Monday, June 16, 2008

Ganu June 13, 2008

She is an absolute beauty: Long, slim body that demand attention from all, strangers and kins alike. Her body moves gracefully as though swaying with the gentle breeze of the sea. Yet, she remains shy, almost afraid to reveal her true beauty to many. Perhaps, under her soft appearance, lies a secret to be told. One, that has helped her to mature and make her the lady she is. But I have yet to discover neither her full beauty, nor her secrets, yet.

We left Gombak at around 10.30am, making a 30minutes stop at the Genting Sempah R&R for a light meal. Less than 3hours later, we made another short stop at another R&R for a short break. Not accustomed to having a camera with me when I travel, I did not begin to take any shots until we reached Marang, where we stopped to buy Nira. (Please click to enlarge pictures).
The Nira was not fresh and had some pong when the bottle was opened.

Some of the dried delicacies on sale at the Nira stall. Being a food heaven, Ganu definitely is not.

Driving at an average of 100-110kmph - have to, with the 2 emaks as my passengers - we arrived at KT around 6pm and made our way to the Jambatan Sultan Mahmud to meet the owner of the Homestay, where we spent 2 lovely nights.
Another homestay unit being added at the rear of the one we stayed.
Front entrance of the homestay.

Staying in Pakatan Riverside Homestay was akin to renting an apartment or chalet. In fact, I would rate Pakatan as a better stay. Apart from the family privacy it affords, it is actually located on the banks of Sungai Terengganu! The family who owns and operates the place, also operates a fiberglass shipbuilding and jet ski enterprise. Encik Shahid, the eldest son, was very friendly and accommodating to us and we were very happy and thoroughly satisfied with our stay there; I would seriously recommend their homestay to anyone wanting to visit Terengganu.

Perhaps, the only downside - if there is any - is that they do not have a house fronting the sea. The lapping sound of the waves, can be soothing to the ears at night, serenading one to sleep. For the more creative mind, it may allow their creative juice to escape and be free of inhibitions.
Almost like home - with Astro and a complete kitchen, minus the goods.
I think this blue t-shirt mamat was trying to tow those jet skis to the river by himself!
Fortunately, Azman - my cousin, my uncle - was standing at the rear gate to the Olympic-size swimming pool behind the homestay.

Later that same evening, we went to a kopitiam (name not mentioned due to obvious reasons to be read later) which Makcik Yam had read in the papers. Well, she was actually craving for KB's White House Kopitiam but since we were not heading there, had to settle for a not so satisfying meal. And after the meal, while Azman and his family went off elsewhere, I took the 2 emaks to Pantai Batu Buruk for some night air.
(l to r) Makcik Yam, Emak, Midah, Jazlan, Abby and Azman
A strange concoction - teh tarik and a slice of orange fruit.
About the only notable dish - popiah kahwin.

While the 2 emaks talked their talk, I strolled the beach alone. On the way back, I saw an old man talking to the 2 emaks and saw my emak handing out some money to him. Dressed in sarong and a simple shirt, the man claims to be a patient at the hospital nearby and was suffering from a liver problem. I neither believe, nor disbelieve, as I was reminded of a story told to me on my first solo drive around the peninsular, reaching KT along the way.

Then, a certain official was riding his horse on the beach when an old man coming out of nowhere crossed his path. Perhaps taken by surprise, the official was enraged. He dismounted, went to the old man and slapped his face. The official then went back and mounted his horse. But as he did so, the horse stood on its hind legs throwing the official off. He fell to the ground and suffered a cracked skull. Leaving the hospital many months later, the official went back to the spot where he fell and waited for the old man to seek forgiveness - he did not find him. For many years after that, the official would walk the beach with the same intention, and at the same time handing out money to help the poor he finds there. I don't know how far true the story is, but take it as it is.

Anyway, next morning instead of the planned 2 cars to join the groom's convoy, only Azman and his family went - the 2 emaks decided not to go to rest their aching bodies. With age, I guess a good night's sleep was not enough to rest their body from a 6hours journey. Quite understandable, and I decided to follow suit. Only that, in the later part of the morning just before the ladies have their nap, I went off on my own to Batu Buruk. I could not venture far just in case the 2 ladies needs me. Further, I was also to bring their lunch.
The 2 lovely emaks.
Azman and his family.
Hmm...that same blue t-shirt guy who tried to tow those jet skis...again!
Wonder whose feet and bandaged toe this belong to?

Sitting alone absorbing the sounds and scenery of the beach was perhaps - to me - the highlight of the short stay there. I don't need to visit the Islam Hadhari Park, nor the masjids within, if visiting them was for the purpose of gawking at millions of ringgits that could have been better spent elsewhere. Did I not mentioned I love being alone with my thoughts only? I did not? Oh well...there were more interesting...er, shall we say, subjects to look at and talk to; what's a visit to Ganu if one does not soak in the beauty.
Fiza and Yatie; 2, er...natural beauty.

If I had not, I don't think its fair to bore you with other details of the day there.

On Sunday morning before departing back, we had a delicious breakfast of Nasi Dagang and Nasi Kerabu.
The Nasi Dagang which was packed in cone shape, had me fooled for a moment thinking it was Nasi Tumpang.

Before leaving KT, we simply had to make 2 stops to buy keropok lekor - once in Losong, and the other along the way out of KT. The second stop, 007 stall, I would highly recommend, even if it is just for the sauce.
Can't say for anyone else, but I do like boiled and unfried keropok lekor.
A delight packing. Oops! I mean, being packed.
Boiled, then fried; not shaken, and not stirred: the 007 stall. Though their lekor is darker in colour, it definitely is tastier.

Now, were I traveling alone, I would definitely have made more stops, taking pictures of the scenic spots and the er...natural beauty, which is found in abundance in Ganu. But when one travel with the elderly, then one has to take into consideration of their needs.
A Satar stall at Kemaman. It was not Aziz Satar as bebee suggested as we could not find it.
Shots on the run - one hand on the wheel, while the other clicking away.

Ganu, insyAllah, one day I will return with a better camera and perhaps alone, as I have done in the past. When I do, I will seek your secrets and lay your beauty bare. SubhanAllah.

30 comments:

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

welcome back my man. i concur with you, there are simply abundance of natural beauty there in Ganu. the beaches, the trees, the fizas and the yaties.

so anywayyy....who are these fine beauties again? hehehehhehe...

you know what shah, strolling along the beach would be more meaningful to have someone walking side by side, hand in hand. but of course one needs a valid marriage certificate to do that. layan blues sensorang boleh feeling je, kalau berduaan boleh feel...hehehehe...

ok its 4am, i better quit.

*kirim salam kat Pn Hawa and azman. and fiza, and yatie...

Fatin said...

Assalamualaikum,

I like Terengganu, so peaceful. Ws.

Ydiana said...

Hi Shah

Driving along the Terengganu beach has always this 'lambaian' feeling. Calling out for you to stop and just gaze at its beauty.

Btw, the guy in the blue T-shirt, did you get his name and phone number tak? Handsome lah.. I'm sure you've exchenged numbers with Fiza and Yatie yourself...hahaha

Raina said...

ni yang ambo jeles

mung dok jalang makang2

tak ingak ambo kat KL

mung letok gambo bebyok

aweks jerrr

huahaha..

ambo tergoda arrr

hansem satar tu

ni lagu trategi batu burok ke??

ada tembak2..bunyi siren lak

sekali lagi ambo gi KT

ambo nak tra' makang popiah kawen

mung tak makang

seafood celup tepung??

mung kena gi lagi nehhh..

jaflam said...

Salam Shah,
Good to see that you have enjoyed KT & Batu Buruk and the old cut seemed to be washed away by the salty waves from south china sea.

There is something about Terengganu people, funny but exciting. I used to have a triplet kakak angkat from KT, they spoiled me every time I visited them. And a girl I used to know from SMK Panji Alam, so fair and sweet, she blinded your eyes heheeee.

Hope your next trip will be more exciting and melayan jiwa.

cakapaje said...

Salam kerpie,

Hehe...4am? You must be babbling in your sleep, bro ;)

InsyAllah, I will relay your salam, thanks. But it would rather difficult with fiza and yatie - I don't have their contact number.

cakapaje said...

Wa'alaikumusalam Fatin,

Glad you too like Ganu. And yes, it is peaceful there, the beaches, especially.

cakapaje said...

Salam ydiana,

The guy in the blue t-shirt's contact details? Hmm...I think I do, but how do I pass it to you. He did ask me to be discrete about it. But that guy can kawtim one..nice guy, I think ;)

And no, sadly I did not get Fiza and Yatie's number. I shy shy one, you know :)

cakapaje said...

Salam mk,

Lor...mu kata kawe lotak gambau aweks dan mu tergoda; mu tergoda ngan aweks mano? lol!

Seafood celup tu, kawe tak jumpo pung! Kawe memang cari bab kawe ni gomar makang seafood. Jom, kito rame rame gi Serkam, mu belanja ;)

cakapaje said...

Wa'alaikumusalam Dato',

Alhamdulillah, the sea water did do wonders for my external wound. I wanted to soak longer but time was not on my side.

A triplet kakak angkat? Wow! That really is something! As for the girl, well, I would have to say many Ganu girls I've met are like that - blinding!

Hehe...insyAllah, I will have enjoy the next trip more. Thanks Dato'.

Mek Na said...

to me kepok leko ganu is tastier than kepok leko in penang. apa2 pun K.Trg is like my 2nd home. been there through out my secondary school years. after more than 15 years, still can understand their slang. even yg pekat2 pun :)

Unknown said...

la la la la la la

Unknown said...

teh tarik + orange slices?
wow... Im so going to try it

tokasid said...

Salam Shah minus a toe nail:

A very fruitful trip.Or should it be a very flowerful trip?

Ganu....a beautiful state to visit.Laidback,serene and with raging storms at sea and on the ground.

I was a semi-citizen for 2 years in KT.What I noticed about KT and Ganu: beautiful place but unkept.Poorly maintained esp the scenic spots. Its white sandy beaches(with beatiful lasses in the evening) are littered with...litters.

Recreational areas like Batu Burok and Marang(he road near Sri Malaysia Marang) are well designed and built but unfortunately poorly maintained.How sad.

KT itself is dirty which tarnishes its friendly and relax atmosphere.

The foods in KT will make one salivate from morning till bedtime.You want to taste everything.However what Ganuians cook is not diabetic friendly.

I forgot to tell you 2 nice outlet which serves good nasi dagang.The first one is a stall in Ladang at a junction going to Primula.Another one is at Batu Burok food court.

And there is the famous Hailam Chicken rice also in BB foodcourt.
And there is restoran Warisan at Pak Midin.

As for kepoklekor I like James Bond's 007 and Seberang Takir( near the Ibrahim Fikri school)

And for ikan or sotong or udang celup tepung there's the foodcourt at Telok Ketapang(bodering the Airport).

There is also a very nice Nasi Padang in Kolam.

Your entry made me 'terkenang semasa dulu'.
Thanks bro.

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

doc,

masa kat ganu dulu takde awek ke? or you were already by them?

shah,

ni kes sapu keliling ke fon no simpan sensorang...heheheheh

Salt N Turmeric said...

i only like my keropok lekor, fried and with lotsa sambal. i even learned to eat my fried banana with the same sambal when i lived there. the best!

Anonymous said...

thx pakcik

4 the info

telok ketapang??

kena tanya pakcik google ni

i hope tepungnya crunchy

cicah sos

fuhhh, wallaaaa

alar hai, pakcik ni

terlioq ler pulakkkkk

wei, tiger

bila hg nak banjer cheq ni??

cheq jer dok banjer hg selalu

huahaha

Anonymous said...

mamat t-sert biru tu kan

SB dok cari ler

most wanted ni

hehe..

(^_^)

cakapaje said...

Salam mekna,

I didn't know Penang too have kepo lekor! Hmm...must ask Cikgu about that. On second thoughts, I'll take your word for it. On another, been quite a while since I've been to the island too.

cakapaje said...

Salam Cikgu,

Hehe...someone seem real happy strolling my blog ;)

cakapaje said...

Salam Minci,

Er...when you do, please do not serve me. I mean, I don't mind the queer taste, but its just not my drink.

cakapaje said...

Wa'alaikumusalam Doc,

lol! Now, I have another nick added. Hmm...sound like one of those Native American names though - Shah Minus A Toenail Dancing With Wolves! ;)

Er, Doc, terlewat sikit your memories tu. Otherwise, I could have visited some of them. But thanks anyway, and you are most welcome ;)

cakapaje said...

Salam kerpie,

Lor...if ever, the girls contact me, I'll be sure to give them your number. You see, I have to 'sedar diri' that there is an age gap between me and them, and was reluctant to ask for their number, not wanting to hear 'Orang Tua Gatal' or 'Kubur Kata Mari, Masih Tak Sedar Diri', which have been said to me before although never was my intention then as such.

I know you were just kidding, but that is the truth of my situation. Tu pun, belum add some other insulting words which have been mentioned.

cakapaje said...

Salam Princess,

Hmm...it does seem you have never tried pisang goreng javanese style - with chili, sugar and kicap; you ought to.

cakapaje said...

mk,

Lor...awat pakai anon je.

SB mana yang tak cari den...dah memang beberapa kali kena warning dah. Biorlah mereka.

Nak banjer kopok lekor ori? Nanti time gi Ganu lagi, I banjer ye :)

Bebee said...

Salam Cak!
Sorry lah dah terlewat pulak kali ni... has the train left the station?!
Wanted to apologise for being such a nitwit; should have given complete directions to Aziz Satar...but there will be a next time, right? Many more times?
Hmmm...anak dara siapalah dah kena diambek gambar ni, dapat instant fame!
Cak, tumpang lalu/berkenalan dgn Tokasid, jap. Just to say i do so totally agree with what he said about the abudance of litter in and around the Bandaraya! As orang Teganung i share the shame. May take another generation to create a cleanliness first and a maintenance mentality.

cakapaje said...

Wa'alaikumusalam bebee,

Hehe...the Station Master recalled the leaving train just for you; how kind of them :)

As for Satar, insyAllah, there will be next time. And the anak daras, well, I never did get their parents names ;)

tokasid said...

Shah minus a toe nail:minta laluan.

Salam bebee:During my 2 years as weekend hubby in KT(my wife was posted there for 2 years and I ws a constant weekend KTzen),I will roam KT and the surrounding places.If Kt per se I prefer walking along its roads.If the municipality can take more effort to keep KT clean,KT will be like anak anak dara put on some make up. As it is at the moment KT is like a granny to be.

Just compare to Melaka.15 years ago Melaka is littered too.But the local councils and state gomen took a huge effort.Class F contractors were given task to beautify and clean up Melaka( and we know to whom these contracts went to, but at least a ood job was and is being done).Now Melaka is the cleanest place in Malaysia and it won many awards for the past 5 years.

If KT and other states too can take care of the environment and maintain the parks or recreational areas they developed, that will not waste rakyats money. Its a worthwhile effort.

Unknown said...

Shah,
2 things here. Don't ask me about kepok lekor, I tak makan. Masa di Kelantan pun I tak makan. Kalau keropok saja I makan.

Next is, bila nak mai Penang? You have my number.

cakapaje said...

Cikgu,

Q1: Okay, I won't ask you about kepok lekor.

Q2: Hmmm...tak dapek den nak janji; last I was there was about 3 years ago just before quitting my position. Guess, kalau kita sebut selalu, masin mulut, maka sampailah nanti, insyAllah :)

Honestly, I would love that.