Saturday, September 12, 2015

Breezing On A Malayan Float - Terengganu

My one an only previous incursion into Terengganu was a drive in from Pahang for a brief look at the Tanjong Juara resort. That obviously wouldn't do - we had to stop by the capital, Kuala Terengganu, if only for a very, very short while.

The Eastern states of Terengganu and Kelantan are said to be quite different from the rest of Malaysia, though to be fair if one discerns hard enough, each state does have its own peculiarity. Anyhow, these Eastern states have their own dialect, culture, cooking style and in recent times have become bastions of (some say) Islamic conservatism.

It seems to me, at least, that Terengganu is somewhat of a forgotten state to many down South. While Kelantan at least receives some airing in Singapore for its cultural heritage and beaches, Terengganu and its capital to many Singaporeans seems to be a springboard for diving hotspots and islands off the Malaysian East Coast (some of them part of Terengganu admittedly).

But even a few hours in Kuala Terengganu can be interesting.

Like our trips to Kedah and Perlis, it was too far to drive up for a Northern East Coast jaunt and so we took the bus and alighted at the Kuala Terengganu Bus Terminal.



Although this palace was one of the first sites we saw, we were told that Chinatown was where the heritage was.


Indeed, some of the shophouses have existed since the 1700s, long before any significant settlement took root in Singapore...




Over there is also to be found alleys where creativity is showcased. You can tell the locals are trying hard to portray Kuala Terengganu as a heritage tourist destination akin to Malacca, Penang or even Ipoh. One feels that may be some time yet though....




While Chinatown was a highlight there are also Muslim related sights, not least of all the Crystal Mosque...


The unfortunate thing was we hardly had time to explore as our bus for Kota Bahru was leaving... Oh well, at least we kept our promise of going to every state capital....

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