This is a much delayed post. i blame it on procrastination and the amount of work i had to do upon returning from the trip.
Susie & i decided to head to east coast because none of us have ever been there. We booked the AirAsia tickets a month earlier hence paying about RM70/way/person.
I was busy prior to the trip and didn't have time to really plan so i was very thankful that Susie took up the role naturally. When we arrived at the Kota Baru airport, we went and rented a car. we were also given a map of the town, which was pretty accurate, much to our surprise :O) --> roads in KL are usually so complicated that they are usually not reflected in a map; no matter how detailed the map is.
My main motive of going to Kota Baru was to check out this village called Kampung Kasa, which was supposedly located near to Pasir Mas. well, it ended that i didn't manage to see it because we couldn't find it. we arrived at Tumpat instead and checked out the beach called Pantai Seri Tujuh.
We spent two glorious evenings drinking coconut water under this cute colourful umbrellas as seen in the photo above. i love them. they reminded me of some 70s comedy shows where the actors came out in their swimming wear with faked backdrop behind them. i know; m weird ;)
Kota Baru was not what i expected. being the only state in the country that is governed by an Islamic party, i expected it to be extremely guarded and that strangers or foreigners are eyed with suspicions. i was wrong. people were friendly and helpful. yes it was a bit tough to listen to their dialect but we got used to it after a while.
The streets were clean, even cleaner than KL. posters, billboards and advertisements were mainly in the Malay language with Arabic writings as well. there was one that caught our eye that was located at an entrance to a mall: "Terima kasih kerana menutup aurat anda." (Thank you for covering yourself)
There was no rude looks on our dressing, nor were there unpleasant remarks from men when we passed by. u see, the mainstream media has generally made this state looked like a conservative, religious and extremely backward place, hence my misconceptions.
Traders were hardworking. shops are mainly closed on a Friday to observe the holy day but on any other days, the town is bustling with activity. food is different and has got a lot of taste. maybe because they use a lot more spice here than other parts of the country. the scenery was idylic and beautiful. i had some peaceful moments here. a great breakaway from the city, which was what i needed.
On our last night, we went to the Cultural Centre to check out the performance. the information was found on the map that we were given earlier. everything is quite well planned. a tourist visiting Kota Baru would be given suggestions and specific information on what to do in town or where they could head to. excellent planning. easy to understand. KL should learn a thing or two from Kelantan's Tourism Board.
Anyway, the performance was quite interesting. the band played traditional music using different sets of drums. m not a fan of traditional music but watching them was rather entertaining. a few youths were playing with such enthusiasm that i forget i was listening to traditional music. mind you, the performance is free.
I like the spirit of dedication and passion, and this i found in Kota Baru. no matter what the people seemed to be doing, they did it with a lot more dedication and passion than probably traders i see on KL streets. perhaps because the state does not get sufficient funds from the federal government (being opposition ruled) and as such, they have a lot more drive. regardless of the conditions, it just to show that people, no matter what skin they are, are able to be driven and passionate about something. no more generalisation on my part :O)
For more pix, check out: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/ypooiling/KotaBaru
