Travel experiences: Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia

It’s been a while since I last went to Kuala Terengganu. 5 years to be exact. Although this is where I was raised, I have no more connections to this town anymore. My parents moved with me to Kuala Lumpur 3 years ago and I have no more relatives here. I’ve become a tourist in my own backyard.

Things have changed quite a bit here. The last time I was here, the state was being administered by the opposition party. There was a different Chief Minister in charge and because it was ruled by the opposition, federal government funding was lacking and the state government had to depend on internal sources to develop the stat. You could see the evidence of the lack of federal government funding. Deelopment had slowed down to a minimal.

But now, look a the rate the state is developping. The road into Kuala Terengganu itself is being upgraded from two lanes to four lanes. Traffic is building up all over the state. This once quiet town is now becoming a hustling and bustlig city. A bit of nostalgia hits me as I pass through the residential area which I grew up in. As I pass by the beaches, I remember myself when I was a small kid, swimming in the ocean with friends. Coming to Kuala Terengganu always brings back a lot of memories.

I’ve come to Kuala Terengganu on a business trip. It seems nowadays that’s the only reason I come here anymore. I’ve never been here on holiday. It’s my hometown. Although I haven’t been here often since I moved to Kuala Lumpur, I still regard it as my hometown.

This business trip, is a last minute thing. I only found out 3 days before making this trip. The moment I found out about it, I was ecstatic. I had two meetings with a day off in between. I could use the day off and go exploring, maybe visit some of my old haunts.

I started my day off with a trip to the wet market, the Pasar Besar Kedai Payang. This is still the main focal point of the city. I’m not here to buy any supplies, I just wanted to visit the first floor of the market. The frst floor of the market is made up of small stalls which accommodates a large number of small batik and songket retailers. There are a few bronze and handicraft stalls, but the majority of the stalls are occupied by the batik outlets.

Things haven’t changed here much. The first floor is still bustling with a lot of activities. Batik from Terengganu has always been of high quality and buyers from all over the country come ot this market to buy batik. Batik of many colours and designs decorate