Bismillah

Assalamua'alaikum

Read my previous post about Kelantan:

What to expect at Kelantan ? 

The Best Hotel in Kota Bharu, Kelantan

[PART 1]:The Perdana Trail Programme, A Historical and Heritage Walk

After a break at Din Tokyo, we continue our journey to Instana Jahar (Muzium Adat Istiadat) that was located not far from Din Tokyo. But before we had to Istana Jahar, we have a quick stop at Bank Pitis. Bank Pitis ws the oldest building built during the administrative rule of Sultan Muhammad III locates at the entrance of Istana Balai Besar. The building measuring 12 feet in height  and 12 feet width and was a place to keep the government’s money. “Pitis” mean money in the Kelantanese dialect.

100 meter from the Istana Balai Besar, is te Istana Jahar (Jaha Palace). 

This was a Royal Residence, built by Sultan Muhamad II in 1887 for his gradson, Long Kundur. It has luxurious woodcarving that showcase the excellent Kelantanese craftsmanship. 

The palace has turn into a museum that display old photographs of the royal kinsman, artifacts and traditional handicraft reflecting Kelantan’s rich and sophisticated heritage. In each of the rooms in this palace shows the tradition of the Kelantanese royal culture. 

The highlight of this palace was the carving of the palace, at the walls, spiral staircase and architecture of the palace. We were told by Encik Taha that this palace was built without any nails. Amazing!

Next we visit The Royal Museum (Istana Batu) which displays the traditions and customs of Kelantan Royal Families.  

This palace was built in 1939 during the reign of Sultan Ismail , son of the late Sultan Muhammad IV . The overall design of the palace was inspired by the Sultan Ismail and it was a gift to Sultan Yahya Petra and Raja Perempuan Zainab II as a wedding gift.

After exploring Istana Batu, we head to Handicraft Village to visit The Craft Museum that is also known as Balai Geta Guri that is located across the Istana Batu. 

This is the place for you to buy some souvenirs. Most of the craft are the wood carving, such as the carving of a Purfarfish in a birdhouse, unique bamboo carving, batik and songket.

When you come to the Craft Museum, you must aware of a crowd and mainly they are the local people. This is because there’s a restaurant that is located inside the Craft Museum and has made them to come and enjoy their lunch at Nasi Ulam Cikgu.

It was a full house when we entered Nasi Ulam Cikgu restaurant,  majority are the local people who love to eat Nasi Ulam.  We were so lucky as our seats have already been reserved. Their major attractive are the Nasi Ulam one of the local delicacies among other are Budu (special Sauce), Sayur Lemak,  and Ikan Keli goreng  (fried Catfish).

Our lunch at Nasi Ulam Cikgu consist of two big fried Catfish, two fried chicken, Asam Pedas Ikan Patin, Sayur Lemak, Ikan Goreng, Budu served with Tempoyak, Sambal Pedas, White rice and syrup. This whole set just cost us RM 56.00 per serving for 6 packs. Delicious and Cheap! What more that I can said. While we’re eating, we were entertained by the traditional music played at the Handicraft Village. It’s really a joyful way for us to enjoy great food with mesmerizing music. 

After filling up our tummy with Nasi Ulam, we headed to the Islamic Museum that is located on the right side of the Muhammadi Mosque. 

Museum Islamic is a place where you can trace the root of Islam in Kelantan. The building itself resemble the mosque-like building. It contains various artifacts and inscriptions documents of how Islam got introduced in Kelantan and how it became such an important element in the everyday life in Kelantan.

 During our visit, the showcase was all about Tok Guru Nik Aziz, The Former Chief Minister of Kelantan. It shows all information, pictures, and all his activities while becoming the most beloved teacher for Kelantanese residents.

Our last pit stop was Bank Kerapu or also known as the Kelantan War Museum. This is a historic buiding that is located in the downstream side of Padang Merdeka, Kota Bharu. 

This building was built in 1912 was first used as a commercial bank and believed as the first building/bank opened int he state. The Mercantile Bank of India Limited, thus the name Kerapu Bank. The word ‘Kerapu’ refers to the rough exterior walls of the building. During the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945, this building was used as the headquarters of the Japanese secret police, or known as ‘Kempetai’. 

After the war ended, the building was reused as a bank, and turn into a memorial museum displaying pictures, memorabilia and artifacts of World War II.

After visiting the museum, we went back to the hotel with style. We took slow ride by trishaw and catch a glimpse of Kota Bharu on wheels. The Perdana Trail took us 6 hours to complete all the pit stops by visiting museums, palace and some shop and restaurant.

Apparently, for me that time were quite compact for a full day walking around Kota Bharu. But overall, 6 hours of walking really make an eye opener about the culture,historical and heritage in Kelantan. For me, besides visiting Pasar Siti Khadijah as the main attractive place in Kota Bharu, we can also visit some of the historical places by following the Perdana Trail steps.

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I hope you can find this blogpost useful so that, when the next time you visit Kelantan so can have some information that you need here and which hotel is the best place to stay.

Next will be my reviews on Kelantan local food. Stay tune.

LOVE...

Bismillah

Assalamua'alaikum

Hello, peeps, as promised, today, I’ll share more info from our trip to Kota Bharu, Kelantan. In my previous post, we’ve seen the best hotel to stay when you visit Kota Bharu, none other than Hotel Perdana Kota Bharu. 

Now, let’s talk about their newly introduced Perdana Trail: A Heritage and Historical Walk. This programme was initiated by the General Manager of Hotel Perdana Kota Bharu, Encik Muhammad Taha Zainal who wants to introduce the rich cultural heritage and history of Kelantan, against the more famous hotspots like Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah and Pantai Cahaya Bulan. You get to explore many interesting places yet to be discovered on foot as these places are only within walking distance from the hotel. Besides, what better way to burn back the calories you’ve piled on after binging on delicious Kelantanese dishes such as Nasi Dagang, Nasi Kerabu, Nasi Tumpang, just to name a few.

After having breakfast at Cerana Coffee House, we started walking across the street from the hotel to the first destination: Gelanggang Seni which literally translates into ‘The Arts Arena’. It would’ve taken us less than 3 minutes to reach the Gelanggang Seni if we didn’t make too many stops to take photos with the media gang.

Anyway, the Gelanggang Seni is the centre of cultural activities in Kota Bharu. Find out on their website the schedule for different activities such as top-spinning (gasing), wau-making, Silat (traditional Malay martial arts) and Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) demo for a personal, hands-on experience unlike any other. Most of the activities are conducted in the afternoon. Some like the wayang kulit is scheduled at night for the nature of the performance itself.

After the Gelanggang Seni, we passed by the public library. It was really interesting to see the multi-coloured paint works on the building, something that you don’t see every day.

 Next up is Bazaar Tok Guru, a shopping haven for the ladies especially. This place opens at 10 am and it was a good thing that it was still closed when we passed by. Or else, we might be carrying bags of baju kurung, jubah, telekung, tudung and many other clothing and fashion accessories.

Kelantan is known as the Serambi Mekah (Verandah of Mecca) and it shows in the hints of Islamic art in the architecture in Kota Bharu. In fact, we came across the Kiblat direction in the middle of town during our long walk which was indeed a pleasant surprise. What better way to remind Muslims of the five prayers a day and to guide them with the Kiblat direction! Many notice boards and street signs were also written in both Roman letters and Jawi script all over town. No name is ever too Western for the Kelantan State Government to translate into Jawi. Even international brands such as Chevrolet, KFC, Honda and many more have their own Jawi scriptures.

For those who are new to Kelantan and Kota Bharu, why don’t make a stop at the Tourist Information Centre? You can get some brochures and pamphlets about the interesting places and happenings around town. You may also sit down and ask the Tourism Officers in charge for some tips. Who better know the state other than their own ‘oghe Klate’?

Not too far from the Tourist Information Centre, stood the proud Muzium Negeri or the State Museum. Divided into several sections, one can start visiting the prehistoric section of Kelantan where the earliest population was found in Gua Cha, Kelantan.

 During our visit, the museum was organizing the International Shadow Play Festival which displays a collection of puppets from three countries, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Since Malaysia is situated between Indonesia and Thailand, the shadow puppets that we have here are somewhat influenced by those two neighbouring countries. For example, Kelantanese wayang kulit shares similarities with the Thai Wayang Kulit. While the Johorean Wayang Kulit has influences of Indonesia when it comes to the designs and colours used to produce the puppet.

Upstairs, you will find more exhibits which are also part of the identity of Kelantan. For example, the traditional musical instruments used in performances such as rebab (a string instrument), rebana ubi (drum), ketok (a special drum made of coconut husk) and many more. Since performances such as Mak Yong and Menora are prohibited in Kelantan, you can still see paintings that depict the dances on the wall of the museum.

Across the State Museum is the Bulatan Jam or officially called Bulatan Medan Tuan Padang. 

The last time I visited Kelantan somewhat 4 years ago, I remember visiting this roundabout. The most interesting part about this roundabout it the Menara Rehal or Clock Tower which was modelled after the stand used to put the Holy Al-Quran during recital. This monument is gold in colour and was surrounded with about 37 date trees planted around it.

We were informed that the date trees bore fruits for the first last during Ramadhan in 2014 after 7 years. It turned out that we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the date trees as they started to bear fruits. In fact, these dates are expected to be ready for harvest this coming Ramadhan. If you haven’t seen a real ‘pokok kurma’ before, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. You will feel like you’re in Mecca.

After some time walking and exploring the city, it was time for us to take a break for a while before continuing our journey. We were brought to Kopitian Pak Din Tokyo which is one of the famous coffee shops in Kota Bharu. 

Din Tokyo has been operating for over 30 years and it was known for its unique menu such as Teh Tarik Halia (Ginger Tea), Telur Taliban (Taliban eggs), Telur Pingpong (Ping Pong eggs) and Teh Tarik Telur Puyuh (Ginger Tea with quail eggs).

It was my first time drinking a full glass of ginger tea, and I have to admit, it was indeed the tastiest ginger tea ever. When some people may not favour the spicy, tangy gingery taste in milk team, surprisingly Pak Din’s homemade ginger tea was a class of its own. You will be blown away with the deliciousness of the drinks.

In case you’re wondering, what is Telur Taliban, well it is a dish with two half boiled eggs. However, unlike the regular half boiled eggs which are mostly in liquid form, Telur Taliban are boiled at a certain temperature to produce much firmer and rounder yolks. To top it up, Pak Din makes his own black pepper powder to complement the Telur Taliban. As usual, add a dash of soy sauce to give it more ‘Oooomph’ and we’re good to go!

Being the third generation to operate Kopitiam Din Tokyo, Pak Din gets the support from his wife and several assistants. The best part is, he can take orders without any notes. On top of that, Pak Din uses long benches similar to those we used to see in schools for the U-shape setting. So, customers can sit facing one another for a casual conversation even among strangers. For us, it was just perfect, 16 of us shouting at one another asking how did each other enjoy their brunch at Pak Din. This is what happens when media people get together.

To be continued....

Bismillah

Assalamua’alaikum

My mum told me, if there is an opportunity for me, go and get it. Try your best in what you do and what you’re asked to do. 

Well, two months ago, a fellow blogger, Sis Miera Nadhirah asked among bloggers who is interested to join the trip to Kelantan organized by Hotel Perdana Kota Bharu and Destination Malaysia magazine. The main objective is to create awareness to the Malaysian public about the delightful things that Kelantan has to offer.

So, I sent my application email to the person in charge and Alhamdulillah, I was one of those selected along with 15 other bloggers. On 8^th of April 2015, a Media Briefing was conducted to further explain the trip and also to sign a pre-trip agreement so that we will be physically and mentally prepared for the trip later.

I expected the trip to be amazing and filled with many sessions of discovery and learning since we are scheduled to visit many tourist hotspots inclucing the museums and old palaces. Not to forget, their local food!

What to expect for this trip?

-       To gain knowledge about Kelantan during the Perdana Trail 

The best part is, we stayed at a 5-sta hotel situated in the heart of town; Hotel Perdana Kota Bharu. For your information, this hotel has undergone full renovation and has been upgraded from 3-star (under the previous management) to 5-star hotel by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia. It is wholly owned by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and managed by PNB Management Services Sdn. Bhd.

After the renovation, Hotel Perdana Kota Bharu was officially opened to public in August 2013. Its close proximity to shopping areas, hospitals, the public library and many other attractions in Kota Bharu makes Hotel Perdana the preferred choice of hotel.

Part of its 5-star rating, it is also recognized with a Halal certification from JAKIM. So, guests who are particular about Syariah-compliant matters will be ensured of the halal status and cleanliness of their food and facilities throughout their stay.

Later on, I’ll share more about the rooms, architecture, facilities and many other things that I like about the hotel, including MY ROOM!