on in town) was clean, had AC, fast wi-fi, a friendly staff, and I had the whole room (6 beds!) to myself! I wasn't exactly roughing it, and all that for the bargain basement price of 20 ringgits (less than $6) per night. We arrived into Terengganu to explore the islands on the East Coast. Erik had his sights on diving on the Perhentien Islands (north) while I wanted to check out the laid-back Island of Kapas (south). So we decided to take a much needed break and go our separate ways. Said good-bye the next day, and we agreed to stay in touch and meet up in a week. At first, it was a bit disconcerting being on my own after spending each and every day together, but then it slowly sunk in... for the first time in a long time, I could do exactly what I wanted when I wanted! I was completely free!
Kapas was close enough (1 ½ hours away) to do as a day trip so headed out on a Friday around noon... big mistake. Being that the East Coast is mostly Muslim, it meant that Friday is Sunday. The bus dropped me off at the town of Marang from where I would need to take a ferry to Kapas, but it seemed the entire town was shut down for afternoon prayers. And the ferries were actually individual outfits taking passengers back and forth from the island, and they were pretty pricey. So decide
d it wasn't worth it to go after prayers because there would only be an hour or so before I'd have to return. Plus the marketing materials I picked up from the tourist office made it seem like it was pretty built up now with hi-end resorts, so headed back and gave up on the idea. Instead, I decided to explore Terengganu...
Terengganu is a prosperous town with a nice mix of old and new, and just the right size so that it doesn't overwhelm. It had some interesting sites to see around town, including a developed waterfront with markets and evening performances, a nice beach that was strangely empty when I walked there, a large central market, and of course, a cool little Chinatown. Everything I needed was within walking distance, and the sites that weren't could be visited by taking a comfortable, air-conditioned tourist heritage bus free-of-charge. But best of all, Terengganu has the nicest and the friendliest people around, many who s
poke very good English. Every single time I stepped out and into a coffee shop, noodle shop, the market, a bus or whatever, I was guaranteed a conversation, mostly from friendly locals who were curious as to why I was there alone, without my “husband.”
Every morning, I would go to a Kedai Kopi (coffee shop) on a parking lot just around the corner from the Sankris, where the coffeeman made me a nice strong cup of joe. He would repeat everything I said several times because he was learning English, and this would crack up all his friends who were hanging out there. On the long communal tables sat bundles of food wrapped in
paper or banana leaves, and it was fun to have the locals explain what each one contained... rice or noodles with chicken, fish or boiled eggs, which made a nice little breakfast. After that I went sightseeing around town, and when I couldn't take the heat anymore, I would stop in at one of the friendly shops in Chinatown for noodles, a fruit shake, and more conversation.
Took a 10-minute ferry ride to the small fishing village island of Duyung and watched traditional craftsmen making boats by hand. Boarded the tourist bus 5k outside of town to the impressive Museum Negara, one of the largest in Malaysia. Also visited the Islamic “Edutainment” Park that is an educational park with no less than 21 mini-replicas of famous mosques from around the world. Then went to see the crown-jewel of the park, the Crystal Mosque, which was larger than life, fully-functioning and truly breath-taking.
Before you knew it, a whole week had gone by, and it was time to 
go meet Erik at the bus terminal. And when he stepped off the bus, I realized just how much I missed him! But he was sopping wet from the rainstorm, and was just skin and bones. The last thing I told him when he took off by himself to the Perhentiens was “Don't forget to eat!”... well, I guess he forgot. So we dropped off his bags at the Sankris, and I took him to my favorite eateries to fatten him up, including “Sponge Bob burgers” at a burger stand in the street.
In the evening, we took a walk to the hawker food stalls in Chinatown, where locals gather in the evening to eat, drink and socialize. With not mu
ch of a nightlife in the Muslim town, except for a couple of dark bars that are called “restorans,” this was definitely the place to be in the evenings. It was funny to see old men gathered to drink beer and watch Chinese soap operas. Then a friendly old man sitting at a table next to us came over and brought us yummy grapes to eat just out of the blue. To return the kindness, Erik bought him a beer, and then from there it escalated into snacks, more rounds of beer, handshakes, hugs and much laughter all around.
The next day we were ready to move on, but I felt really sad to leave...
My many photos of Terengganu...
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| Terengganu, Malaysia |
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