Rough, big and fierce waves at Bukit Keluang Beach in Besut, Terengganu.
Bukit Keluang Beach in Besut, Terengganu
Bukit Keluang Beach in Besut, Terengganu
Bukit Keluang Beach in Besut, Terengganu
Bukit Keluang Beach in Besut, Terengganu
Bukit Keluang Beach in Besut, Terengganu
Bukit Keluang Beach in Besut, Terengganu
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to take photos of Chinatown of Kuala Terengganu. The lighting and weather on that day were very favourable to me. The fine weather and clear sky in the early morning resulted in beautiful lighting with warm cast as well as flattering constrast.
The history of Kuala Terengganu Chinatown dates back to the 15th century while the existing buildings that are still around boast more than 200 years of history. Kuala Terengganu’s tiny Chinatown is a compact area centred on Jalan Kampung Cina (also known as Jln Bandar). It’s home to the usual array of small Chinese shops and restaurants, as well as Terengganu’s oldest Chinese temple, the Ho Ann Kiong, dating from the early 1800s, though much restored since.
Kuala Terengganu Chinatown was first established by the Chinese community in the late 18th century. It was once a hub for commercial activities that helped shape Kuala Terengganu into what it is today. The Chinese built the traditionally designed shop houses according to their place of origin in Mainland China. The buildings have been declared a heritage site by the United Nation’s UNESCO under its World Monument Watch Programme to ensure beautification and preservation of this pre-colonial heritage.
The Chinese have been living harmoniously with the majority Malays in the state. They blend with the local culture and heritage, speak fluent local dialect and share the likings of traditional delicacies while retaining their identity. Souvenir shops, restaurants, electronic and grocery shops lined the colourful buildings. It is also home to two grand temple or toapekongs, the Ho Ann Kiong and the Tien Hou Kong.
To all my Chinese friends and Chinese readers, I wish all of you a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. Gong Xi Fa Chai.
The entrance of Kuala Terengganu Chinatown
Kuala Terengganu Chinatown in the early morning
Kuala Terengganu Chinatown is bathed in the warm low-angled light of the beautiful early morning sun light
A shophouse bearing Art Deco architectural style
One of the shophouses in Kuala Terengganu Chinatown with Utilitarian architectural style
One of the shophouses with Neoclassical architectural style mixed with Chinese-influenced motiffs
Beautiful and cartoonish
Another gaily decorated shophouse
Whitewashed windows
Classic and typical Chinese shophouse
A brick shophouse is attached to a more traditional wooden shophouse in the same row of shophouses
A more plain and less decorated wooden shophouse exists side-by-side with the opulent ones.
Penarik Beach located about 55km north of Kuala Terengganu is famous among local as well as foreign tourist for its pristine white sandy beach and turquoise blue sea. It is still untouched by development unlike the beaches on the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia. What makes this beach more interesting besides its beautiful seascape is it is also home to conventional offshore fishermen. Penarik Beach is located in Kampung Penarik whose inhabitants are made up of mostly fishermen. Last week I stopped by at this beautiful beach on the way back to Jerteh, my hometown, from Kuala Terengganu and managed to capture a couple of photographs of the fishermen’s activities there. It is a dying trade and I believe in the not too distant future this scene will vanish forever at the expense of the so-called development.
Penarik Beach, Kampung Penarik, Setiu, Terengganu
Fishermen of Penarik Beach
The fishermen push ashore a fishing boat belonging to one of them before unloading the daily catch
The daily catch is sold fresh from the sea to the waiting customers.
The regular customers wait for the fisherman that they regularly deal with to come back from the sea with his catch
The beach becomes temporary marketplace where fishermen immediately sell their catch they brought back fresh from the sea to the waiting customers
Fishermen coming back from the sea meet their family members as well as their waiting customers
Below is my response to the latest Weekly Photo Challenge: Everyday Life
Weekly Photo Challenge: Everyday Life
This photo was taken at Marang Central Market, Terengganu. It is a common sight in Terengganu and Kelantan if you find the traders manning almost all stalls in the market are ladies. In this picture a lady customer makes payment to a lady traders buying local produce as well as common household foodstuff.
If you are interested to buy this photo you can place order direct at my website. Photos are sold as print at various sizes and as digital download.
Comment and criticism are also welcomed with open arms.
I have to admit that I was not so happy with the result I have got when I first shot sunrise at Pantai Air Tawar a couple of days ago. Perhaps the lighting at that time was not so flattering and I arrived there a little late. Two days later I went there again much earlier with the hope that I could bag different and hopefully better pictures. Here goes….
Sunrise at Pantai Air Tawar – Part 2
Sunrise at Pantai Air Tawar – Part 2
Sunrise at Pantai Air Tawar – Part 2
Sunrise at Pantai Air Tawar – Part 2
This time I think the lighting is better as the colour is richer and the cloud more dramatic.
I would appreciate your comment and opinion which one is preferred.
Thank you in advance.
Sunrise at Pantai Air Tawar, Besut, Terengganu.
Sunrise at Pantai Air Tawar, Besut
Sunrise at Pantai Air Tawar, Besut
Sunrise at Pantai Air Tawar, Besut
Sunrise at Pantai Air Tawar, Besut
Hope you enjoy the pictures.
Kuala Besut Fishing Village
Another image of mine was selected to make it to Photo of the Day dated 16 April 2012 in Light and Composition website. The photo is entitled Kuala Besut Fishing Village which is a tribute to my home district Besut in Terengganu.
This photo of the day is in a competition, which is evaluated by the numbers of tweets and re-tweets in Twitter and Stumbles on Stumble Upon, Like & Share in Facebook (Like and Share will count separately), 1+ in Google, Link In, Additionally, it will be evaluated based on the comments of the subscribers. If you love my photo please vote for it by doing any or all of the above.
Thanks in advance for your votes 
Of late my home village, Kampung Seberang Jerteh, has been receiving a steady stream of publicity for the past one month since the completion of the Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh (the Seberang Jerteh Timber Mosque). The timber mosque was built to replace the old mosque which has been there for more than forty years. I believe when the old mosque was built 40 or even 50 years ago the architectural beauty was never taken into consideration that’s why what resulted was just a very basic buiding fitted with a small tower on its roof and on top its tower there was a small dome just to denote that it was a mosque. After all it was strategically located at the T-junction of the main roads to Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Besut.
The old mosque is now gone and it has been replaced by a new and unique timber mosque whose architecture was inspired by the traditional Islamic Malay architecture. It is also adorned with traditional Malay “awang larat” wooden carvings. Something that Besut is famous for thanks to its world famous wooden carver Wan Su and family.
The timber mosque now known as Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh was reported to have cost RM12 million and it can accomodate about 800 worshippers. It was built of 80% chengal timber. It was also reported that the timber mosque was the brainchild of Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh who hails from Kampung Seberang Jerteh and was then the Terengganu Menteri Besar. In fact Idris Jusoh’s private house which was also built from timber is just 2km away from this mosque. He is still currently the Jerteh ADUN.
Although the new timber mosque is not fully completed as its large pool and its landscaping work is still being constructed it started to be used last Ramadhan and it held the first Eidulfitri prayer last Tuesday.
The mosque has become a prominent landmark to Kampung Seberang Jerteh in particular and to Besut in general. It is also hoped that the mosque doesn’t only serve as a trourist attraction but more importantly it manages to attract a lot more people by offering various interesting religious programmes that transcends the political and racial boundaries.
Today I managed to capture a couple of shots as I am still at my kampung for Hari Raya holiday. Today’s morning the weather was very fine resulting in nice lighting, deep blue sky and highly contrasty scene.
Do enjoy the pictures.
Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh
Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh
Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh
Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh
Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh
Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh
Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh
Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh
Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh
Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh
You can view more pictures of the Masjid Kayu Seberang Jerteh here.
Found this family that shared a common pastime that is fishing. They were enjoying fishing in Kuala Besut on an abandoned jetty. I dub them a family of anglers.
A family of anglers
A family of anglers
A family of anglers
A family of anglers
There are a couple of images to share when I went back to my hometown, Jerteh during the last school holiday.
Let’s start with some images of Kuala Besut. Kuala Besut acts both as a fishing port at which the fishing boats dock and unload their catch and it also acts as a jetty from which the tour boats ferry the holidaymakers to one of the most popular island destinations in Malaysia – Pulau Perhentian. Many more pictures of Besut can be found here in my zenfolio website.
Yellow fishing boat in Kuala Besut
A boat's bow
Deep-sea fishing vessels in Kuala Besut
Fishing boats moored in Kuala Besut
Pantai Bukit Kluang. The most popular beach in Besut and the safest beach to swim at.
Bukit Kluang beach - A very popular beach in Jerteh
Bukit Kluang beach - A very popular beach in Jerteh
Bukit Kluang beach - A very popular beach in Jerteh
Jerteh’s new landmark – Masjid Hadhari a.k.a. Masjid Jerteh. You are welcomed to browse more pictures of Masjid Jerteh here in my zenfolio website.
Masjid Hadhari a.k.a. Masjid Jerteh
Masjid Hadhari a.k.a. Masjid Jerteh
Masjid Hadhari a.k.a. Masjid Jerteh
Masjid Hadhari a.k.a. Masjid Jerteh
Enlightening facts about Besut:
Mostly outsiders are confused about Besut. When they come to Besut they complain that they cannot find Besut town. Certainly you will never find Besut town. The town of Besut is Jerteh. Besut is actually a district while the “capital” of the Besut district is Jerteh. Or is it Kampung Raja since Kampung Raja is the administrative town? Yes folks Besut is actually much more visionary and more forward thinking than its Federal Government of Malaysia. It was only as recent as 15 years ago that the then Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad was thinking about having a separate town from Kuala Lumpur as an administrative capital, hence the inception of Putrajaya.
But this has been long practised by Besut as far as I can remember by having a separate town between administrative centre and commercial centre being Jerteh as a commercial centre while Kampung Raja as an administrative centre.
Just like Washington DC as the administrative capital and New York as the commercial centre for the US or Canberra as the administrative centre and Sydney as the commercial centre for Australia.
Funny but true for the rural backwater of a district in the state of Terengganu – a state rich with petroleum but sadly not rightfully treated by the power-that-be thus still remains under-developed.
