to grab some food. We had plenty of choice for breakfast ranging from fast food to cafes.

Flight on time!

The flight itself boarded and took off on time. It took about 50 minutes, so by the time your up in the air it feels like your descending for landing. 

Upon arrival at Medan, Kualanamu International Airport we picked up our luggage and headed outside to the taxi rank. It took well over an hour as the Medan traffic is very poor in the city centre. The meter cost came to about 185,000 idr + 3,500 idr for the toll. This seemed reasonable as the hotel wanted 200,000 idr for pickup (however it was unavailable for us).

We stayed at Permata Inn which was nice and cheap for backpackers! Please note that Medan doesn't have much to offer and I would only stay for a day or a stop over. Next stop Bukit Lawang for jungle trekking!

4 out of 5 

Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur - Flight

The difference between flying from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur and getting the ferry/coach was very small. However one takes only 1 hour whilst the other 8 hours. Simple choice. We found AirAsia to be the cheapest airline and they had several flights leaving each day. We picked the cheapest flight leaving just after lunchtime at 12.50. This flight cost 187.96RM for 2 people with 15kg of luggage each.

Nothing but problems with AirAsia

After booking the flight I received no confirmation email from AirAsia. I managed to check my online banking to see that the payment had been successful. A couple of days later I got a general email to say I could check in for my flight which I did with no problem. Only after checking in did I realise that the flight time was now at 15.10. I didn't have any email to see if it was my mistake or if the flight had change.

I contacted AirAsia using there live chat feature online, I waited in the queue for over an hour. Here I got confirmation that my flight time had indeed changed so I asked them why I wasn't contacted to be made aware. The reply I got said, our staff my have been too busy to email you, which I thought was awful! I told them it was very unprofessional from AirAsia but thanked her for helping to which she abruptly left the live chat.

We turned up at the airport 2 and half hours before our flight departed. We had to use an AirAsia machine to print off our luggage tags before heading over to the bagged drop off. It was quite a quick and efficient method and we headed through to departures.

Langkawi airport is very small with only 4 gates and plenty of AirAsia flights leaving to KL. There was a lot of confusion with when our flight was boarding as some flights only had 10 minutes between them. For some reason our flight had been moved from 12.50 to 15.10 and the 15.20 flight was now leaving at 15.00. I have no idea who decides on all of this! 

Lots of confusion around times!

Finally we boarded the plane and headed towards the runway. However after lining up on the runway we turned around and headed back to the gate. We weren't told anything for a while and waited for some information. The pilot then told us something was wrong with the plane and we would be delayed by 30 minutes. After 45 minutes we got told we must take our luggage and depart the plane for the departures lounge.

Here we weren't given any updates for a while and only had a small snack shop available to us for food and drink. After hours of waiting we were informed that we would be boarding another plane at 6pm.

'Now Everyone Can Fly'

Once we were back on the plane we finally took off and reached Kuala Lumpur in about an hour. The plane was fine with limited legroom for someone over 6ft!

Upon arrival we got our luggage quickly and headed to the KLIA express train to KL Sentral.  We did hear taking a taxi was cheaper however when I asked for a quote at the taxi stand to Chinatown they quoted me well over 100 ringgit when I had been told it should be 80. The KLIA express is 55 ringgit each but only takes under 30 minutes. It is very easy and comfortable to use.

1.5 out of 5  

Penang to Langkawi - Boat Ferry

Tickets from Georgetown, Penang to Langkawi are easy to buy from most hotels, travel agents or online. We decided to buy ours from a local travel agency on Lebuh Chulia Road which is the main backpackers road. They cost us 70RM each and we picked to leave at 8.30am.

We were told beforehand to arrive at the ferry station 45 minutes before departure. With us staying at Malabar Inn we left not long after 7.15am as we had quite a long walk to the ferry pier. We were told the wrong ferry pier however a local helped point us in the right direction towards Swettenham Pier.

On arrival, they checked our tickets and allocated us numbered seats on the boat. We headed over to the boat and boarded. We left on time with a full boat of people.

Well what a journey it was! They hand out sick bags to people before you leave but I didn't think much of it. However after only 5 minutes the sea was already very chopper and rough. The boat was bouncing up down and lots of people were throwing up on the boat! It was like a comic sketch with every other person being sick! The smell got really bad at one point and we still had over 2 hours to go. Thankfully we weren't sick however be wary if your known to get sea or travel sick.

We stopped at a small island, Payar Island Marine Park after 2 hours where some people got off the boat. After we left here the sea was much calmer and the final hour was much more relaxed for everyone.

When we arrived on Langkawi Island, lots of taxis were available. We were heading to Shell Out Resort near Pantai Tengah/Cenang. It cost a fix rate of 30RM and took us 30 minutes.

2 out of 5

Pulau Perhentian to Penang via Kota Bharu - Flight

A few days before leaving Pulau Perhentian Islands, we decided to book our transport to Penang. We asked at our hotel reception about getting the bus but he told us that it was sold out Saturday and Sunday, with the next available bus Monday night. We asked the only other shops selling tickets on the beach and got the same reply. I think this was because it was the end of school holidays but book in advance to be safe!

With it costing too much to stay on the island any longer and limited availability on accomodation, we decided to fly. We had a look online and managed to book two tickets with Firefly. It cost 527.78RM and included 15kg of checked in luggage each.

The morning of our flight we left Pulau Perhentian Kecil at 8am and got the speedboat back to Kuala Besut. You have to pay 2RM to get a little boat out to the main speedboat. Another way to squeeze an extra couple of RM out of you!

Leaving Pulua Perhentian after a great week!

From Kuala Besut the airport is in Kota Bharu which is about an hours drive away. A taxi costs 75RM or a minibus is 25RM each. With no rush we opted for a minibus and waited. However after 45 minutes no one else turned up and the driver said he called us a taxi to take us. This was no problem and still only cost us 50RM.

Kota Bharu airport is basic and small but has more in it than Yangon's International Airport in Myanmar! We grabbed some food and then got our bags security checked and checked in. This was all a bit hectic!

After this you pass into the departure lounges and wait around, with plenty of seating and a couple of shops. We then waited for the passengers to depart the plane and walk past us to arrivals. We were running a little behind schedule and boarded the plane about 14.45 when we were meant to depart.

Loading up the plane

The plane itself was small and held about 80 people. The journey was great and only took 45 minutes, you also get given a free drink and snack.

Getting ready for take off!

From Penang airport we grabbed a taxi to Chinatown, Georgetown for 40RM.

4 out of 5

Cameron Highlands to Pulau Perhentian via Kuala Besut - Bus & Boat

When we arrived in the Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata), we decided to book our bus tickets to leave in 2 days time for Pulau Perhentian Islands. We were offered tickets to go with CS Travel again and thought it would be a safe bet. It costs 125RM which includes boat tickets from Kuala Besut or in our case 75RM as we already had boat tickets through our dive company. We were told it would take about five hours which was no problem.

We walked over to CS Travel office on the main road at Tanah Rata at 7.45am to wait for our minibus leaving at 8am. A lady turned up 5 minutes later to open up the office and never said a word to us. Even after 30 minutes, she still sat there and didn't even seem to notice us. We had previously read that the lady working here was useless. Well around 8.20am, a man came over to say our minibus was leaving from around the corner so we followed him. 

Waiting around for the minibus!

We ended up at TJ Travel office with another couple heading the same way and 5 minutes later, two more passengers turned up. I presume not many people booked onto this journey so they joined companies up which surely the lady at CS could of mentioned! No worries however everyone at this office disappeared and we were left sitting there for a while too. Finally the minibus turned up not long before 9 and we loaded up.

This minibus had plenty of room as only 6 of us were on it and we sat back and relaxed. We were on the road for about 1 hour 45 minutes before the driver stopped at a service station for a toilet break, everything normal. However 10 minutes later we pulled into another garage at Kuala Lipis and the driver said we would wait here for another minibus to pick us up. That was the first we heard of changing minibuses, nobody back at the offices or when booking the tickets mentioned this. So we waited here for nearly 45 minutes.

Eventually the next minibus picked us up already half full and we squeezed in. This driver was much more adventurous and didn't hang around! After about an hour, we stopped again at a closed restaurant with a seating area. They said nothing to us and someone asked how long we were stopping for, and yes... he said we were changing buses again.

We sat there until around 1.15pm with nowhere to get food. We were getting hungry like the others who had left at 8.30am that morning. Then a coach pulled in and unloaded with people coming from Kuala Besut. We then boarded this coach and set off for Kuala Besut.

This bit of the journey took around 3/3.5 hours with a short stop in the middle. It was a relief to finally get going and to not keep on stopping! Beware that the drivers happily smoke on the bus so it may be better sitting further back.

When we pulled into Kuala Besut, they took us to their own ticket office to buy boat tickets if we didn't have any. As far as I'm aware return tickets cost 75RM in general so you won't get them any cheaper elsewhere. We had to pick ours up from a different office and left the bus.

At about half 5, we finally made our way to the jetty and got onto a speedboat. It said a maximum of 12 people however there was double that plus luggage! We put life jackets on and set off for Pulau Perhentian Kecil. Wow, the speedboat is quick and bumpy- loads of fun! We then got dropped off on Long Beach around 6.15pm.

A very long day of travel that should of been much quicker! I think this is the only way to travel from the Cameron Highlands to Pulau Perhentian so be warned and maybe look at your travel routes!

1 out of 5

Kuala Lumpur to Cameron Highlands - Bus

For this bus journey, the initial plan was to just buy our tickets on the day. However a couple of days before we planned to leave I looked on easybook.com to see only a few times for departures on Saturday. The only one going late morning was with CS Travel with only a few tickets left for the 11.30am bus. I decided to book them online for 35RM each.

I'm sure more buses are available on weekdays.

With unpredictable traffic in KL, we decided to get the monorail and KLIA transit back to TBS-  bus station from Chinatown. This was quick and easy to use.

We later found out that this weekend was the start of a weeks national holiday for Malaysians. Therefore the bus station was heaving! Luckily they have several desks for e-ticket collection for any bus company which was quick. I did notice that the queue to buy tickets was huge and would of taken well over half an hour. 

Ticket collection desk very quick

After this, we went to our gate and waited until our bus arrived. It pulled in on time and everyone boarded and we set off for the Cameron Highlands. I have to say that TBS is a great bus station that is efficient and works very well. By far the best one we've come across on our travels in South East Asia.

The CS bus was quite nice inside with 2+1 seats that were big and comfy. They also played an English film however we were sitting at the back so it wasn't too easy to see.

They seem to have a very strict policy of no food and drink on board, only water. Make sure you put any in your bags if you want to sneak some on otherwise you'll have to throw it away. After 30 minutes, the driver actually pulled over to stop someone eating and made him take it off the bus. I don't know whether he had to throw away a bag full of food or put it underneath the bus. It all seemed very over the top, we managed to sneakily eat some chocolate!

CS Travel bus

The journey itself was very long as it was the national holiday and loads of traffic. We left at 11.30am and didn't arrive in Tanah Rata until 6pm; it was meant to only take 3.5 hours. We stopped once for food around 3pm after the driver tried to take a short cut down some housing areas. I think he misjudged the size of his bus and we ended up back where we started 25 minutes later.

The final 50km is windy on some narrow roads and takes nearly 2 hours. I was feeling quite light headed by the time we got there. Oh well we finally made it!

2 out of 5

Melaka to Kuala Lumpur - Bus

Buses for Kuala Lumpur leave every half an hour from Melaka Sentral. Our guesthouse owner said we didn't need to book a ticket in advance so we jumped in a taxi from near Chinatown and headed to the bus station. We paid 20 ringgit for the 15 minute journey; I have no idea how much it should be (probably cheaper).

The first bus counter we came across at Melaka Sentral was for Mayang Sari with a bus leaving in 10 minutes at 11.30am. With tickets only 12 ringgit each, we bought them and boarded the bus. If you have a little more time, you could look around at the various bus companies and you may find one cheaper.

The bus stated beforehand it was VIP which was true in having 2+1 seats however it was very basic and dated inside. No worries though.

The journey was very quick and took under 2 hours with no stops. We arrived at TBS (the main bus terminal) in Kuala Lumpur. Here we got dropped off and got the escalator up to the main terminal. We then went across the bridge to catch the bus. You can also get the KLIA (train).

TBS Kuala Lumpur

If you are heading towards Chinatown, jump on the 690 bus for 2 ringgit (no change given). It takes only 20 minutes outside of rush hour and drops you off at Pudu Sentral.

690 bus to Chinatown for only 2RM!

4.5 out of 5 

Singapore to Melaka (Malacca) - Bus

We booked our bus tickets to Melaka (Malacca) online with easybook.com . They had lots of buses available every hour to Melaka for a reasonable price. We picked the 11am bus from the Queen Street Terminal for S$23 per person with bus company 707.

This terminal is only a few minutes walk from Bugis MRT station. We arrived 30 minutes before departure and signed in at the desk; small counter desk opposite the main road. Shortly after we boarded the bus and set off for Malaysia.

It took about 40 minutes to reach the border crossing. We got off the bus to get stamped out of Singapore which was very quick and then we jumped back on to the bus. We then crossed the bridge and arrived at Malaysia customs. The queues here were much bigger but they moved quickly. We had to take all our luggage off the bus here so it could be scanned. Again this didn't take more than 20 minutes.

Please note 707 bus company state in several places that you only have 30 minutes at immigration otherwise they'll leave without you. I'm not too sure how strictly they enforce it, the driver seemed very laid back.

The Malaysian side was fine and we made one toilet stop just outside of Melaka. After this we crawled into the centre of Melaka and stopped at Meleka Sentral. All the locals got off here however we were told to stay on the bus as it would drop us off downtown (Chinatown).

After filling up we finally got dropped off near our guesthouse. The driver couldn't speak much English and was struggling to understand where we were staying. It got all a bit hectic but we sorted it and got dropped off 5 minutes walk from our guesthouse.

Just a quick note on times, we didn't arrive until 16.30! A 3/4 hour bus took well over 5 hours which was mainly down to some traffic.

4 out of 5