For quite some time,we have planned to go on a journey East to Kelantan. My wife has never been to the Eastern side of the country before so like all good husbands, I have promised to take her there. However, due to other commitments this plan has been shelved several times. This time around, we managed to make it a success and on the morning of 26 May 2015, at 9.00 am sharp, we took the first step and left home, driving towards Batu Kurau. We passed by this picturesque and rustic building by the road before we took ar turn towards Jelai. This building is just too pretty and so we just have to take a picture of it.
There is a road sign to show the way toward Jelai and Pantai Besar. If you are coming from Taiping, then just turn right at this junction shown in the picture below. Yes, go towards Kg Masjid and not towards Redang Panjang.
From there on, the road is a bit winding and on the first half, it is going uphill. So for those who can't stand sitting in cars what sway from side to side, please be prepared to feel "seasick".. However, as it was not a public holiday nor was it a weekend, there was almost no traffic on the road and we could move along quite fast. This road leads to the Kuala Kangsar-Gerik Highway. Not long after we entered that Highway, we make our first toilet stop at the Selat Pagar R & R. It is on the left side of the road and toilets are reasonable clean.
Walkway leading to budget chalets by the lakeside
Fishing enthusiasts will rent these chalets
The bridge over Tasik Banding
From the Selat Pagar R&R to Gerik, the road is straight and wide. But still there was not much traffic that morning. At Gerik we make the second toilet stop at the Shell petrol station. While I filled up the petrol tank, the ladies emptied theirs. From Gerik moved towards Jeli, on the East-West highway. After half an hour of driving or so, we arrived at the Belum Forest Resort and Tasik Banding. The view of the lake from the bridges was beautiful. We stopped for a while to have a closer look at the lake and also to take some pictures. However, bad luck struck me and I tripped over a root and fell. The camera in my hand hits the ground and stopped functioning! From then on, I have to use my mobile phone camera to take pictures for the rest of this trip. The picture below is the last one taken by the camera before it retires.
After that incident and much chiding from my wife about how clumsy I have become, we continued our journey. The road once again goes uphill till we reached the Titiwangsa R&R. This was supposed to be the highest point along the East-West Highway. The air was cool and the R&R centre was well maintained. The toilets here were "not-so-clean" because they should be, after charging a person 30 sen per entry. The refreshment centre - Amiza Titiwangsa - was nice and the food here was not expensive.
The Titiwangsa R&R
As the journey continued, we passed a few interesting landmarks. One of which is a stone hill which stood out quite prominently in the midst of the secondary forest. The second one, is a tunnel like structure built over the road, perhaps to protect vehicles from being damage in the event of some minor landslides. These are things that make the journey more interesting and like what some people say - you will be amazed by what the unexpected.
A tunnel-like structure along the road
The interior was quite bright and looked beautiful.
This stone outcrop looks pretty.
A few hours later, there were sighs of relief as well as sounds of excitement in car as we approached a road sign telling us that Jeli is just 11 km away.
By 2pm we arrived at Machang. We looked for a good place to stop for lunch. According to my advisor, there is a place by the name of Nasi Kerabu Golok Kak Jah, along the main road of Machang, which serves good authentic Kelantan food. However, as it was already late, there was not much food left for us. So, we move into the next stall, which was quite crowded and still has a lot of food to offer.
We stopped here for lunch.
We had nasi gulai ayam, nasi mangga, and nasi dagang.
This was the first time my wife has tasted real Kelantan food. There verdict - delicious, and more tasty than the Malay food that she had tried back home. But she needed some time to get used to the presence of flies.
Finally, we arrived at Kota Bahru. Again, we find some of the buildings along the way towards the town centre very attractive. Below are pictures of some of them:
A mosque near Kota Bahru
.This is the state education department complex.
We checked in at Tune Hotel Kota Bahru City Centre which is strategically located beside KB Mall. For food, there will be no problem for the hotel guests at all, as there is a cafe next to the hotel and a few good restaurants opposite the road. Even within the KB Mall, there are fast food joints as well as a food court that serves a variety of traditional Kelantan food. My only complaint would be that the hotel do not have parking space at all, and yet in its online advertisement, it states that one of the facilities provided is parking. That is misleading. Parking is outside the hotel at the public space and it is most difficult to find a parking lot during the day and early evening. In addition, these are metered parking lots and we have to remember to insert the right amount of coins or risk getting fined. The rate is quite high - at 40 sen for half an hour, thus the meter does not move when anything less than 40 sen is inserted. Other than that, the hotel gave good value for money in terms of good service and good accommodation.
A view of Kota Bahru skyline from the window of my room
The KB Mall that is just next to the Tune Hotel
After a rest for a few minutes, we moved on to explore the city of Kota Bahru. First, we went to the Royal Museum area and walked around to visit touristy-places that are located there.
This is the Istana Balai Besar
This strong-room was once the Bank Pitis, the government's treasury.
Istana Jahar
Gerbang Sultan Ismail Petra
This is the handicraft village
Handicraft village
When we reached the Handicraft Village complex, it was already late and so there were not many visitors there. In fact, I think we were the only visitors there! Then, at the centre of the courtyard, members of a recording crew were busy preparing the set for a filming session. This was when Martin Yan was spotted by one of us. She got so excited that she asked the director if we could take a picture with the celebrity chef. No problem. So, here we are with Martin Yan. Martin Yan is going around the country for his new series which will be aired sometime in September by NTV7. I guess it was our lucky day. We move to the famous Restoran Nasi Ulam Cikgu, next door by found it closed. So, we decided to go to the Pintu Pong Night Market food court to have our dinner. The details of food experience in Kelantan will be written in the next post on this blog. Hope you will follow it. .
