Sungai Golok, Thailand

Sungai Kolok (สุไหงโกลก) is a border town in Narathiwat, Thailand, just north of the Malaysian border. The town on the Malaysian side of the border is Rantau Panjang which is in the state of Kelantan. Sungai Kolok is popular among Malaysians for its shopping and infamous entertainment delights. Tourism however has taken a knocking since 2005 as several bombs, blamed on southern Thai Muslim separatists, have rocked the town. Sungai Kolok is the railhead on the east coast branch of the State Railways of Thailand's southern line. There are two departures daily to Bangkok, at 11:30 (rapid) and 14:20 (express), both stopping at Yala, Hat Yai, Surat Thani and many other towns en route.

Rantau Panjang, Kelantan

Rantau Panjang is a town in Kelantan, Malaysia. It is the major border crossing between Malaysia and Thailand for the East Coast of Malaysia. The town on the Thai side across the Golok River which forms the boundary between the two countries is Sungai Kolok. The town has a duty-free shopping area where you can find electronic goods, cigarettes and clothes. Rantau Panjang is about 40km from Kota Bharu, the state capital of Kelantan. The road between Kota Baru and Rantau Panjang goes via Pasir Mas. Rantau Panjang and Sungai Kolok are linked by the short "Harmony Bridge" over the Golok River.

Tak Bai, Thailand

Tak Bai (Thai: ตากใบ) is a border town on Malaysia-Thailand Border, the capital of Tak Bai district, Narathiwat province. Visitors can visit Malaysia by Pengkalan Kubur pass, Kelantan state. Administratively it is a town (thesaban mueang), and covers 9.14 km² of the subdistrict (tambon) Che He. As of 2007 it has a population of 17,317. It is the location of the Tak Bai Incident, in which on October 25, 2004 at least 85 demonstrators died. The town was created as a sanitary district (sukhaphiban) in 1956. Like all sanitary districts, it was upgraded to a subdistrict municipality (thesaban tambon) in May 1999. On January 31 2008 it was upgraded to a town (thesaban mueang).

Pengkalan Kubor, Kelantan

Right on the Thai border, Pengkalan Kubor is the immigration check point for this little used back route to Thailand. During the day, a large car ferry (60 sen for pedestrians) crosses the river over to busy Tak Bai in Thailand (If you have the guts, you do not need passport to cross over and come back). It's a tax-free zone, so the shopping is good if you know how to bargain - electronic goods, houseware items, and clothes are popular items. The road from Kota Bharu passes through some of the most traditional villages in Kelantan.