The Very ‘Dense’ Tumpat
Second day in Kota Bharu astonished us even more as we are having our breakfast at the White House. No kidding! In case you didn’t hear us right, we are having our breakie at the White House Kopitiam! Situated in front of the state mosque along Jalan Sultanah Zainab, this kopitiam (hokkien: coffee shop) is among the oldest and they serve coffee the old style! Recommended is their toast bread serve with home-made ‘kaya’ (Malaysia style jem) and ‘kaw’ (means strong and thick) white coffee. This place is sure famous as it was crowded and you have to queue to get seated. Sorry, no decent photos as camera are disallowed in the premise. Breakfast never feels so much presidential like this before!
We then make a move towards the duty free zone of Pengkalan Kubur, in the district of Tumpat. En route to Pengkalan Kubur, we arrived at Chabang Empat, a small town 25km from Kota Bharu. Chabang Empat means crossroads, and the place is simply that. The Kelantanese are very practical in naming their villages, being a simple village folk. From our observations, most places in Kelantan are usually named over everyday objects that perhaps associated with the history or the establishment of the place. I couldn’t help myself from noticing signboards with striking names; sometimes a little too morbid. For instance we are bypassing a village called ‘Talak’ which means divorce in Malay, and ‘Bunohan’ which means killing. Even the Pengkalan Kubur direct translation means ‘Grave Base’. But one thing for sure, one signboard really makes me feel welcomed and homely. And I didn’t find it anywhere else in Malaysia except in Tumpat, Kelantan.
Signboard bearing my name! Unfortunately I was too lazy to find out where or what it is heading to.
Chabang Empat
What’s interesting about Chabang Empat is that, each intersections lead to an enormous Buddha constructed in various positions. The first intersection to the left will lead you to a sleeping Buddha, while the straight route towards Pengkalan Kubur is heading for the sitting Buddha. You could find the standing Buddha by taking the right intersection. This is due to the fact that Tumpat is mostly occupied by the Siamese, being in proximity to the Narathiwat Province of Thailand. Startlingly, in the mostly predominant Muslim state you could find a lot of temples and wats of such sizes, and this really shows that Islam really promotes religion and culture tolerance and such teachings are reflected in their way of life.
The reclining Buddha at Wat Photivihan. The Buddha statue is believed to be about forty meters long and claimed as the longest statue of a sleeping Buddha in South East Asia.
More gigantic Buddha in various meditating positions
A shringe within the vicinity of the Wat with Thai's architectural influence
The sun is so harsh we decided to seek refuge at a nearby stall and enjoy the refreshing coconut drinks.
The biggest sitting buddha of South East Asia could be found at Wat Machimmaram. The 30-metre-high, 47-metre-wide statue of Buddha is sitting cross-legged on top of the shringe.
We continue our journey to Pengkalan Balak for some shopping, being well-known as the duty-free zone. Unfortunately, I didn’t help much in boosting the economy here as nothing really catches my eyes. Most of the selling items are ‘pasar malam’ standards that are easily acquired in Kuala Lumpur plus the prices are not that cheap. There is in fact another duty-free zone in Kelantan which is at Rantau Panjang, some 25km from Pengkalan Balak; however being frustrated with the quality of the selling stuffs at Pengkalan Balak, we ditch the idea.
On the way to Pengkalan Kubur. Being in close proximity to the border, police post is a common sight here. The tight security is to ensure control over the high rate of smuggling activities.
Pengkalan Kubur Duty-Free Complex
By a few meters, we would be in another country already.
Very much later. We are having our dinner by the sea at Pantai Cahaya Bulan (Moonlight Beach). Enjoying hot Thai-style dishes while listening to the lapping of the waves and the gentle murmur of sea breeze is heavenly. The above image shows how the beach earned its name (again, this proves our theory that Kelantanese are very practical people).
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