we started off around 6.30 in the morning on Tuesday and made our way to the East Coast. the trip was meant for my sister who was called for an interview by USM. a few weeks back she sat for a written test and apparently she was shortlisted for the interview.
my mom was a bit put off by the distance, but she gave in after her colleagues told her to let my sister try her hands in the interview. it was a short notice and thinking that it was on a weekday, i was prepared to go there with my sister if my parents couldn't take any leave from work. i've been dying to go to Kelantan for so long, and would have been there long before if not for the long traveling hours.
we had breakfast at Muadzam shah and continued the journey to Terengganu. i am really not in favor of the roads, and if not for the great things on the other side i'd rather not go on another trip that use those narrow roads. please make a real highway from Segamat throughout the East Coast. but then i guess we couldn't see those awesome views like now, right? owh, and i'd love to have a stop in Besut and enjoy the beach plus the architecture, but we didn't have a lot of time.
after we arrived in KB in the evening, we checked in our room and decided to go around the town. it'd be a waste to stay in the room after the 10 hours we spent in the car.
first, we went to Wakaf Che Yeh but the sellers have just started to set up their stalls. so we decided to try our luck for Bazaar Buluh Kubu. alas, they were already closed when we found the place. we turned back and tried to find Wakaf Che Yeh again using the GPS and the worst thing happened. the GPS led us into a residential area with smaller-than-veins lane. we continued to follow it's instructions thinking probably it's a shortcut or something, while saying it's weird all the time. after some time and a few wrong turns later, my dad asked a couple of teenage boys we saw and thankfully they told us the right way out from there. so much for the help, dear GPS.
then, found Wakaf Che Yeh again and we walked amongst the endless stalls of clothes, shoes and accessories. mom was actually there for food and i was too tired to look at other things. we were content with the Nasi Kerabu, Akok and Pulut Dakap that we finally found :p the Akok and Nasi Kerabu was delicious. i think that the Nasi Kerabu was a bit too pricey though, especially when another stall sells it's Nasi Kerabu for only RM2. we had to pay RM12 for two packets of rice with a piece of chicken, one medium size fish, one solok lada and a bit of Kerabu Sotong.
the next day, we started early again coz my sister's interview was scheduled at 8.30 am. we packed all our belongings coz the initial plan was to head back home on that very day. we arrived around 8 at USM and there were a lot of students, of course they don't have the same semester break like other courses. after the registration, my sister was told that there would be three stages; interview, screen test and quiz. the officer said that the sessions ended around 2 pm, the day before. so we left her there and went to town.
the first stop was Pasar Siti Khadijah. there were a lot of keropok, serunding, budu and everything else. almost every stall was manned by ladies and they'd call out to you the moment they saw you coming their way. of course we had to have breakfast Kelantan style. after walking to and fro coz every stall seems to have yummy food, me and mom opted for Nasi Kerabu, while dad and my brother chose Nasi Dagang. again, they were scrumptious. this time they're cheap, four plates of rice with condiments plus solok lada, salted egg, fish, chicken and chunks of meat was only RM11. we stopped by a stall selling Akok and Baulu. but the one at Wakaf Che Yeh was better. it had more eggs and was more fragrant.
owh one thing i noticed was the green chillies in Kelantan are in a different tone of green than the usual. i wonder why.
with our full tummy, we seek out keropok and other stuff we can find there. then, came Bazaar Buluh Kubu's turn. it was starting to feel hot, lucky mom picked out a place with fans. we spent the longest time at Diana Batik and got somewhat lucky being the first customer of the day. after we were done with shopping, we took some pictures..
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| mom watching a lady painting batik |
as the temperature was sizzling, and my brother wanted to spend the rest of the time waiting for my sister in some place cooler we headed to KB Mall. for those who can recall, it was the place where the tragedy of a car which crashed from the rooftop of the mall and killed two Masterskills' students. the area was closed and there were still repair works going on.
my sister was done by 1 pm and we decided to head back to Kuantan. we arrived there and went straight to have dinner. i was so happy i could eat at Sara Thai Kitchen again :) we ordered Tomyam, the Squid Tempura, Kerabu kangkung, Chicken with cashew nuts and other dishes. i think the Tomyam that i had on the first visit was better tho.
that was the end of the really short trip to Kelantan. i'd like extra time when i go there next time around.
