Navigating The Streets of Kota Bharu
by Dr Azmi Mohd Tamil
On the 1st March 2006, my former schoolmates agreed to have a family reunion in Kota Bharu from 2nd June 2006 till 4th June 2006. The organisers in Kota Bharu were kind enough to forward the final itinerary to all members on 28th May 2006, as displayed below;
| | PROGRAM CUTI-CUTI SDARIAN84 - KLATE 2006 |
| | 02 JUN 2006 (JUMAAT) |
| 6am | |
| 2pm | - Dijangka sampai di Kota Bharu Bandaraya Islam.
- Berkumpul di Medan Selera, Stadium Sultan Mohd. IV.
- Lunch/Refreshment.
- Bertolak ke Perdana Resort, PCB. (Guide : Chaup/McBorg)
- Check-in & Rehat.
|
| 5pm | - Ronda kawasan Batik & Songket di sekitar PCB
- Aktiviti kolam.
|
| 7.30pm | - Sembahyang Maghrib Jemaah & Bacaan Yassin Utk Ibubapa, sahabat & guru2 yang telah kembali ke Rahmatullah (Venue: Musalla Perdana Resort).
|
| 8.30pm | |
| 10pm | - Parti Chit Chat & TT (Boys Only)
|
| | 03 JUN 2006 (SABTU) |
| 8am | |
| 9am | - Bertolak ke Pengkalan Kubur
|
| 12noon | - Makan Tengahari di rumah Supin (Pasir Mas). (Sila berkumpul di Masjid Bandar Pasir Mas)
- Rehat & Solat.
|
| 2pm | - Bertolak ke Rantau Panjang.
|
| 5pm | - Minum Petang di rumah McBorg (Pasir Mas). (Berkumpul : Petronas Kasa, Pasir Mas)
|
| 6pm | - Balik ke Perdana Resort.
- Bebas (Cadangan: Games utk bebudak).
|
| 8pm | |
| 11pm | - Parti Chit Chat (sambungan).
|
| | 04 JUN 2006 (AHAD) |
| 8am | |
| 10am | - Check Out.
- Bertolak ke KB (Free & Easy).
|
| 1pm | - Makan Tengahari di rumah Chaup. (Berkumpul di Hadapan Masjid KB)
|
| 2pm | - Bertolak balik ke destinasi masing-masing.
|
As expected, I did the usual preparation, sending my MPV for servicing on Monday, balancing & alignment on Tuesday, in preparation for the trip of Friday. At the same time I uploaded the latest mapsets (MalSing 2.32) from http://www.malsingmaps.com into my GPS receiver, a Garmin Vista C. I have never driven to Kota Bharu before, therefore I needed all the help that I can get. Using MapSource, I identified all the waypoints and uploaded them into the GPS receiver. Using these waypoints, I created a route via Bentong, Raub, Benta, Kuala Lipis, Padang Tengku, Gua Musang, Kuala Krai, Machang to Kota Bharu (Stadium Sultan Mohd IV) on the GPS receiver. I even tested it on Tuesday, it worked, giving a distance of 425 km from my house to the stadium.
Image 1: Waypoints within Kota Bharu
Image 2: Waypoints outside of Kota Bharu
The night before the trip, I uploaded the latest mapsets (MalSing 2.33) into my GPS receiver, wanting to have the latest and the best. Or so I thought....
My family started from home at 7.19 am, arriving at Genting Sempah R&R at 8.30 am. My apologies to Illya & Ahmad Feizan for arriving 30 minutes late. We left at 8.50 am, heading towards Bentong with me leading the way. This was when I noticed that my GPS receiver could only calculate a route up to Raub. Any point beyond that, I get an error. Oh boy, is my goose cooked or what..... But with the signboards clearly pointing the way, I was not too worried. The trouble will start once I reach Kota Bharu, since I will have to find the stadium on my own.
We stopped by Petronas Benta and Petronas Felda Kerchau for petrol and toilet break. Upon reaching Gua Musang, we stopped at Shell for petrol again since we have another 190 km to go before reaching Kota Bharu. Since it was already 1 pm, we looked for a place to eat in town. Unfortunately the only fast food restaurant there, KFC, was closed for Friday prayers. So we had to drive another 20 km to Gua Musang R&R for lunch and prayers. We were there from 1.30 pm till 2.30 pm. I was really worried then. I asked Ahmad Feizan to lead until Machang, promising to take over the lead there. I still couldn't make the GPS receiver work properly even after Machang, when I took the lead again. I suspected that the fault lies with the mapset but I couldn't do anything about it. Luckily, exactly 10 km from the stadium, the GPS receiver worked properly again and I confidently led the group to the stadium, arriving at 5.30 pm. We met with Mat Ju, McBorg & Chaup at the food court there, who had been waiting patiently for our arrival since 2pm :-). Illya & Ahmad Feizan were totally oblivious to my problem with the GPS receiver!
We waited for Kiak and his family to arrive from Kemaman. Once they arrived, we made a move for the resort in PCB at 6.12 pm. My vehicle was the last in line and I got separated at the many traffic lights of Kota Bharu but my trusty GPS receiver was able to show the way to the resort. A total of 10 families have arrived and checked in. These were the families of Akai, Amil, Arape, Taring, McBorg, myself, Illya, Ahmad Feizan, Kiak & Tambun (the last to arrive since he checked-in at Chaup's place first!). Another 8 alumni members and their families also participated in the activities. They were Nicky, Biddu, Yamin, Mat Ju, Unte, Tembe, Chaup & Supin.
After checking-in and a quick bath, I went to join the others for tahlil & recite sura' yassin. All of the families gathered at the lobby at 9 pm for dinner in the city, moving off at 9.15 pm. McBorg took point of the convoy and I was the rear guard, since I could find my own way if separated. Dinner was uneventful except for the poor service, which I blame the restaurant, not the organisers. So McBorg, don't worry about it. Taring celebrated his anniversary that night, with a cake provided for by McBorg. Upon reaching the resort at midnight, I went to sleep while the guys went out for hot drinks at PCB.
The next morning, I woke up early and drove around KB, totally relying on the GPS receiver to keep me from getting lost. After going back for breakfast, my family and I joined the others for the long trip to Pengkalan Kubur duty free shopping area. Chaup took point of the convoy and I was again the rear guard. Since the departure was haphazard, Kiak was left behind and I had to wait for him. But in his desire to catch up, I was left far behind. So I made my own way to the destination, reaching there well before Kiak and a few others. The place caters more for the bargain hunters but since it was the school holidays, there were very few bargains available. Except for a battery powered helicopter, little caught my interest.
At noon, all of us left for Supin's place for lunch. Chaup planned it very well so that all of us reached it without getting separated. There we were joined by Nicky, Tembe, Biddu, Mat Ju and McBorg. Supin's house is huge by KL standards, making us KLites envious of his good fortune. The advantage of working in Kelantan, the low cost of living allows an average wage earner to live luxuriously :-). Tambun & I skipped the trip to Rantau Panjang, making our way back to PCB separately. Somehow I reached there earlier in spite of taking a "longer" route, bypassing the town of KB.
At 4.23 pm I made my way to McBorg's place, somehow misunderstanding his instructions and ended up at a different petrol station ;-)
Image 3: Getting lost on my way to McBorg's place.
Where I was supposed to take a left turn to Tendong Bridge, I made a U turn instead and ended up crossing Sultan Mahmud's Bridge. Next time I'll know better. I guess that suddenly turning up on the highway from a kampung road, shook my nerves a bit and I ended making the wrong split second decision. But a few phone calls later, the mistake was rectified and I arrived at McBorg's mansion besides the Kelantan river. If Supin's house is huge, McBorg's mansion is humongus. To quote Taring's phrase; "Mus Lembik could have dribbled around them furniture for half an hour and he would still haven't reach the kitchen!". My wife's statement to Dr Zakiah sums it up; "Ai, bilik air dia sebesar bilik tidur apartmen kita!"
After the jaw hanging moments and tea at McBorg's mansion, we made our way back to PCB, with Illya and Ahmad Feizan again following my lead. I played safe and followed my GPS receiver directions totally. Getting lost once in a day was enough!
The barbeque dinner that night was okay. Nothing to shout about. But Illya took to the stage and made it lively for the young ones. I think I made it lively for Illya too when I recalled his previous escapade at school after being called on stage. Sorry Illya! Two of my children surprised their own father by being the first two to perform. My son sang "Twinkle-twinkle little star" without moving his lips, and the elder sister "berselawat ke atas nabi". My youngest daughter ended up singing "Rama-rama, rama sister....."
After dinner, I joined the guys for the chit-chat in town till 2.30 am. I hitched a ride home with Illya since there was not enough space on Tambun's MPV. Luckily for Illya it seems, since we managed to get lost again that night. After switching on the GPS (I kept it in my pocket, just in case), it pointed to the right way home.
The next morning, the kids wanted to play at the beach till it was time to checkout. We dropped by Perdana Specialist Hospital since my wife wanted to meet an old friend. We only headed to Pasar Siti Khadijah at 11.26 am. By then, the traffic jam was terrible around the market. I had to circle a few times while waiting for my wife do a bit of fast shopping. By 12 noon, I was already at Masjid Muhammadiah, joining Taring who was punctual as usual. After Illya & Ahmad Feizan arrived, Chaup also arrived on his bike to take us to his house for lunch. Out of 18 families, 13 families were there for lunch.
Chaup's nasi kukus, ayam goreng berempah & ikan patin was something to cherish. After the disappointment of last night's dinner, Chaup's feast was indeed fantastic. My family and I really enjoyed the lunch at Chaup's place. Even my fussy eater of a son (the small one), ate his fill that day. TQ Chaup!
I started my journey home at 2 pm sharp, taking very few breaks, arriving at toll booth Bentong at 9.30 pm. Made the mistake on continuing with Karak Highway when I should've taken the old Bentong road. The stupid road works (done on a school holiday weekend!) on Karak Highway caused a humongus jam, from Genting Sempah till the Bentong toll booth. I only reached Greenwood Gombak at 10.35 pm, where we stopped for supper at our favourite place, Salma's Tomyam.
After supper at 11.18 pm we drove home, via NKVE at Jalan Duta, which was another stupid decision. Turns out earlier that night, at around 9.30 pm, two Proton Wiras, racing each other while heading towards Jln Duta exit, hit an SUV, where the NKVE crosses the LDP. One of the Wira went up in flames and the other was a total wreck. Pieces of the wreckage was distributed on the other side of the road, causing multiple fender benders, since everybody was trying to avoid the car on fire and the wreckage. It was indeed a sight to behold. The jam on PLUS highway from North heading towards Jalan Duta was terrible indeed. Imagine that these guys were stuck in their vehicles from 9.30 pm till well after midnight. I myself only arrived home after 12 midnight. Woke up the next day 8 am, still groggy and tired. Needed two more days of leave to recover.
Conclusion
Distance travelled 741 miles (1192.5 km)
Petrol consumed 458.88 litres (RM239)
Toll paid RM16.80
Travelling time to & fro 19 hours.
Spending vacation with friends =====> PRICELESS
The tracks of the trip is available for download from http://www.malsingmaps.com/forum/users/drtamil/trip_go_to_kelantan.gdb
Pictures can be viewed at http://161.142.92.104/gallery/
-------------
Taring's write-up
Finally fatigue and the 14 hours from KB to JB, inclusive of more than a few mariwana breaks, got the better of me after Subuh Monday. Even for an insomniac. Passed out till 3pm. Slept a paltry sum of 9 hours during the hectic weekend. Hectic by me standard anyways.
What a weekend this was! Started the trip from the! Johor Jaya Projet with Haji Areps at 10.00am before meeting up with Amil at Mersing. Took a break at the Hai Ping kopitiam at Kemaman and met up with Kiak. Cikgu Borer dropped by a few minutes before we headed for our stopover at Seri Malaysia Marang.
A detour to Pasar Payang Friday morning to appease them other halves. After them kiddies did their pool rendezvous that is. Proceeded to Stadium Darul Naim way past the scheduled time but was a bit relieved as only Akai, of all people, had checked in. Borg, Chaup, Yamin and Matju were all there, pretending not to be annoyed by our punctuality. Hehehe.
And Cikgu Matju. Saw his picture a few years back but was still shocked, and a bit awed. Life must have been good in peaceful Pengkalan Hulu. Demo lo ni tok supo mulo...
Perdana Resort is cool by me standard. Me other half, through her body languag! e, might have thought otherwise. Had Maghrib with an Egyptian trained imam, whom cited them verses and spoke like an Arab. He better not travel much these few decades. This is one of the characteristics of them East Coast people that I admire. They really celebrate their mosques and suraus some. They seemed not to have this burden to confirm to the ever changing world. People who would wear sarongs and skullcaps wherever and whenever they like and fill them mosques are really cool people in my book. Even our tahlil session didn't get more than a glance. It would definitely cause a stir in resorts here. If they even have any surau that is.
Dinner was late. Felt a tinge of guilt for causing our hosts to feel guilty themselves. Them kiddies and some of them other halves, from some of them comments, were getting restless in Kota Baru. Managed to surprise me wife with an anniversary cake with the help of Borg. Me 10th. Not me usual cup of tea though, this public show of affection. Finally all got their din! ner and midnight beckoned.
The usual after dinner boys' outing failed to produce any new number nor juicy tidbit, except for a few hints from that vault-keeper of the numbers game, Mr Kiak. But we could afford to wait some. Life only begins next year. Hahaha
Pengkalan Kubur. What can I say. It could have been fun if not for them customs. Is it just me being paranoid or them customs had some secret grudge against me. Been to Singapore twice after Melbourne. Bundled into the immigration complex for urine tests and me wallet and bag emptied both times. Never step into Singapore since. Been to Rantau Panjang twice before, was told to open the boot and got me things rummaged through on one occassion. Wanted to tell the poor sod I was more of a pasta man. And that I wouldn't even in me dreams travel a thousand plus kilometers to and fro just to buy 20kgs of fragrant rice. Fragrant pussies maybe.
And I was stopped by them customs a t Pengkalan Kubur. Fortunately the salesgirl had sayo tipu kotok for them Cornings and Pyrexes. Ayah kata tipu berdosa, queried me youngest. And I had to explain to me daughters why I had to accept the tipu kotok. Wanted to tell them that them customs should go after them big fishes instead of making life miserable for us little fries. Maybe later.
The trip to Cikgu Supin's was an adventure itself, snaking between houses and trees. And then I saw his house. Damn! But I couldn't picture meself staying in Kelantan. Nice place, nice girls but them food would kill me. Love them too much. Nor I see meself teaching for that matter. Them students would have a field day laughing their asses off seeing me stutter and blushing profusely.
The thing that striked me most about Rantau Panjang (or Kelantan and Terengganu, for that matter) was not them variety of goods but them ultra&! nbsp;fair and mostly beautiful salesgirls. With the kind of heat and humidity here. I don't understand genetics but Kelantan and Terengganu got a fair share of ultra fair girls. And not the pale nor the Fair & Lovely products either. Maybe only them Kadazans and Ibans got a higher percentage. Reckon that is why the divorce rate here is among the nation highest. With so many beautiful people and places being named Talak and Pasir Hor, who could blame them. Kihkihkih
Tea at Borg's was another revelation. Mus Lembik could have dribbled around them furniture for half an hour and he would still haven't reach the kitchen! And the view of Sungai Kelantan was breathtaking. But like most places that I had noticed, it could have been better if them municipal people planted more grasses and did some landscaping. Being arid apart from during them monsoons, these barren and unkempt areas spoiled the otherwise beautiful places. And getting s! and blown onto your expensive Persian rugs wouldn't help either.
Congratulations to Mr Pres for making the dinner an enjoyable and a memorable one. Even me wife and daughters seemed to enjoy some. The same could not be said about the Resort food though. A word of caution for Mr Pres though. If you ever call me to the rostrum ever again, I'll kill you. And with me bare hands at that....ahaks
Chit-chat at a mamak restaurant was fun but still no numbers being given. Unfortunate enough to sit in the middle of the table. On one, this group of ghost lovers were talking about what else, ghosts and ghouls. The other was discussing a more worldly matter, their houses. So I got to shift me attention alternately the whole session, making meself busy with the mariwana and coffee. Pretending to concentrate. Wished I was with one of them ultra fair, ultra cute salesgirls from Rantau Panjang. Just joking guys. It was really fun. Really.
Lunch at Chaup's was wonderful. The host and hostess were very accomodating and friendly. The food was delicious. That is why I can't stay in Kelantan. Maybe if I can secure free monthly ration of Faiza's Taj Mahal.......Nah, them other temptations would be too great. And them ultra fair girls would not help either. And life begins at 40. Had lunch under a Flame of the Forest tree, which was bursting with glorious red blooms. The chicken was sumptuous. Me wife later told me that them patins were even better but I don't do fish. Except for those that do not taste fishy.
I hate goodbyes. But am proud to say that I was there hugging buddies I had known and love for some 27 years and would give almost anything to hug you guys for another 27. Wanted to weep but thinking of what to explain to me daughters on the long trip home made me control them tears. Would let them go when I'm alone and I did.
The trip back was a ta! d sombre and unsettling. Left Chaup's at 245pm and head to Pasar Pay g as me wife wanted to get some keropok and some for her officemates. Saw Mr Pres being stopped by the police. Wanted to stop but Pasar Payang beckoned. Nasib lu la Kambing. Anyways, he was caught overtaking where he shouldn't. Some explaining to them kiddies, eh Mr Pres.
Left KT at 5.30pm and a brief stop at Rusila to pay homage to the Tuan Haji. The wife wanted some kopok losong, actually. Again saw Mr Pres's car. This time at a pasar malam in Kemasik or something just before Kijal. I really didn't understand this guy. Was at Wakaf Che Yeh for two nights in a row and now at a pasar malam in some obsecure place. Well, some people get off on crazier stuff. kekeke
Took a wrong turn en route to Kuantan town and had to take the longer way. Passed through Pusat Rekreasi Air Balok. Damn! Was still gigling silently when I saw Beserah. Some of the things sick people do withair balok. Beserah ajelah...
Being a kampung boy, I had never been to Pekan. This weekend I was here twice. The family and Bibik were all asleep. Stopped the car at one of them stops by the river and did the mariwana. Not a bleeding soul in sight. After the riotous weekend, this must be the loneliest place to be at midnight. And them ghosts and ghouls stories told by them geeks during chit-chat crept into me psyche. Bleeding posteriors!
Started me journey again. Albeit gingerly. Weren't lorries supposed to criscrossed these route? Wait a minute! Was that a lady carrying a baby that I saw at this ungodly hour in this godforsaken place? Damn! Got to control these jittering nerves before I lost control of the car.
Reached home at 4.18am. Carried me daughters upstairs and opened the boot. RM50 worth of kopok ganu came sliding down onto the driveway.
Kawe lo ni doh tok supo mulo.... __._,_.___
The family and meself had a wonderful time at Kota Baru with y'all. Thanks to hosts Borg, Chaup & Supin for sharing them abodes and food for the hour or so we dropped by. Thanks also to the other Kelantanese (ask Cikgu Matju why they are not called Kelantanians) Matju, Yamin, Nikky & Tembe as co-hosts to their wonderful state.
Thank you also to Haji Areps & Amil for the mini convoy and taking me to places I would normally not adventurous enough to go, the Mersing route, Hai Ping kopitiam, Marang. Not forgetting Cikgu Borer for meeting up with us even for just a few minutes in Kemaman.
Congratulations and thanks also to Mr Pres, whom after the temporary hiatus, had successfully arranged & executed cool events.
Them other participants, Doc Azmi, Tambun, Akai, Kiak, Unte & Bidu, thanks for being t! here and enriched me life some.
Not forgetting me syukur to Allah, everybody went to Kota Baru and back without any mishap. Alhamdulillah.
InsyaAllah, we will be seeing a lot more of each other again if not sooner, later.
--------------------------------------
Kiak's write-up
My Story
It was the first time(not the last surely) I stepped my foot to Kota Bharu. Just so surprised how economy is generated in this land of "Serambi Mekah". Though my first stop for coffee break in Jertih on the way to KB wasn't very pleasing(there are more flies in that shop than I have ever seen in my whole life), it just get very different when I reached Kota Bharu.
Met McBorg, Mat Ju(damn chubby), Chaup(the hosts) and some others with their families at Layang-layang(depan Stadium).
A few minutes later me and my family were on our way to Pantai Cahaya Bulan, previously known as Pantai Cinta Berahi with Mc Borg as the tour guide.
Later that night, had dinner again at Layang-layang(first floor) which then came Supin(looks a bit old now) and Yamin(still taiko-type).
Everybody was there. Later Taring celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary. The chats gets better which then continue in one of the small stalls(very Kelantanese type- u don't find these small stalls which is scattered all along the road throughout KB, Rantau Panjang, and Pengkalan Kubor in KL or JB) after sending the wives and kids back to the hotel. The chit-chat ended about 2.45 am.
The next morning aku dah lepak, but still have to go to Pengkalan Kubor. Nothing much, except for those cheap materials(attracted the wives I believe). Not to forget to mentioned those heavy traffics all the way.
Then to Supin mansion- the lunch was superb. Nik Yassin, Tembe, Biddu then checked-in. Hospitality in Supin's house and all throughout Kelantan is a par above the rest.(Supin's house looks like it belongs to a Kontraktor Kelas A).
After that lunch, I just can't stand the nags from my kids anymore to go to swimming pool at the resort. I had to skip the Rantau Panjang and McBorg's house.
When i get back, I just leave my kids at the pool, - then me and wife went to Pasar Siti Khadijah. The traffics jam at this area is comparable to those at Kepong-Sungai Buloh at peak hours. But those 'makciks' at this market make my trip to Kelantan so memorable. On almost every premise, they will solicit us with "Cari mende We, Cari apo Mek, Beli kaing Be" and numerous others in a very soft-tone and thick Kelantanese accent. Mostly women petty entrepreneurs with a sound entrepreneurship qualities. In fact, all along the road from PCB to KB to Pengkalan Kubor to Pasir Mas and Pasir Puteh, you'll find a business going-on on almost every 50metres - like-off with signs of, "Kedai fotostat", "Kedai menjual filem dan prepaid", "Gerai air Tebu dan Keropok Lekor", food stalls, fruit stalls and so many others and etc. A bit surprised to find that some of the items in Pasar Siti Khadijah are actually cheaper than those in Pengkalan Kubor! The new Nagoya Textile is a minute walking distance from this Pasar.
Later that night was the dinner. Just cannot forget when the first singer, Doc's son sang "Baa baa Black Sheep" with his mouth close, and my eldest son's rap - a tune from "Tik Tok Simpati". I got really embarassed when he started singing - honestly I was expecting him to show-off his Tae-Kwan-do or Muay Thai skills. I sank my face into my palms when he started singing.
Later that night the chit-chat party again opposite KB Mall. I pulled a ghost-story in Kemaman. Nothing about pemain hoki or no. 3- ahaks!
The next day, after breakfast, i was the first to arrive to Chaup's house. Superb lunch and hospitality. After the final photography session it's to leave for home.
My way back - took the scenic but long way to Kemaman. From KB to Bachok to Tok Bali to Kuala Besut to Penarik then to Kuala Trengganu. In Kuala Trengganu my wife had another round of shopping at Karnival Trengganu at Pantai Batu Burok. Illya called me on the way, saying he is checking in at Awana Kijal.
I finally arrived Kemaman at 11.00pm with beautiful memories of Kelantan.
The next day Illya with his family, along with another brother, came to my house for dinner. Another gathering of a smaller version. Everything was so memorable......
One day, me and my family will be back........
