Making love with nature in Terengganu

Terengganu is an eight-hour drive paradise from Kuala Lumpur, untouched and waiting to be explored by people in search for new places to make love with nature.

The east coast state, unexplored even by several Malaysians, is virtually an immense island surrounded by beautiful and pristine white sand beaches.

It has a coastline that stretches to 244 kilometers, facing the South China Sea and is populated only by 1,094,000 people, mostly Malays and the rest Chinese and other ethnics.

The most amazing location within the state is Tasik (Lake) Kenyir, the largest man-made lake in Southeast Asia with 209,199 hectares of water, dotted with 340 islands, which were mountains and hilltops drowned by the damming of the Kenyir River in 1985. 

Each island have its own special features where tourists can visit an island garden of orchids, take a long rainforest trek, swim in Petang River and play with the local fish called Kelah.

The lake also has islands where tourists can enjoy caving, bird and butterfly watching.

Kenyir is also home to nine rescued elephants brought to a 256-hectare village, where hanging bridges have been built for tourists' viewing of the gentle giants.

Ang Ching Yang, managing director of the Kenyir Elephant Village, said only small batches of tourists are allowed to have an up-close interaction with the elephants.

Yang said 21 more elephants will soon be brought to the village.

Tourists get an opportunity to play with elephants at the Kenyir Elephant Village in Terengganu.

Tourists should be prepared to take long boat trips and should allot a whole day to be able to explore the lake's several islands.

Boat rides to get to specific islands in the vast Tasik (Lake) Kenyir can last up to more than 60 minutes. 

Probably one of the most scenic beaches in the world can be found in Redang Island (Pulau Redang), still within Terengganu.

The island is surrounded by resorts, including the Laguna Redang Island Resort, which offers a spectacular view of the royal blue sky and the sea.

The scenic view of the beach at the Laguna Redang Island Resort.

From Redang Island, tourists can be brought by ferries to Pinang Island, the best spot for snorkeling as it is surrounded by a rich coral reef, which is a sanctuary of marine species.

Malaysia's rich culture and values can be felt and seen in the coastal state, which was roused from poverty after the discovery of oil in its territorial waters.

Food and songket

Local food and handicrafts are also main tourist attractions of the state.

Its most famous breakfast food is Nasi Dagang, a dish with a combination of rice, steamed in coconut milk and tuna curry. It is best eaten with vegetable pickles.

Also famous in Terengganu is the keropok, a chewy roll made from flour and fish that is best eaten with the local hot sauce made from sugar, vinegar, tamarind and dried chili.

It also has a local coconut-milk based soup called Laksa Terengganu, which consists of rice noodles, bean sprouts, cucumber, long beans mixes with shrimp paste cubes and chili paste.

The local desserts are similar with the Philippines' kakanin, which are mostly made with sweet glutinous rice. The difference, however, is that majority of the glutinous rice-based desserts in the coastal state have spicy fish or sweet fish fillings.

Songket and batic are also manufactured locally in Terengganu, particularly in the Noor Arfa Batik center and the Terengganu Handicraft Centre.

The two manufacturing establishments are a must-visit for tourists looking for souvenirs that they can keep or give away to friends waiting at home.

Siti Naimah Nawi, 25, says manually weaving a 2-meter songket takes at least a month.

Most royal among the handicrafts being produced in the two centers is the songket, a two-meter fabric made with silk or cotton which is hand-woven to perfection for at least a month by a single weaver.

Mosques

As the state is mostly populated by Muslims, it is also dotted with mosques, which are also being offered as tourists spots within Kuala Terengganu.

At the Islamic Civilization Park, people can go on a boat tour around the island, where there are 21 miniatures of famous mosques and monuments. At the end of the park is the famous Crystal Mosque.

The Crystal Mosque in Kuala Terengganu

The Floating Mosque is also a must-visit area in Kuala Terengganu. It is built on a five-acre reclaimed land in the lagoon of Ibai River. The peaceful place would seem to float as its foundations would be covered by water during high tide.

The state also has a 27-hectare museum, which showcases the rich culture of Terengganu. The museum, established in 1996, consists of four blocks, a Maritime museum, a landscaped area and five bigger versions of traditional Malay houses.

The museum displays the local textiles, crafts, historical artifacts related to Islam, the process of developing the local oil industry, the local flora and fauna. It also has a gallery of instruments used in ancient Malay astrology.

One of the most awesome displace in the museum is a decades-old handwritten Quran.

Click here for more information on Terengganu and tourist destinations in the coastal state.