Charms of Kelate
After returning from my trip to Malacca, I rested for half a day at home before joining my course mates in Penang for a study trip to the East Coast state of Kelantan (or as they call it in Kelantanese Malay, Kelate). It was my first time visiting 2 Malaysian states that I’ve never been before in a mere 3 days.
I’d never really thought of visiting Kelantan prior to this. Thanks to the endless Federal Government-endorsed negative reports on Kelantan, my impression of the Thai-border state had always been those of a culturally and economically-backward society, with all kinds of ridiculous laws being imposed on the people by the state’s ruling Islamist opposition party, which has made Kelantan its unswayable stronghold for almost 2 decades.
We passed through the beautiful Temenggor Lake, Malaysia’s 2nd largest man-made lake on our way to Kelantan
And boy, was I wrong. Though Kelantan is undoubtedly Malaysia’s most socially conservative state, life in its state capital, Kota Bharu is not very much different from the prosperous cities on the West Coast.
Kota Bharu is essentially an Islamic city. As opposed to the rest of Malaysia, signs bearing the Jawi script جوي (an adapted Arabic alphabet for written Malay) could be seen everywhere, from American fast food outlets like McDonald’s to the quaint lil’ kopitiams (coffeeshops) run by the local Chinese. I even saw a large billboard expressing gratitude to the Muslim women for not exposing their aurat by dressing modestly and appropriately in accordance to the Islamic principles. Even in multinational hypermarkets like Tesco, gender segregation is imposed on the check-out counters. Yet womenfolk were spotted queueing in lines reserved for men and vice versa, so I guess the rule is never stringently enforced.
Jahar Palace; Sultan Ismail Petra Arch; Palace with the Great Hall (Istana Balai Besar)
After checking into our hotel, we went for some sightseeing in the city. A stone’s throw away from our strategically-located hotel stand the old palaces of Kelantan’s past sultans. One is now a museum while the other is used for official state functions. Despite being off-limits to the public, we somehow managed to sneak into the latter. Since the security officers were nowhere to be seen, we quickly took some photographs of the palace complex even though we were warned by an attention-seeking bright red sign placed in front of the main building.
A typical street scene in Kota Bharu
The heat was so unbearable that we walked to a nearby market to rest and have some lunch. Meanwhile, I took the chance to observe the people and their unique Kelantanese speech. One of my course mates is from Kota Bharu so he was of immense help in introducing us to the local culture that’s so distinct from the rest of the country. Many Kelantanese Malays have some Thai ancestry, and most of them are rather fair in complexion. Some even have relatives across the border in Southern Thailand.
Handicraft Village and Craft Museum
Kelantan is renowned as the cradle of Malay culture. One of the best places to experience this is at the Handicraft Village and Craft Museum. Beautiful Malay village houses were erected to showcase the splendour of traditional Kelantanese architecture. And oh, did you know that the Malay architecture of each state in Malaysia is different and distinct from one another?
Masjid Kampung Laut
In the next morning, we went to visit Malaysia’s oldest surviving wooden mosque, Masjid Kampung Laut. Built in the 1730s, the mosque was partially damaged in a huge flood 4 decades ago and had since relocated to the town of Tumpat, approximately 15km from the state capital. Non-Muslims were not allowed in the main prayer hall, but we were still able to catch a glimpse of the mosque interiors through its many windows and doors.
This Malay restaurant was reputed to have taken 20 years for its construction
The place where we stayed is on the banks of the Kelantan River. Though the river is murky, the views ain’t that bad at all…
The pole which the Brits hung the dead body of the Malay warrior, Tok Janggut; views of the Kelantan River
to be continued…
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c a t e g o r y | life as a student . passport to nowhere
f l u f f e r p u f f | kelantan . malaysia . mosques & minarets . museums . palaces . travel . university life
42 sOleiLians
42 sOleiLians
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Thanks for a great Malaysian report and with great pics.
I was there more than 10 years ago – very exotic to a Norwegian – thanks for taking me down the memory lane.
RennyBA´s piping hot creation…Olga Cruising from Norway to Germany
5 chups!
You’re very welcome, sir! ;)
You should submit your travel posts to Malaysian Tourism Board. They may give you an award. ;)
jemima´s piping hot creation…Be Sincere
hey kyh, thanks for the great writeup on kelantan! a place I always wanted to go, but just abit too far.
I love the cloudless blue skies in the earlier photos. Is the weather somewhat dryer compared to the rest of the peninsula?
Post more photos and writeups on kelantan and terengganu!
LM´s piping hot creation…My childhood friend
NIce photos…
I used to have not-so-good impressions towards Kelantan too, but now that you’ve posted about it, hmm…
day-dreamer´s piping hot creation…Recap of the past week…
Looks like a lovely place to me! The palm trees, the nice clouds in the sky, what seems to be a relaxed atmosphere… I’d go!
Zhu´s piping hot creation…Of Laundry And Losing Everything
Waohhh you made me travel to such a nice place just now :P
I wish I could really have some vacation especially that it’s gonna be the festive season very soon!
Angele´s piping hot creation…Something about summer
Good post, I like your writing style! I’ve added http://soleilian.com/ to my feed reader, and will be reading your posts from now on. Just a quick question – did you design your header image yourself, or have it done professionally? If you had it done by a professional, who was it?
Awesome pictures. I have the wrong impression of Kelantan too. kekekeke
Yinsi Yat´s piping hot creation…Worst performance by Arsenal
jemima: 3 chups!
Oh no, I think mine will be the first to get rejected!
LM: 1 chup!
Glad that you like this entry. ;)
As for the weather, all I know is that it was so freakin’ hot that afternoon!
I haven’t been to Terengganu before though. Hopefully someday in the near future…
day-dreamers: Kelantan is actually quite an interesting place to travel. It’s not as bad as what it seems.
Zhu: Make sure that you’re modestly dressed when you come to Kelantan! ;)
Angele: Hit the beach, girl! :D
John the Pirate: Hey thanks!
As for the header, I did it myself. It’s actually a very simple one. All you need is some basic Photoshop skills. ;)
Yinsi Yat: Thanks!
I visited Kelantan many years ago… Stiff religous law aside, it is actually a very interesting place.
Have you paid a visit to the big reclining Buddha in Tumpat?
Khengsiong´s piping hot creation…Kuala Lumpur Bird Park
No, regrettably. You don’t expect my Muslim Malay course mates and lecturers to visit such a place, do you? Haha!
ah.. missed my hometown!
had u tried local food like Akok?
wk´s piping hot creation…Overdue Account
What’s that? LOL!
I’m a vegetarian so I didn’t really try the local delicacies when I was there.
You have taken lovely photos. Nice. I like them. :)
Whooaaaaaa… so nice…. I’ve never heard about Kelate before. Looks it’s a worth place to visit, ya? :D
Those beautiful pics are still taken by your SE handphone?
Selba´s piping hot creation…Mr. Pancake
Thanks for visiting my beloved hometown and throwing away all negetive perspective on islamic state.
py: Thank you! :D
Selba: It’s certainly an interesting place to visit. If you wanna immerse yourself in aged-old Malay culture and traditions, Kelantan is the place! ;)
And yup, all these pics were taken using my K800i! :D
pokdik: I was just stating the truth. And there are still many interesting places in Kelantan that I’ve yet to explore!
Your K800i is so amazing! I can’t believe it… Maybe I should replace my old SE handphone and my panasonic lumix digicam (which has got problems lately) with a K800i or any other recommendation for handphone :D
Selba´s piping hot creation…Mr. Pancake
Actually Photoshop will do the trick! ;)
sounds like awesome trip! i have never been to kelantan too!
It’s a place not to be missed! ;)
The architecture of the wooden houses makes me think of Malacca. I have never been to Kelantan, in fact I have not been to many of the Malaysian states. I should make time to visit all of them. :)
eastcoastlife´s piping hot creation…Secretly… training…. – WW
That’s kinda funny! Usually people associate Malacca with colonial architecture. :)
Waaaaaaa why didn’t invite me? Hahahah! Sounds like you really had fun!
Nastasshea@Nesh´s piping hot creation…So Close by John McLaughlin
Haha… Next time, okay? :P
Wahhhh liao eh toudai, I really missed out a lot eh??? I din even know U hv a new blog until I went to Jem’s blog and wanted to add ur addy to Bea’s blog tat I discover is a new url… Aiyooooo shame on me… Guess I hv loads of reading to catch up, huh??
Wennnn´s piping hot creation…We are back in London now
You’re a super busy mum ma… But it’s never too late to catch up! ;)
The wooden building resembles one museum and some Malay=styled houses in Malacca which I visited. that’s why the above comment lah.
eastcoastlife´s piping hot creation…Singapore Bloggers Win Brands’ 1st Singapore-Malaysia Blogger Challenge!
Was it the Sultan’s Palace that you visited?
Thanks for this nice visit in Kelantan. The pictures are very exotic and I was impresse to learn that the architecture is different in each district!!!
Wanna come here for a visit? ;)
if not for this post, i wouldn’t know that in malaysia, there is such seggregation!! wow. but nice architecture i must say.
ehon´s piping hot creation…Heaven Smiling Back
Gender segregation is no big deal in Kelantan. However, the law is generally a less stringent version compared to its fundamentalist Middle Eastern counterparts.
Kyh,
Check with you… how long did you take to travel from Penang to Kota Bharu?
Plan to go there during CNY. Will travel from my hometown, Kuala Kangsar.
Khengsiong´s piping hot creation…Camera for Bloggers
It’s somewhere between 6 and 8 hours if I’m not mistaken.
[...] know I still owe you guys a part II on my trip to Kelantan, but I have to put that on hold. Meanwhile, here are some photos of the Masjid Ubudiah which we [...]
[...] A continuation of my previous trip to Kelantan… [...]
Hi Kyh!
Impossible to leave a comment on the most recent post, leave it here: great posts! Amazing trip, excellent pictures!
Meanwhile Blogtrotter has Akbar’s capital city for you. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Trotter´s piping hot creation…AKBAR’S CAPITAL
Oh, that was weird. o.O
Thanks for the compliments. ;)
I really liked this post. Can I copy it to my site? Thank you in advance.
May I know your pure intention in doing so?