Phong Hong Bakes: My Chinese New Year in Kuala <b>Terengganu</b>

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 03:55 PM PST

It was my last day in Kuala Terengganu. And please excuse me as this is a rather self-indulgent post. You might find it boring so it's OK with me if you skip this one :)

My brother and I decided to go down memory lane by taking a drive downtown. I wanted to see the old haunted house we once lived in, our old kindergarten, primary and secondary school and Kampung Cina. I also wanted to go to Pantai Batu Burok as I have not been there for a long time.

I sat in the car and took a shot of the side view of the house.

Our first stop was the government quarters at Batu Burok. The area has changed quite a bit. Looks cleaner and more modern. I had to have a look at that old house.

Front of the house.

The trees and shrubs have been trimmed and it looks a lot brighter. More sunlight all around and I suppose the "ular-ular" have been exorcised. Gulpss...

I felt like a stalker taking clandestine shots at the house. Or a papparazzi stalking a celebrity.

As we were driving out (first round stalking the house) we realized that the house is so near the beach. We decided to stop and take a short walk.

Saw some people taking a dip. From their car registration plate, looks like they are from the west coast.

It is a pity that the beach was littered with all sorts of rubbish. If only all of us would clean up after ourselves, our environment would be cleaner.

Colourful kites for sale. If I were 8 years old, I would have insisted on one.

Next stop was the Pantai Batu Burok. I am not much of a photo journalist. Forgot to take photo of the signboard that said "Taman Awam Pantai Batu Burok".

Inflatable toys for sale. Luckily my nephew and niece were not around hee..hee...

We parked and walked to the beach. And we stared at the sea.

It was hypnotic watching the waves come to shore and hearing the sound of the breaking waves. "Don't stand too close, ah...", I warned my brother.

My brother attracted to the waves. Now you can roughly guess my size.

He was clearly enjoying the sights. "I want to get closer", he told me. "OK. But not too close". Like I mentioned before, I am a scaredy cat. Waves also scared.

The waves were picking up momentum and I guess the tide was rising. I could see the waves getting taller and the water was inching closer.

There is still a 6 year old inside me and I had visions of jaws sharks jumping out of the water. Or the "raksaksa" from the old Ultraman series or Godzilla rising from the waters. It was a beautiful but frightening sight (for me lah. Other people not scared of the sea). This was the distance between me and the water at slightly past 10:00am.

This was where we stood. Not too close to the edge.

The water coming closer.

Getting stronger and stronger.

I was getting ready to run.

About 40 minutes later it was this close. Cabut!!!

Never underestimate the power of the waves. They are very strong and can pull you under.

It has been awhile since I walked on sand. I saw some seashells.

And in spite of this sign.....

Together let's keep the cleanliness and beauty of our town.

......the beach was full of litter.

The MBKT (Kuala Terengganu Municipal Council) and the people of Kuala Terengganu (and visitors, please) must make an effort to keep our beautiful beaches clean. This is painful to look at.

We had enough of the waves and crossed over to the playground. As we walked, I spotted the pony rides.

Aren't they cute?

Yeehaw! Gallop...gallop...galllop....

A very young footman.

The carriages were decorated with artificial flowers and ribbons and were very colourful. I saw a few families enjoying the ride.

It looked like fun but me and my brother combined, the pony carriage would have tilted backwards and the poor pony would have had a fright. And so would we. Better not lah.

I used to come to the playground with my cousins when I was small. It has definitely been upgraded with new and colourful stuff.

The old colourful tyres that used to line the periphery of the playground is gone. We kids used to walk on those tyres and see who could maintain their balance longest.

I sat on one of the slides and almost got stuck. And the swing could barely accommodate my girth. I was also afraid that the chain would snap. That would have been embarrassing!

We then proceeded to my first school - St Theresa's Kindergarten. Imagine that! I was a little kid once. I am now an old relic of an alumni.

The kindie is still there and now the whole place is fenced up for security unlike in days past when the world was a lot safer.

Next was my primary school. Memories.....

The school is a lot more beautiful than it was in the old days.

Yes, I was one of the smart alecks who studied here.

Next destination - Kampung Cina (Chinatown), where the Chinese New Year atmosphere was in the air though it was fairly quiet.

I spotted these beautiful shopfronts.

And there were many pretty lanterns hanging in the air.

The Chinese Temple in Kampung Cina.

Some of the old buildings have been converted into bird hotels and you can distinctly hear the boids birds when you walk past.

I must really check out these restaurants next time.

This is a very old restaurant. I have been here when I was a little girl.

And being a plant lover, I couldn't help taking a snap at the foliage.

This was taken at the beach.

Our last stop was to "tapau" lunch. Our favourite Malay food stall is Binjai. Just say Binjai and our stomachs will growl.

The selection of dishes is rather good. I want to taste everything but I only have one stomach.

Fish head curry. We are earmarking this for our next trip. But don't know when.

Don't know what is this. Looks like satay but it is not.

Gulai daging. This beef curry was delicious but the meat was tough that day. Could use another 30-45 minutes of stewing.

Kari ikan merah. Very tempting.

Grilled fish.

Raw wing beans for ulam.

The sayur lemak. Very good.

Ayam masak merah. A bit different from the west coast style but it was delicious.

Chicken curry.

Fried chicken.

Fried fish. Looks good doesn't it?

And after paying for the food, we had to make our way home. Along the way, I snapped more pictures. I don't know the name of this place but it is behind the Kedai Payang.