We have our first winner for the month of August for “Share your experience with us”. Hafiz has been kind enough to share with us his story on his visit to Kuala Terengganu recently. Let’s see what Hafiz experienced over at the east.

It was still early in the morning when my friend, Anuar and I arrived at Sultan Mahmud, Kuala Terengganu Airport by Firefly, FY2100 flight. Woww..I am surprised to see the brand new Terengganu Airport, a combination of modern and traditional architecture. I looked at my watch and it was already 8:30am. We decided to go to Kuala Terengganu City for breakfast. We headed to Pasar Payang by taxi that cost RM35 for about 30 minutes journey. After having Nasi Dagang, a local famous dish, we had no idea where to start our trip.

After a few minutes, a brilliant idea came out of my mind. I thought why don’t we just ask the Tourism Information Centre nearby and seek for advice? We did and got information that we need to know and started our trip with fantastic plans in mind. To experience the true of Terengganu, we agreed act like a local. That means we are not going to rent a car but to use public transport instead. It is going to be fun!

After lunch, we paid a visit to Bukit Puteri to see the historical remains at the site. Bukit Puteri was a fortress to defend Terengganu from enemy attacks. Some of the war artifacts that still exist are large bells, cannon, gunpowder hole and the lighthouse. It was such a magnificent view of the city fromthe top of this hill and we enjoyed every moment of it.

Then, we went for a walk to Istana Maziah and had our photo taken at the yellow gate before going to Dataran Syahbandar for a quick break. It was a sunny day, so we stopped at the stall selling Air Batu Campur (ABC) to quench our thirst..Hmm..what a nice drink! Before checking in at Merang Suria Resort, we boarded a Bot Penambang to cross the Terengganu river to Kampung Seberang Takir. We heard that the village was famous for its keropok lekor. With a cost of RM2 return ticket, we didn’t mind to take the boat and join the locals just to experience this traditional transportation.

The sampan

Got up next morning, got ready and raring to go, we headed off again. Our first stop was the  roadside stall selling locals famous, sata and otak-otak. We ate a lot about 20 sticks and we really enjoyed a taste of Terengganu traditional delicacies.

Sata

Then, we continued walking on a little further and stopped at the stall selling keropok lekor. I am glad to see how the locals gathered and processed the keropok lekor  with my own eyes. I personally bought 15 of it and put it in my travelling bag. Arrgghhh..it was so heavy. Some more, we were using public transport. It was really challenging for us to carry the heavy bag to the nearest bus stand. Next, we checked in at Primula Beach Resort, in the main of the city.
In the evening, we head to Islamic Civilization Park and were amazed by the beauty of the Crystal Mosque. We reached there at dusk, the mosque was shining golden in colour. What a great panorama!

The crystal mosque

After wandering for about an hour, we returned to hotel and got ready for our night outing. We saw bazaars set up near the Batu Burok beach. We walked to the beach until we saw seawater spoilt over the road and blocked the access for vehicles. We managed to cross the road and went to the Batu Burok carnival. I bought some souvenirs and dinner which we ate at the hotel room. We took our photos at the hotels’ lobby before going to sleep as we were exhausted.

Batu Burok

Our departure time was unfortunately getting ever closer. Therefore, we started our lovely morning for last minutes shopping at Pasar Payang. I am looking for batik and my friend was looking for brassware products. Later on, we headed back to hotel and checked out. The best part was we rode on a local trishaw from the market to the hotel that cost just RM10. I am so excited as it was my first  experience. At the hotel, we packed our belongings and headed to Kuala Terengganu bus terminal. We left our bag there and continued wondering the city for few more hours. Not to forget, we boarded on the boat to Seberang Takir again and had our tea time at the local stall.
At 6:30pm, we took a cab to the airport to catch our flight at 9:30pm. We walked around the airport, had a light dinner and flew back to Kuala Lumpur with a sweet memory in mind. Terengganu has so much to offer and because we cannot experience all those this time, we plan to go again next time with a different itinerary and different way of travelling. Terengganu, wait for us yaa…

by Mohd Hafiz Bin Mohd Salleh

I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the people to join the Ipoh Familiarization trip with the Singapore’s media and travel agents. The trip was set to begin on 12^th July 2009 after the Inaugural Celebration of Singapore-Ipoh flight at Sultan Azlan Shah Airport.

We began our journey right after the celebration held at the airport. The group departs from the airport by bus to Lumut Jetty and we managed to catch the last ferry at 8:30pm to Pangkor Island. General Manager of Pangkor Beach Island Resort, Mr. Jimmy Yeoh was kind enough to escort us to the resort. The sea breeze ride was about 25-30 minutes. Then, we hopped on to a pink van which drives us straight to the resort.

When I reached Pangkor Island Beach Resort, one word says it all, RELAX. I really felt like I am in paradise. We had dinner at Hornbill Restaurant and proceeded to our room individually. We had our room facing the ocean (Ocean Wings). That night the sound of the waves accompanied me to sleep. It was a wonderful experience.

Pangkor Beach

Pangkor Island Beach Resort is certainly a place for you to lay back and do nothing. At the resort, you can relax by the pool or by the beach.

There are also various activities which can be done there such as deep sea fishing, snorkeling, jet ski, water ski, banana boat ride, jungle walk and more. If you are too lazy to get up, you can also get pampered at the Aryani Spa where you can unwind and soothe those aching muscles. Besides, there’s also a mini golf course for all you daddys out there.

The next morning, we awoke at 7am to catch the opportunity to see the hornbills at the resort. These hornbills are wild as they live in the woods around the resort. Animals such as monkeys and peacocks are often seen roaming freely as they inhabit in the nature surrounding the resort.

The wild and smaller Hornbills (as compared to those in Sarawak) are seen near the resort’s pool area

Group photo before we leave the resort

The following day, we went to Cameron Highlands. We departed in the evening from Lumut Jetty and reached Strawberry Park Resort later that night. The highlight of Strawberry Park Resort is the Neo Tudor design of the resort, which is blended perfectly with its breathtaking surrounding. We had steamboat dinner and hot cocoa drink to warm ourselves up!

In the morning, we went for a tour at the resort after our breakfast. There, beautiful flowers and even a strawberry farm, managed by the resort, can be found. The strawberries were then picked by the workers and made into delicious strawberry’ dessert for Jim Thompson Terrace restaurant.

Group with Marie Bark, PR Manager of Strawberry Park Resort. Thanks Marie!

We also visited the fruits and vegetables’ market where we tried the famous fried sweet potato balls, the cherry tomato, the sweet milk corn and the strawberry honey stick. The group also had a chance visit the Bharat Tea plantation. The plantation was vast and the group gets the random idea of how tea was plant and picked.

At Cameron Bharat Tea Plantation

Right after the tour, we made our way back down with the bus back to Ipoh and checked in at Impiana Casuarina Hotel. The hotel is a premier hotel centrally located in Ipoh. The 4-star rating hotel, located at the city centre allows easy access for both business and leisure travelers.

After a sumptous buffet lunch at the Garden Terrace, we visited the Gopeng Rainforest Resort.  Gopeng is a small town located about 18Km south of Ipoh and 16Km north of Kampar in Perak.

The owner, Mr. David Foon treated us to a ‘kampung durian’ feast. The Singaporean was very happy as this is a rare opportunity for them to eat ‘kampung durian’ whilst to visit the resort that is surrounded by nature.

'Kampung Durians'

Gopeng Rainforest Resort also offers various activities which can satisfy the adventure and nature’s lovers such as white water rafting, jungle trekking, Rafflesia trail, etc.  The resort also caters to many teams building activity for corporate team, college students and school children which can widen their scope of knowledge about nature and other moral values such as teamwork.

Before we leave, we also took the chance and visited the waterfall where the white water rafting activity is actually done. The waterfall was magnificent and once again, this was a rare opportunity for the Singaporean to have a view of the beautiful creation of God.

Gopeng waterfall

Of course, we didn’t miss our chance on taking some nice photographs here.

Jonathan, jumping for joy!

Beautiful!

Orang Asli house

The next day, the group had a taste of the famous thing in Ipoh- Ipoh white coffee, of ocurse! We had our typically ‘Ipoh-ians’ breakfast of white coffee, ‘kaya’ toasts, ‘hor fun’, dim sum, egg tart and char kuey teow.

Then, we went for a 45-minutes tour at Gua Tempurung, the limestone hills in the Kinta Valley. The group was amazed by the formation of limestone which has begun over 400 million years ago. However, I would recommend for a longer tour as it is impossible to appreciate and see the cave in just 45 minutes, perhaps we can come here again next time?

For lunch, we were treated by Mr. Yap of Parlo Tours at the award-winning Indulgence Restaurant. Julie Song, the owner and chef at Indulgence welcome us personally. The restaurant also functioned as a  boutique hotel.  Currently, it has 7 rooms (Ildi, Kinnaree, Giulianna, May-Suet, Tzarrah, Beverly, and Qatrynka) ranging from different themes which Julie has been inspired on her visit to other countries.

One of the room

We were certainly indulged by the vast amount of Fusion food served and hospitality by Julie.

Thanks Mr.Yap and Julie!

After lunch, the group then head to the Sultan Azlan Shah airport and was welcomed by Nia, the tame python from the Lost World of Tambun.

With Nia!

This trip has certainly been an enjoyable and wonderful experience for the group before they head back and faced the reality- work!