Motormouth’s Travel Ideas – Of Eating Bees & Watching Sunset @ Kota Bharu, Kelantan
November 29, 2012 | 10,553 views
Remember this post? When I embarked on a partial food tour (I was working, remember?) to Kota Bharu, Kelantan back in March this year. Fast forward 8 months later, and the state has become even more famous than before! Though for all the absurd reasons played out due to raging political wars between opposing factions.
Let’s leave the circus to the clowns.
Ayam percik, nasi dagang, solok lada, White House kopitiam, Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah, Wakaf Bharu, Satay Malaysia and Siamese temples? Checked. So what else have I missed? PLENTY.
Grand River View Hotel @ Kota Bharu may not be positioned in the most strategic location yet within walking distance to some tourist spots like Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah and the many attractions around this part of town.
More importantly, the hotel offers the pleasure of a sunset view shimmering beyond the river of Kelantan; every evening at around 6.30pm from the comfort of the lounge, or you can walk along the paved banks of the river.
We spent the night in Grand River View (GRV) Hotel (about RM200+ per room, corporate rate). No complaints, though I have not stayed in Renaissance Kota Bharu Hotel before, and seemingly that’s the gold standard in town. The other hotel I have experienced staying in was New Pacific Hotel (www) which I personally felt was a far cry from the rest; in a negative way though.
The unobstructed view across the Kelantan river and accessibility to several places of interest within the vicinity rendered the hotel choice relevant, especially if you’re not keen on driving out to far-fetched places.
Still, it’s best to plan for your own transportation when in Kota Bharu; either rent-a-car at the airport (in the realms of RM80 for smaller cars to RM150 for sedans per day), or hire a cab (daily rates apply; depending on the hours and places you intend to fit into your itinerary). Public modes of transportation include town buses and cabs, however are not as convenient as you think as the number of cabs plying the roads is minimal as opposed to the larger towns in Peninsular Malaysia.
Retaining the old school charm of colour-frosted glass windows with steel panes; this building is situated adjacent to the hotel; named Lee Rubber Building.
The junction of Jalan Post Office Lama and Jalan Tengku Besar can be a terribly busy one to cross during peak times. Remember Capital Nasi Dagang? That insanely popular breakfast joint is located to the left of this picture. Within 5 minutes’ walk from the hotel.
Ridel Hotel is a more economical option with riverfront cafes running parallel on ground level. At this block named Pelangi Mall next to the newly-built Menara Tinjau (Observatory Tower) Tambatan Di Raja (picture below)
Menara Tinjau Tamtaban Di Raja (Observatory Tower) along the banks of Sungai Kelantan, and the pier for ferries to Kampung Laut.
Bank Kerapu aka Memorial Perang (World War II Memorial) (you can read the detailed bits on Virtual Malaysia) on Jalan Sultan
Side view of Bank Kerapu; from Jalan Post Office Lama. This road leads towards Pantai Cahaya Bulan (used to be named Pantai Cinta Berahi but of course …. if a lady cutting a guy’s hair is prohibited, a beach named Passionate Love has to be a red light district, no?)
Padang Merdeka (Independence Field) sits between Jalan Tengku Besar and Jalan Sultan; halfway between Grand River View and Bank Kerapu (War Memorial). This was the infamous place where the British exhibited the body of a brave Kelantanese warrior; Tok Janggut (read about his story HERE in Malay)
The impressive Malay-inspired architectures of the landmarks in town deserve a walkabout even in the most unpleasant of weathers. Okay … try late afternoon before the sun sets and you shall be rewarded with sun-kissed shots like above. (side profile of Muhammadi Mosque)
Masjid Muhammadi (Muhammadi Mosque) is a large state mosque at the junction of Jalan Sultan and Jalan Sultanah Zainab; was built in 1867 and spans more than 10,000 sq ft!
Gerbang Kota Sultan Ismail Petra (Sultan Ismail Petra Arch) along Jalan Sultanah Zainab is the most recognizable landmark that represents Kota Bharu, Kelantan aside from Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah.
Istana Jahar within the perimeter of the ground beyond the Sultan Ismail Petra Arch was buit in the 19th century by the ruler named Sultan Muhammad II for his grandson; Long Kundur Bendahara.
Istana Balai Besar (Palace of Great Hall) was built in 1840 as the main palace of Sultan Muhammad II to replace the older palace named Istana Kota Lama along Kelantan River
Walking around town in Kota Bharu is generally safe during daytime, but caution should be in place when you are alone in the darker hours as the vicinity can be rather desolated. Go in a group or take a cab instead.
Pre-war shophouses still retaining the quaint charm albeit dilapidated along Jalan Post Office Lama, northbound towards Pantai Cahaya Bulan
Dinner at Chengmai Thai Food Restaurant at Kampung Kulim, Wakaf Baru; beside the railway tracks about half an hour’s away from town. The traffic was horrendous thus the journey took slightly longer than usual.
Don’t puke, but this was a plate of surprisingly palatable (okay, to me at least) plate of Fried hornets (tebuan in Malay) and larvae with red chillies, garlic and spring onion. (RM15/USD5)
And a damn spicy piece of steamed fish (Pla Khengsom) in a fiery, orange-hued broth with water convolvulus and what seemed to be slices of bamboo shoots. (RM24/USD8)
Clockwise from top left : Pandan Chicken (RM2/USD0.70 each), Tom Yum Seafood (RM15/USD5), Deep Fried Kangkung (Water Convolvulus) (RM5/USD1.70) and Steamed Squid in Spicy Lemon Broth (RM8/USD3)
Dousing the heat with fresh coconut water and boiled longan drinks @ Chengmai Thai Food Restaurant
Nestled deep within the residential area of Kampung Kulim in Wakaf Baru, Tumpat; you will stumble upon several Thai restaurant with interesting (yet unimaginative) names.
Chengmai, Bang Kok, Phuket, etc. Not along the same row, as the alleys spiral beyond recognition plus the restaurants are located intermittently between houses and what-could-be farms.
This was my second visit to Chengmai Thai Food Restaurant, a pork-free establishment serving pretty authentic Thai fares. Kelantan shares the border with Golok town in southern Thailand, much like how Pengkalan Hulu in Perak shares with Betong. The Thai influences are very apparent in Kelantan especially eateries around this area of Tumpat.
The three of us walloped 6 dishes; with beads of sweat on forehead and fanning the tongues and all. Spicy? Yes. Some dishes can be unbearably-burning hot if you’re not used to spicy food. The Fried hornets (a type of wasp/bees) appeared to be very appalling; imagine spoonfuls of crispy critters – wings, feet and all balanced by creamy bites of larvae, yet if you close your eyes … the experience was almost like eating crunchy anchovies stir-fried with lots of chillies and garlic.
Almost.
Still beating the Starbucks, Coffee Bean’s and Old Town’s, Kedai Kopi White House deserves more than a pat on the back for the adamant stand on keeping things simple and traditional. Though this time around, the Chinese boss irked us a little by subtly shooing us from our seats to give way to other customers even BEFORE I finished my coffee!
And we come to the SUNSET part of the story. A cloudy evening marred the experience, yet nothing beats watching a sun sets; clear or otherwise.
Let me share stories about one of the largest reclining Buddha in Asia built in Kelantan of all places, Nasi Kukus (famous steamed rice), Nasi Ulam, Nasi Air and Cholek (fritter snacks) by Pantai Cahaya Bulan when I have the time.
Right now? Go discover Malaysia. Don’t let heritage dies because the other countries are doing it better in reaching out to travellers.
GRAND RIVER VIEW HOTEL (www)
GPS Coordinates : 6.129279,102.234145
KELANTAN TOURISM INFORMATION CENTRE (www – for more information and town maps)
Jalan Sultan Ibrahim, 15050 Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Tel No : +609-748 5534/748 3543
CHENGMAI THAI RESTAURANT
No. 107, Kampung Kulim,
Wakaf Baru, Tumpat, Kelantan
GPS Coordinates : 6.121577,102.202912
** Hungry for more travel stories? Try browsing through Motormouth’s Travelogues.
great views as usual…
I am curious how they remove the poision or sting part of the hornet.. we certainly wouldnt wanna eat that!
[Reply]
I’ve been living in Kelantan all my life but you know details of every building in Kelantan more than i do 🙂
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
December 14th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Hi Arlida, I could be just curious and inquisitive. 🙂
[Reply]
El último nombre de la marca es un gimnasio instructores de fitness. Si usted pone en los calzados de actividades deportivas a participar en las actividades en el gimnasio, después de que sus pies realmente debe sentirse incómodo.
[Reply]
With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright
violation? My site has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it looks like a
lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my permission.
Do you know any methods to help stop content from being ripped off?
I’d really appreciate it.
[Reply]
Another factor will be the resolution, which determines
the high quality of picture. Just remember to always pay focus
on the sort of sensor within the digital camera that you’re looking to get as it’ll directly impact the quality of one’s digital photos.
A traditional LCD uses a ‘Cold Cathode Florescent Lamp’ (CCFL) since the
backlight.
[Reply]
The key to this system is to find good teams over a home-stand which
might be currently playing well. ‘ In most circumstances the top seeds are more more
likely to look ahead to what could be progressively better opponents each round,
while the top underdog can only focus around the task taking place.
As just a few fact, die hard sports enthusiasts would
even spare their “not-so-free” time just to look at the telecast of their
most favorite sports. Contact the best Price per Head service as it is time for it to enhance your business like a bookie.
You could be betting to win, so that you have to do everything possible to produce sure that
you simply’re stacking the percentages with your
corner as an alternative to against yourself. “*) If you lose bet B, you do the same thing again: you bet enough to get back the amount you hoped to win in bet A, plus the total amount you lost in bet A, plus the amount you lost in bet B. There are different approaches to select a sportsbook, for instance basing the decision for the experience which you have (as being a bettor). The majority of punters that lose money on horse racing try to produce big sums of greenbacks from simply a few dollars. Im always going into the bookies and betting on numerous things, from horses to roulette, sports and dogs. It has one rule: The piece you play has got to touch considered one of your existing pieces on one or more corners. One can earn money by other ways to like effective betting. Whatever sort of sports you select to put your bets on, try and anticipate how a trend of winning is moving. The bonus money would double your account and help you place more bets. This is just inform you that sports betting might be created more intriguing and challenging through the wagers that you place. It’s certainly worth noting that La – Hair hasn’t been inside the big leagues everything that long, so plenty of pitchers don’t really know how you can pitch him yet. Some United States banking institutions might prohibit employing their cards for net gambling and that means you may possibly locate your card rejected if you do not know forward of your time whether you might be permitted to utilize it. Find the greyhound race you wish to bet on (greyhound racing normally can be found as option on the left hand menu), there must be button beside your best dog displaying it’s price, select this button and you’ll be given a option just how much you need to stake, enter just how much, press submit, and you’re done. Due to the new guidelines set by Google at the time of February 24th 2011, all articles must be 100% unique. Unfortunately, you will find lots of scammers in gambling and betting. Sports betting odds change often; large variations can be described as a big take into account successful sports betting strategy. There are various sports betting site that one can find. Belmont Stakes Day is probably the biggest betting days from the year. So, in case you’re buying picks at approximately $50 per month, that means you may have to wager at least $3,200 (at 64x) or as much as $14,000 (at 280x) each month just to pay for your cost in the picks, so you better pray that you simply’re never a fraction of the percentage below that 90 percent win rate. The incontrovertible truth that life is becoming so mind numbing, so overwhelmingly featureless, tiresome and completely uneventful why these online platforms are satisfying a need in a psychological vacuum. You’ll join in the game, betting for the cards inside your hand coupled with those around the table, trying to get the very best possible hand.
[Reply]
Otherwise, you risk losing your entire bet due to the fact
you did not understand fully the mechanics of football betting odds.
This article is not necessarily meant for that casual,
low stakes gambler. That may be an awesome chance for you to experience all feelings that includes pro betting while at a similar time
not under excessive pressure (because the money lost or won isn’t too much at this stage).
and now need to share it with others which means you are
aware. You can then help make your way over the Red
Room and out into the Arena at any time. With the arrival of Internet, online wagering,
you are able to now bet horses everywhere you
look. Several articles in the best sports betting systems can be purchased
for bettors to read and acquire tips or picks for the game.
Again, the greater ranked the underdog is, the stronger the edge.
Alan Belcher and Patrick Cote are both very good strikers and finished fights but
I could see a situation here where these are both very safe staying for
the outside which may cause this being a decision. Each and
each year the NFL draft is now more plus much more popular and has become a holiday of sorts for NFL and football fans.
One can generate income by other approaches to like effective betting.
Whatever kind of sports you decide on to put
your bets on, try and anticipate how a trend of winning is moving.
When it occurs myself I just tell mysel that is how the card fall
sometimes. Most governments of countries are dying
to prevent this industry not knowing this also improves the country’s business economy and helping
unemployed people get employed. It’s certainly worth noting that La – Hair hasn’t been inside
the big leagues all of that long, so a great deal of pitchers don’t really know how you
can pitch him yet. Moving back to our betting edge estimation, let’s take a glance at two examples where you might have 10% ROI
on the fairly large sample of bets:. Businessman Donald Trump (64-1) can be a longshot to win the Republican nomination, oddsmakers say.
You, being an affiliate, are capable of doing this by word of mouth,
directing traffic on your website to your particular sports betting website and advertising.
While betting on any game what ought to be followed will be your
knowledge of the overall game and what your intuition or good sense says.
Dhoni’s fairytale career may obtain a boost, if he picks the 2009
World Cup. Libido Enhancers including Viagra, Cialis, Kamagra and another
form of actual or generic sexual enhancement
medication. Do you need some help with placing bet about the 2014 Kentucky
Derby using odds. This way you adopt advantage of
inaccurate spread by handicappers. Sure you can find some improvements, nevertheless its hard to argue that they’re so important an upgrade is necessary.
This is an additional reason why it is important that
you just have choose and pick your spot with March Madness betting.
[Reply]