Our 24-Hour Journey to Penang, Malaysia
So, we got stuck in the airport overnight…
After 10 relaxing days in Bali, Indonesia it was time to say goodbye and head off to our next destination – Malaysia!
We were looking forward to the trip as we absolutely love Malaysia. Really, Malaysia holds a lot of spots on our list of top travel memories. This trip we planned some exploration in the area north of Kuala Lumpur – specifically Penang and Ipoh.
As there are no direct flights to Penang – or Ipoh for that matter – we had to make a transfer in the KL. Our free flight with Air Asia was set to arrive in KL at 10 pm, which would give us enough time to hop through the immigration checkpoints and catch the 11:30pm bus to Penang. We thought this was a perfect setup as the night spent on the bus would allow us to save money that would otherwise be spent on the hotel. And a 6:30am arrival in Penang meant we could grab an early breakfast, drop our bags at the hotel, and check out the city before checking in to the hotel.
Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.
There was a last minute delay while we were waiting at our boarding gate. The delay lasted over an hour and meant that our bus was leaving around the time we touched down in Kuala Lumpur. Farewell. We went through immigration around midnight and checked for the next available bus to Penang. At 6:30am.
So we had a few choices,
- Take a taxi into Kuala Lumpur, book the first available hotel, and catch the 6:30am bus to Penang.
- Take a taxi into Kuala Lumpur, book the first available hotel, and stay a few days before heading to Penang.
- Book two seats on the next available flight to Penang – which is also around 6am.
- Waiting in the airport for the 6:30am bus to Penang.
We opted for the later. It was an uncomfortable 6 hours spent in the KL arrival hall sleeping on our bags.
All together it took an incredible 24-hours to cover the short-ish distance from Bali to Penang.
- Bus: Ubud to DPS Airport
- Flight: Bali to KL
- Bus: KL to Butterworth
- Bus: Butterworth Bus Station to Ferry Depot
- Ferry: Butterworth to Penang/Georgetown
- On Foot: the final 1km to our hotel.
We’re happy to be here! It’s time to see what Penang has to offer!
Follow Our Journey!
Previous Stop – Spending Time in Amazing Ubud
Now – Stuck Overnight in Kuala Lumpur
Next Stop – Food and Culture in Penang