Kelantan by road is a whole new experience for Khairul Ashraf Kammed, who finds confidence at the wheel of a sturdy SUV
KELANTAN has a special place in my heart. From food and culture, to shopping and hospitality, the State nicknamed Negri Cik Siti Wan Kembang after a beautiful princess, never disappoints.
I remember attending a food festival organised by the State government five years ago with my friend, Yusman Suudi. Our media group flew there from Kuala Lumpur.
Ah, the glorious food. By just thinking of this is enough to make my heart race and want to make a trip there instantly.
But for now, I have to be extra patient and refrain from thinking about the food as, this time around, we’re taking the road from Kuala Lumpur.
On regular days, the journey takes seven to eight hours of driving, depending on the traffic and during festive seasons, the drive can take up to 13 hours even via the East Coast Expressway.
Thankfully, we are driving in the Peugeot 2008 Urban SUV and the night drive is cool.
NIGHT RIDERS
The plan is to reach Tok Aman Bali Beach Resort on Pantai Bisikan Bayu (Beach of Whispering Wind) in Pasir Putih by 6am on Saturday. So, right after dinner with my family, I pick up Yusman at his house in Gombak. With the destination and route set on my mobile GPS apps, we head for Karak Highway and reach the Gombak Tol Plaza at about 10.30pm.
Yusman takes over the wheel when we reach the Pahang-Terengganu border as we enter Jalan Jabor-Al Muktafi Billah Shah.
We only make one stop at Padang Air Tepoh in Kuala Terengganu to fill up petrol though the interactive panel in the car shows enough petrol for another 120km and Tok Aman Bali is within only 103km away. Better safe than sorry.
At 5.15am we reach our first destination, 45 minutes earlier than estimated. After checking in, we drag our tired feet and luggage to our room with only one thing on our mind — sleep.
MUDDY NOODLES, GREASY ROTI
We wake up just in time to have tea with resort operations manager Zulkifli at Sutera Bayu Coffe House. He suggests trying the area’s specialty — Maggi ketam — available in many places but the most famous stall serving this specialty is Alemy Maggi Ketam in Cherang Ruku.
The restaurant only opens in the evening till early morning but a huge crowd, from celebrities to politicians, food lovers and curious, come for its simple yet flavoursome noodle dish that combines a mud crab and instant noodle, cooked and served in a claypot. A serving is between RM20 to RM50 but crab lovers will not balk at the price.
The taste is like the usual chicken flavoured instant noodles or soto ayam but the taste of garlic is very apparent. Customers don’t really get to choose the flavour of the soup but I don’t think they really care as the dish is just perfect the way it is.
While we’re still at the beach area, we take the opportunity to take the SUV through villages and along narrow and winding lanes all the way to the seaside. It’s a smooth drive with superb beach scenery and charming villages.
We have an opportunity to see how fish crackers and salted fish are produced. It is heart-warming to talk to the camera-shy villagers who despite their shyness, are proud and happy to explain each step of the process, like hosts of a cook show!
After the crab noodle and the fish crackers, I have one more dish on my wish list — roti canai gear box, unique to Kelantan. The roti canai is like any other served elsewhere in the country but instead of being served with curry or dhal, this comes with a big bowl of beef bone gravy.
For this, we go to the popular Restoran Sabar Menanti in Kubang Kerian, 35km from Pasir Putih. As the name suggests, customers really have to be patient for their orders to arrive as the restaurant is amost always packed.
But it’s worth the wait and the large-sized gear box (bones) curry can be shared among three adults with each having two plain roti canai. And the total bill is RM25!
PLAYING SHADOWS
It’s time to check out from Tok Aman Bali Beach Resort and head for our next destination, Kota Baru, about 50km north of Pasir Puteh.
Kota Baru is a vibrant city that comes alive in the evenings with many cultural activities, most initiated with the aim to preserve the unique art and culture.
We see a dikir barat performance near a square at Menara Jam Tambatan Diraja. There are other traditional performances too. These shows are highly popular with locals who come to watch with friends and families.
We check into a city hotel that sits on the bank of Sungai Kelantan. The four-star Grand Riverview Hotel, which has just undergone a RM5 million facelift, continues the warm Kelantanese hospitality we felt at Tok Aman Bali Beach Resort but in a slightly different setting as it overlooks the bustling city.
The next morning, our cultural exploration continues. A representative from Jasa Teratai Holidays brings us to a famous tok dalang, Pak Dain, in Palekbang, 6km from the city.
Pak Dain is not only a puppet master but he is also a master craftsman who loves the art so much that he has set up his on wayang kulit gallery. The six-year-old shadow puppet gallery showcases a myriad of shapes, sizes, colours or shadow puppets of different characters. Most of these puppets are made by Pak Dain and his students.
The 62-year-old craftmaster has spent his whole life to ensure the art lives on in the younger generation. To make it more relevant to modern times, Pak Dain has even introduced new stories and created a popular show based on the Star Wars films. This has also received rave reviews from overseas.
I’m pleased to learn that Pak Dain also offers homestay for those interested in learning the art of shadow puppetry. Visitors will also have a chance to create their own puppets to bring home as souvenirs.
It’s such a waste of time to stay in the hotel room when there is so much happening in the city, so we spend our last night shopping at the popular night market, Wakaf Che Yeh.
Sleek urban adventurer
THE Peugeot 2008 Urban SUV is very reliable. Not only is it spacious and comfortable especially for those with small families but it is also fuel efficient. For the 1,645km journey, we only had to fill up petrol to the max thrice!
When it comes to manoeuvrability, I feel confident taking sharp curves at high speed. The car has good acceleration and torque which enables us to overtake larger vehicles with ease.
Its suspension offers comfort when driving on uneven surfaces.