Once upon a time I worked on the East Coast of the country. I left it in 2001 to embark on my own odyssey, askew from what I thought was my path.
Terengganu is a beautiful state. I rarely return there because of lack of funds to do so over more than two decades – except for one instance.
Day One
It was on the Leap Day of 2024 that we began the drive. We booked a hotel room some time earlier, and with some extra bonus, we embarked on our journey. The drive was the same as any of our previous drives back to Pasir Mas, but this time we went straight on along the Jeli road all the way to Jerteh, without turning north at Panglima Bayu or Tanah Merah. We turned towards Kuala Jerteh. For some reason, I found the exact same random shop lots that I took a photo of seven years ago in this blog post.
From Kuala Jerteh, it was a direct route towards Pantai Penarik, then turn south along the coastline. It was route which I have not taken for almost three decades. I remember the road being peaceful by the beach. But when we reached the beach for lunch. I was struck by the beautiful vista before us: the blue ocean, the crashing waves and the dark clouds lining the horizon.
After checking into the hotel some hours later, we went exploring Dungun. Teluk Gadong, the river estuary beside the UiTM Dungun, the school where Ain did her Diploma in Business Studies.
Later that night we met up with her old course mate for dinner along Jalan Pantai Sura. It was the first of many happy reunions.
Terengganu Day 1
Below: A video of our journey from home. It is NOT nearly everything we experienced but we hope the video captured some of the views and happenings along the way, with a special short feature on our arrival at Pantai Penarik at the end.
Below: A video of us arriving at Teluk Gadong in Dungun, one of the first places we went to on our first date 28 years ago.
Day Two
The second day was a day of more reunions. , we headed south towards Kuantan to meet another of Ain’s former UiTM classmate who lives in Batu Hitam. Ina visited us before when we lived in Pandan Indah. However, her husband Jamal, was at work so we did not get to see him. We did meet her daughter and Greyfield the cat.
Driving back to Kerteh, we turned into Taman Kektus to see my old house where my television and camera was stolen while the neighbours thought I was moving. It was 25 years ago, all neutrino under the space bridge now. We visited my old friend and colleague Awi at his house. (He owns my old house, which is currently deserted.) We planned on meeting whichever old friends present in Kerteh later that night. Like the photos below attest: We had dinner with Awi, Botan and Abu. I wish Teh came with them from the hangar. Also, I was disappointed that Ishak was away on assignment.
For many years I wondered if I made the right decision leaving this industry. I am more or less convinced it was. Without leaving, I would have never found myself teaching English, a job which I love. Over the course of the meal and talks (and laughs) I became certain that it was the right decision. Not because of my friends. I could have easily stayed for them. It was more of a compatibility issue.
Terengganu Day 2
Day Three
Early in the drizzly morning, we checked out and headed for Teluk Gadong once again. We had breakfast there, said hi to the local cats by the beach, then entered the UiTM to check out Ain’s old educational institution. Even I remembered some of the buildings there.
After, we headed back up Jalan Pantai Sura all the way to Kuala Dungun at the estuary of the Dungun River, then set a course up north through Rantau Abang towards Kuala Terengganu. We stopped for prayers at the floating masjid, then headed for lunch at Pantai Batu Buruk. (The entire trip was on a major coastal road, so it was pantais all the way.) It began to drizzle again when we stopped for lunch. Irfan bought cheese sausages which meant he was able to have lunch as the restaurant we went to fudged our order.
Next we looked for keropok lekor. One wrong turn and we went down towards Kuala Nerus instead of Losong. Thankfully there were lots of keropok lekor sellers along the road.
I fell asleep when we reached Penarik once again. When I woke up, we were in terra incognita. It was also getting dark. Following the digital map, those who were awake in the car had found themselves in desolate rural roads. The map insisted it was the right direction. We decided to follow the directions to the bitter end.
Thankfully, there was no bitter end. We ended up travelling through kampungs and popped up by the Pasir Mas-Salor bridge! The road we were on had been following the massive Kelantan River that was shrouded in darkness.
Terengganu Day 3
Below: A video of our journey from home. It is NOT nearly everything we experienced but we hope the video captured the essence of the travel shenanigans.
We arrived in Pasir Mas late that evening, had dinner, then headed for Lubok Tapah at Abang G’s for an overnight rest.
Next morning we had breakfast with Abang G before he went off to work, visited some relatives, and then headed home.
(R-L) Irfan, his uncle Abang G, Ain and I take a group photo upon arrival
