Located in North-Eastern Peninsular Malaysia, Kuala Terengganu is relatively an off-track destination for tourists. Speaking of Terengganu, people usually think of Redang Island or Lang Tengah Island. But hey, this makes the visit to the state even more interesting!
WHERE TO VISIT
It is a place where Islamic features are widely being portrayed. It has the most stunning mosques in the world! The mosques are constantly refurnished to retain its majestic architecture.
Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque (Floating Mosque)
As the first real floating mosque in Malaysia, the mosque combines both modern and Moorish architecture. The white structure sits snuggly on the estuary of Terengganu River, appears to be enchantingly elegant and inspirational!
Crystal Mosque
Taman Tamadun Islam features miniature mosques around the world. Today, it combines various attractions including Monument Park, River Cruise, Convention Center, Crystal Villa and most importantly the iconic Crystal Mosque in one place for a tremendous cultural experience.
Yvonne and I were offered for a free tour by the students from UniSZA, an islamic University in Terengganu. We gladly put on the Muslim suit as instructed. The students told us they often do voluntary services here so as to promote their culture to the tourists.
The Crystal Mosque sits in a river overlooking part of Kuala Terengganu. The mosque is also listed as the top 20 Mesmerizing Mosques that highlight the wonders of Islam. If you visit it at night, the mosque even comes alive with a colorful light display!
With student guides!
Most of the hotels are located nearby the jetty where tourists are transferred to Redang Island. You don't find boutique hotels else where. Whilst I was amazed by the beautiful setting of the jetty, a local artist even told me that they were going to have a music show right here, on the next day! Having a stroll by the waterfront was a pleasant and relaxing experience too!
The town itself is within walking distances yet you would need some transportation to reach the attractions beyond the town area. There are mini vans, taxi and bus available. I like the sweet design of the bus in particular! I don't find it silly at all to slow down our car and capture a photo of the bus. Hee~
You may want to visit some Chinese temples in the town. Else, walking into shop houses would give you some surprises too. You could easily find traces of Chinese culture everywhere.
We went to Turtle Alley, a narrow walk way in between two buildings. Terengganu beaches used to have many turtles laying eggs and thus I think the people wish to raise public awareness by setting up some colorful mosaic arranged in turtle shape, as well as some information about turtles.
Today, the century old shop houses and buildings are attractively painted. It might take up some time to check all the alleys out. Specifically, each lane carries a different theme. Explore as much as you could!
Remarkably, the contribution of local Chinese communities is recognized by immortalizing their tributes in bronze cast plaques, along the wall of one of the alley. You could easily find the alley as there are a cluster of colorful umbrellas hanging above. I was told that the combination is to symbolize unity in diversity.
I was glad to see the batik, a Malaysian specialty, is stitched into a canopy of rectangle blocks along one of the alleys.
To my surprise, the place was well-preserved and clean in overall! The streets are paved with colored bricks while the side alleys have been given a refurbishment with murals and plaques.
The central market (Pasar Payang) is a popular shopping bazaar. Here, you can get all kinds of good and produce, for instance fruits, vegetables, salted fish, clothes, utensils, bed sheets and whichever you could name it.
WHAT TO EAT
If you're to hunt food, Kuala Terengganu definitely brings you a twist of flavorful local cuisines, in addition to a reasonable price. I had a mouthful of good food throughout the journey. Here I list out some of my favorites!
Fried keropok lekor
_Pantai Teluk Ketapang_
_Pantai Teluk Ketapang_
You shouldn't leave Terengganu without tasting their keropok lekor, which is made of processed fish fillet mixed with pinches of salts and flour. This traditional snacks could be found elsewhere in Terengganu and they are best served with their complimentary chili sauce. I had both in fried and steamed version, but I still prefer fried lekor.
Fried Squid
_Pantai Teluk Ketapang_
ABC Dessert
_Pantai Teluk Ketapang_
_Pantai Teluk Ketapang_
They serve good deep fried squid too! The sweet fresh squid from the sea was dipped in special sauce and it is pretty cheap.
ABC Dessert
_Pantai Teluk Ketapang_
You could also find authentic ABC dessert here! Well, the portion is quite big.
Nasi Kerabu
Terengganu has abundance of rice based dishes such as Nasi Dagang, Nasi Kunyit, Nasi Kuning, Nasi Berlauk, Nasi Lemak and Nasi Kerabu. Madam Bee's Kitchen is a peranakan restoran that serves authentic nyonya cuisines. The reason why I like their Nasi Kerabu is that unlike the one I had before, this dish was relatively light and delightful despite having fried garnishing alongside. Their rendang chicken was juicy and tastefully too! Ah, if you're thinking of the colour of the rice, the rice is tinted with natural light blue dye extracted from the petals of bunga telang.
Tomyam Pok Teh
_Adeq Sue Ikan Bakar_
_Adeq Sue Ikan Bakar_
This is their signature dish. You may want to sip the fragrant broth until the last drop because it was soooo goood! No doubt they serve other marvelous seafood too. The place is not easy to find but just set your GPS right!
Not to mention, in the town itself, there are a few cafes having unique design for you to explore too. Eat, walk, and eat again!
To wrap up, spare a few days to spend at Kuala Terengganu if you like peace and tranquility. It is not a mainstream for tourist. You will learn to appreciate local culture. You will learn to slow down your pace for a relaxing lifestyle. You will eventually fall in love with this little humble town!