Demi melawan rasa haus yang tak tertahankan, aku memejamkan mata pada bangku tengah di waiting room Gate 20. Dan tanpa kuduga aku bisa terlelap selama hampir dua jam dalam posisi terduduk sambil memeluk backpack.
Aku terbangun dengan sendirinya di saat waiting room benar-benar penuh oleh penumpang. Mataku perlahan terbuka dan bibirku benar-benar kering saking hausnya.
Beruntung jeda waktu antara bangun dan pengumuman boarding tidaklah lama. Langit-langit bandara pun dipenuhi pengumuman tersebut dalam sekejap. Aku pun berdiri dan bersiap untuk memasuki kabin pesawat.
Melalui aerobridge aku melangkah gontai, berjejal dengan segenap penumpang dalam antrian panjang. Tak berapa lama, aku tiba di pintu depan kabin. Setelah memastikan ke pramugari yang berdiri di pintu bahwa aku telah memasuki pesawat yang tepat, maka aku pun mulai mencari tempat duduk.
Tetapi begitu tiba di pertengahan kabin, seorang India menunjuk ke arah kamera yang kukalungkan di leher.
“Where is your lens cap?”, dia menunjuk ke kameraku
“What…….”, aku melihat ke arah Canon EOS M10 ku
“You wright….It loss”, aku berbalik bada dan menyapukan pandangan ke arah belakang
“Oh thank you, Ms….”, aku menarik nafas lega ketika seorang pramugari menghampiriku sembari mengulurkan tangannya yang membawa penutup lensa kameraku yang jatuh.
“Be careful, brother”, Pria muda India itu tersenyum kepadaku.
“Sure, thank you….”, aku membalas senyumnya
Dengan cepat aku menemukan bangku, aku segera menyimpan backpack di bagasi atas dan segera membawa folding bagku untuk duduk di bangku bernomor 8D yang merupakan aisle seat di bagian depan.
Tetapi sungguh beruntung bahwa kedua bangku di sebelah kananku kosong sehingga aku bisa berpindah duduk di window seat. Aku pun bersiap untuk melakukan penerbangan menuju Manama-Bahrain.
Penumpang telah siap di bangkunya masing-masing, taxiing menuju runway pun dilakukan, usai meminta izin kepada ATC, pesawat pun melaju di atas runway dan akhirnya airborne di ujung landasan.
Bersiap meninggalkan Sharjah International Airport di Uni Emirat Arab.Air Arabia, LCC milik Uni Emirat Arab.Bersiap taxiing.Terbang di atas Teluk Persia.Manama tampak dari ketinggian.Runway Bahrain International Airport.Suasana apron Bahrain International Airport.
Karena Muscat International Airport terletak di tepian Teluk Persia, maka pemandangan utama pertama yang kulihat adalah birunya perairan lautan Persia. Aku yang terduduk tepat di sisi mesin sebelah kanan Airbus A320 begitu menikmati penerbangan menembus langit yang biru nan cerah.
Penerbangan selama lima puluh menit itu berlangsung mulus tanpa turbulensi. Sebagian besar porsi waktu penerbangan, aku gunakan untuk membaca inflight magazine Nawras. Air Arabia G9 105 sendiri merupakan penerbangan berbiaya rendah sejauh 500 kilometer dengan kecepatan 600 km/jam.
Penerbangan yang nyaman membuat waktu penerbangan yang kutempuh serasa pendek. Setelah mengudara selama empat puluh lima menit, pesawat mulai merendah. Garis pantai mulai tampak dari ketinggian. Hamparan pesisir berwarna kecoklatan dipadu dengan gedung-gedung pencakar langit di sisi jauh jalur penerbangan menjadi penghias sempurna pada beberapa waktu sebelum mendarat. Salah satu pencakar langit yang paling kukenal adalah The World Trade Center yang memiliki bentuk bak piramida terbelah. Gedung itu tampak jelas dari ketinggian. Membuatku tak sabar untuk segera menujunya setelah mendarat.
Ketidaksabaranku untuk segera tiba di Bahrain akhirnya usai. Air Arabia G9 105 akhirnya mendarat dengan sempurna.
Selamat Datang Manama…..Selamar Datang Bahrain.
Alternatif untuk mencari tiket pesawat dari Sharjah ke Bahrain bisa dicari di 12Go atau link berikut: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832
Posisi duduk yang berada di bangku tengah, membuatku hanya mampu sesekali mengintip kondisi di luar pesawat melalui jendelanya dari kejauhan. Begitu juga ketika Air Arabia G9 115 perlahan merendah dan bersiap mendarat di Sharjah International Airport.
Panorama daratan dengan warna dominan coklat khas padang pasir menjadi latar yang bisa kunikmati ketika pesawat hampir menyentuh bandara.
Sekitar pukul sebelas pagi, roda-roda raksasa Air Arabia G9 115 menyentuh landas pacu Sharjah International Airport, sebuah bandara yang terletak di utara Kota Dubai.
Usai melakukan taxiing sejenak, pesawat berlogo burung camar itu pun merapat di apron Terminal 2 Sharjah International Airport. Beberapa saat kemudian, awak kabin mempersilahkan segenap penumpang untuk meninggalkan kabin melalui aerobridge demi menuju bangunan bandara.
Aku pun bergegas keluar karena sudah tak sabar lagi untuk mengeksplorasi lebih dalam Sharjah International Airport.
Sampai di ujung aerobridge, aku disambut dengan keramaian penumpang yang luar biasa. Wajah-wajah Timur Tengah dan Asia Selatan tampak mendominasi di segenap ruangan.
Di sisi lain, rupa interior di arrival hall menjadi penampakan yang tak begitu istimewa menurut sudut pandangku.
Mengingat penerbanganku menu Manama akan berlangsung pada pukul tiga sore, maka secara otomatis aku harus berdiam diri di Sharjah International Airport selama empat jam lamanya. Maka tanpa pikir panjang, aku bergegas menuju transfer hall untuk menunggu penerbangan berikutnya.
Selama berada di transfer hall siang itu, hanya satu yang menjadi masalah bagiku, aku mengalami rasa haus yang teramat sangat. Aku pun berkonsentrasi untuk mencari keberadaan free water station untuk mendapatkan air minum. Maklum, siang itu aku hanya memegang mata uang Dolar Amerika, rasanya terlalu tanggung untuk menukarkan Dolar hanya untuk membeli sebotol air mineral.
Tetapi sungguh sial, aku sama sekali tak menemukan satupun free water station di seluruh penjuru transfer hall bandara. Berada di bawah naungan ketidak beruntungan, aku memutuskan untuk menghabiskan waktu saja di gate.
Menurut boarding pass yang kudapatkan dari Muscat International Aiiport, maka aku diarahkan untuk mencari Gate 20, gerbang dimana Air Arabia G9 105 yang nantinya kunaiki akan diterbangkan.
Aku memang berinisiatif untuk melupakan rasa haus dan memilih untuk menuju gate lebih cepat karena di beberapa gate yang kulewati, antrian penumpang begitu padat dan panjang. Aku hanya menduga bahwa karena Sharjah International Airport adalah main-hub dari penerbangan berbiaya murah Air Arabia, maka banyak sekali penumpang yang singgah di bandara tersebut.
“Sharjah International Airport sepertinya menjadi Low Cost Carrier Terminal milik Uni Emirat Arab”, aku bergumam sembari melangkah menuju Gate 20.
Tampilan Sharjah Inernational Airport.Transfer Hall.Antrian panjang menuju Gate 20.Usai melewati screening gate.Air Arabia G9 105 dari waiting room Gate 20.
Benar adanya….
Aku mendapati Gate 20 yang telah tertutup antrian panjang. Aku pun terpaksa mengantri di bagian belakang yang jaraknya telah jauh dari gerbang pelepasan.
Mengantri dengan penuh kesabaran, pada akhirnya aku berhasil memasuki screening gate dua puluh lima menit kemudian.
Kemudian aku memutuskan untuk duduk di salah satu bangku waiting room Gate 20 demi menunggu Air Arabia G9 105 tiba.
Aku terduduk di salah satu bangku berwarna hijau di waiting roomGate C3 Muscat International Airport. Aku menunggu kedatangan Air Arabia G9 115 yang rencananya akan mengantarkanku untuk transit di Sharjah sebelum sampai di tujuan akhir Manama, Bahrain.
Aku cukup sabar dan tenang ketika menunggu kedatangan pesawat tersebut. Aku menjadi penumpang pertama yang tiba di waiting room tersebut berusaha untuk khusyu’ mengamati pemandangan sepanjang apron. Hilir mudik pesawat mampu membuatku mengindahkan rasa bosan. Untuk beberapa saat aku tak menyadari bahwa seiring waktu berjalan, waiting room itu mulai didatangi calon penumpang.
Aku beranjak dari dinding kaca, dan mengambil duduk di depan gate, bersiap diri untuk melakukan boarding.
Tepat jam sepuluh pagi….
Pengumuman memenuhi langit-langit bandara, penerbangan Air Arabia G9 115 memulai proses boardingnya. Aku yang bersemangat, terkesiap dan berdiri di antrian paling depan. Tak lama kemudian, ground staff wanita yang ada di depanku melempar senyum manis dan mengangguk, pertanda bahwa aku dipersilahkan melewati gate. Aku menunjukkan boarding pass dan paspor secara bersamaan, dan dia mengarahkanku menuju aerobridge demi memasuki kabin pesawat.
Di tengah jalur aerobridge itulah, untuk pertama kalinya aku bisa melihat penampakan bangunan bandara, gagah dan berwibawa, itulah kesan pertama yang mengendap dalam pikiranku. Bangunan bandara itu tampak solid dan kokoh dengan gradasi dua warna, hitam di bagian atas dan putih di bagian bawah.
Memasuki pesawat, aku disambut oleh pramugara di tengah kabin. Sebut saja namanya Mustafa, air crew yang berperawakan tinggi.
“Nice backpack”, dia tersenyum sembari menunjuk ke backpack yang aku panggul.
“I had travelled with it in 30 countries”, aku bergumam pelan sambil menatapnya.
“What?”…..”Thirty”……”Cool”, dia terperangah.
“Yeaaa”, aku semakin melebarkan senyum.
Waiting room Gate C3, Muscat International Airport.Air Arabia G9 115 sudah menunggu di apron.Melintasi aerobridge saat boarding.Bentuk Muscat International Airport tampak dari aerobridge.Kabin Air Arabia G9 115.
Usai memasukkan backpack di bagasi atas, aku segera duduk di bangku bernomor 20E, posisi bangku yang tak menjadi idaman buatku karena keterbatasanku untuk mengeksplorasi suasana di luar pesawat saat penerbangan berlangsung.
Air Arabia sendiri menjadi maskapai ke-26 dari 29 jenis maskapai yang pernah kunaiki. Sedangkan Air Arabia sendiri termasuk ke dalam golongan Low Cost Carrier (LCC) yang berbasis di Sharjah, Uni Emirat Arab. Menjadi sebuah kebahagiaan tersendiri bagiku karena telah diberikan kesempatan untuk menikmati LCC berwarna putih denga kelir merah tersebut.
Air Arabia G9 115 yang kunaiki merupakan penerbangan berdurasi 40 menit dengan jarak tempuh 390 km. Menggunakan pesawat berjenis Airbus A320, penerbangan ini memiliki inflight magazine bertajuk “Nawras”. Dari majalah itu aku mengetahui bahwa Air Arabia memiliki 170 rute penerbangan yang melintas di 50 negara.
Penerbangan pagi itu berlangsung mulus tanpa turbulensi dan aku tiba di Terminal 2 Sharjah International Airport menjelang tengah hari.
Aku pun tak sabar untuk segera menapaki Sharjah International Airport.
Terimakasih Air Arabia.
Alternatif untuk mencari tiket pesawat dari Muscat ke Sharjah bisa dicari di 12Go atau link berikut: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832
Pukul setengah lima pagi aku terbangun dari sebuah bangku panjang di salah satu sudut food court Muscat International Airport Lantai 2. Aku bergegas menuju Musholla di lantai yang sama untuk menjalankan shalat dan setelahnya aku kembali ke bangku yang sama untuk menyantap cheese cake dan strawberry yogurt yang kubeli di Lulu Hypermarket pada sehari sebelumnya.
Setidaknya hingga pukul enam pagi aku bertahan di bangku itu untuk kemudian beranjak ke toilet demi menggosok gigi dan menyeka muka.
Ketika semua sudah kurasa siap, maka aku segera menuju ke Departure Hall di Lantai 3 demi menuju ke check-in desk.
Aku sudah tak sabar untuk pergi menuju ke tempat baru lainnya. Pagi itu akan terbang menuju Manama, Bahrain. Akan tetapi penerbangan Air Arabia yang kuambil akan membawaku untuk transit sementara waktu di Sharjah, Uni Emirat Arab.
Walau beberapa hari sebelumnya aku telah mengeksplorasi Dubai, ibu kota Uni Emirat Arab. Akan tetapi rencana transit di Sharjah pagi itu tetap tak mengurangi rasa antusiasku.
Melalui escalator aku menuju lantai 3. Tiba di Departure Hall, aku sigap mencari keberadaan Flight Information Display System (FIDS) demi mencari informasi tentang penerbanganku. FIDS yang terpampang di salah satu sisi koridor mengarahkanku menuju check-in desk nomor F9 untuk mendapatkan boarding pass.
Tanpa pikir panjang aku segera melangkah menuju check-in desk yang dimaksud. Tiba di depannya, tampak sudah mengantri para calon penumpang dengan wajah khas Asia Selatan. Dari paspor yang dipegang, aku tahu bahwa mereka berkewarganegaraan Bangladesh.
Mengantri tak lebih dari setengah jam, akhirnya aku mendapatkan dua boarding pass. Selain untuk penerbangan Air Arabia G9 115 dari Muscat menuju Sharjah, aku juga mendapatkan boarding pass untuk penerbangan Air Arabia G9 105 dari Sharjah ke Bahrain.
Aku menggenggam dua boarding pass tersebut untuk kemudian bergegas menuju konter imigrasi. Dengan mudah aku menemukan konter imigrasi tersebut setelah mengikuti arahan dari beberapa signboard yang terpampang di beberapa titik koridor.
Abis gosok gigi….Hihihi.Cari info di FIDS.Menuju Check-in Desk.Mendapatkan boarding pass di check-in desk F9.Free duty zone.Menuju Gate C3.
Sedang enak-enaknya mengantri di konter imigrasi. Seorang petugas imigrasi berjubah putih memanggilku untuk keluar dari antrian.
“ID card please !”, dia memintaiku identitas kewarganegaraan.
“Wait, Sir”, aku menurunkan backpack lalu berjongkok mengaduk-aduk isinya demi menemukan travel wallet
“Is this what you mean?”, aku memberikan KTP WNIku beserta paspor.
Dia terdiam dan fokus mengamati KTP dan paspor yang kuberikan.
“Traveling?”, dia berujar memastikan tujuanku berkunjung ke Oman
“Yeaa, just traveling”, aku tersenyum sembari menerima kembali KTP dan pasporku.
“OK”, tangannya mempersilakanku untuk kembali menuju antrian yang kutinggalkan. Bahkan petugas itu dengan baiknya memohon izin kepada para pengantri demi menyelipkanku di antrian depan, sesuai dengan urutan antrian yang kutinggalkan beberapa menit sebelumnya.
Menghadap staff imigrasi di salah satu konter, dengan mudah aku mendapatkan stempel departure di paspor.
Aku meninggalkan konter imigrasi dengan sumringah dan kemudian mengesampingkan keberadaan free duty area yang kulewati.
Aku merapat ke Gate C3 dan bersiap menuju Sharjah….
Ruwi-Mwasalat Bus Station mulai diselimuti gelap, hanya sisa semburat senja saja yang memiliki dominasi akhir di atas atap alam terminal bus terbesar di kawasan Ruwi tersebut.
Degup jantungku perlahan melambat usai mendudukkan diri di sebuah bangku terminal, beberapa waktu sebelumnya aku berjibaku di sepanjang Al Fursan Street dengan langkah super cepat demi mendahului gelap untuk tiba di terminal bus.
Sesekali aku meneguk air mineral tersisa, aku berusaha mendinginkan keringat sebelum masuk ke dalam bus.
Sedangkan tepat di depanku, menyala dengan langsam mesin Mwasalat Bus bernomor 1B. “Lebih baik aku naik jika bus bersiap untuk jalan saja”, aku membatin sembari menatap ke arah bus yang perlahan terisi penumpang, tetapi tak terlalu penuh.
Beberapa detik menjelang pukul enam sore…
Pengemudi mulai menaiki bus di bangkunya, bersamaan dengan itu aku pun ikut serta masuk melalui pintu depan. Menyerahkan ongkos senilai 1 Rial maka aku duduk di bangku tengah, tepat di belakang seorang turis asal Eropa yang tampak sibuk mengotak-atik kamera DSLRnya.
Seperti perjalananku menuju Ruwi-Mwasalat Bus Station beberapa hari lalu dari bandara, perjalanan ini akan membutuhkan waktu setengah jam saja untuk tiba di tujuan akhir .
Bus perlahan berjalan meninggalkan terminal, memasuki jalan-jalan kota yang indah tersiram cahaya lampu-lampu jalanan. Sedangkan beberapa bangunan ikonik di sepanjang jalan menampilkan keelokan tersembuyi ketika mendapatkan terpaan lampu berwarna-warni, menjadikan seluruh penjuru kota Muscat yang kulewati tampak hidup.
Menyusuri Sultan Qaboos Street, aku terus terhanyut dalam suasana malam kota. Turis Eropa yang berada di depanku tampak sesekali mengarahkan kameranya ke beberapa sudut kota yang menarik mata.
Sedikit lewat dari pukul setengah tujuh malam….
Aku tiba di Muscat International Airport dan diturunkan di Public Bus Service Area yang berlokasi di Ground Floor bandara. Aku tak terburu-buru untuk memasuki bagian dalam bangunan bandara karena memang penerbanganku menuju Bahrain masih dijadwalkan esok pagi.
Aku pun beranjak menuju Lantai 1. Aku memutuskan untuk berada di luar bangunan bandara demi menikmati keindahan Muscat International Airport di malam hari dari salah satu sudut tamannya. Udara yang belum terlalu dingin seolah mendukung niatanku untuk menghabiskan waktuku di taman depan bandara tersebut.
Duduk di salah satu bangku taman, aku terus berpikir, begitu apiknya Oman Airports sebagai operator Muscat International Airport dalam menata bandara berusia setengah abad tersebut. Sejauh mata memandang, parkir area yang tertata rapi telah dipenuhi dengan kendaraan-kendaraan mewah. Sedangkan cahaya di setiap penjuru taman menjadikan gradasi tiga warna dominan melukis penampilan bandara. Warna hijau dari vegetasi di sekitar bandara berpadu dengan warna putih dan kuning cahaya lampu membuat simfoni alam yang meneduhkan mata.
Keindahan suasana manjadikanku tak sadar terpedaya oleh waktu. Tak terasa tengah malam sekejap lagi tiba. Udara juga terasa lebih dingin dari waktu sebelumnya. Tak mau kedinginan, aku pun menuju lantai dua bangunan bandara yang merupakan lantai dimana Services & Amenities Area ditempatkan.
Tujuan utama dan pertamaku di lantai itu adalah musholla, tentunya demi menunaikan kewajiban shalat Jamak Maghrib dan Isya’.
Usai shalat, aku tak punya tujuan lain setelah selain beristirahat. Maka kuputuskan untuk mengakuisisi sebuah bangku kosong di food court area untuk tidur dan beristirahat hingga fajar tiba.
Sungguh aku telah menemukan malam yang berkesan di Muscat International Airport.
I staggered and grabbed any handles when I suddenly woke up from sleep and headed straight for the shared bathroom when my eyes hadn’t been fully opened. That was because I stared at the clock on the wall perched at half past eight.
“Damn”, I cursed my waking up too late. At dawn, I deliberately pulled back the blanket and covered my cold body. Luckily, last night I had packed all my supplies.
I took a quick shower, yet my whole body still felt clean after the last shower at ten o’clock last night. I put back on the t-shirt I wore to sleep last night and put on the jeans I had prepared last night.
After that, I locked my backpack on my back and headed to the shared kitchen to brew oat powder with hot water from the dispenser. It was a tedious breakfast menu, but I’ve been repeating myself for three days out of my home.
While sipping the wet oat powder mouthful after mouthful, I began to worry because the reception desk was still dark and empty.
“Ouch, what time will the staff be ready? I might be late chasing the bus”, I thought to myself and hoped that, after breakfast, the staff would come so I could hand over the key and take the deposit.
It turned out that until breakfast was over, the room was still empty. I, who was getting more and more anxious, could only give up waiting in the lobby. Luckily, fifteen minutes later, the inn owner appeared and immediately smiled at me.
“I want to check out….sorry for the long waiting”, he started a conversation while turning on the room light and heading behind the desk. The lack of guests at the inn made him not need to ask for my identity and room number because he would easily memorize it. It didn’t take long to take the envelope with my room number containing the 30 Ringgit deposit and then gave it to me.
“Thank you, Sir”, I received the money and handed over the key.
“See you….Be careful”, he waved as I started down the stairs to leave the inn.
Outside the inn….For the fifth time, I completely completed the route to the Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu. Now I walked very fast and focus only on getting to the terminal. I’d rather wait far from the bus departure time than missed it.
It was almost half past nine when I arrived right in front of the counter where I bought my ticket yesterday.
“Wait for it on platform 1, the bus will come later”, was the answer from the counter staff when I asked where to wait.
“Whatever, in the next hour I’ll just wait here”, I thought as I took the concrete seat next to platform 1.
But waiting for something in a foreign land was always interesting. Observing the activities of local residents on each side of the terminal kept me away from boredom.
Until finally I was shocked when a red maroon bus with a yellow combination appeared from the rear gate of the terminal.
“Arwana Group”, I could clearly read it from a distance.
This was the bus I was waiting for. The bus arrived fifteen minutes before departure. The bus stopped right on platform 1 and I rushed towards it until an Arab-looking man stopped me.
“Kuala Lumpur….this?”, his short question was thrown at me.
“Yes….This bus goes to Kuala Lumpur”, I answered briefly.
“Where are you coming from?”, I added.
“Yemen….”
“Is Yemen Okay now?”, as far as I knew the country was in civil war.
“Yeah…better”
I jumped in from the front door and looked for seat number 13. I chose the single seat on the bus which had a 2-1 formation of seats.
Exactly at half past ten, the bus started the long journey to Kuala Lumpur…
The 43 Ringgit trip would take 5 hours and cover a distance of no less than 450 km.
The bus started leaving the city by commuting through Perusahaan 3 Street, this was the main overland route on Malaysia’s east coast that stretched for more than 700 km, starting from Kelantan in the north and ending in Johor Bahru in the south. I was very grateful for being given the opportunity by God to comb the seaside with the most beautiful scenery in all of Malaysia. The most amazing sight on this trip was where I could cross the road which was only 50 meters from the beach. Later I would show you the beauty of this road.
At the beginning of the trip, I still remember the view of Kuala Terengganu that was presented to Kuala Ibai Village, because I had passed it while visiting the Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque the other day. But after crossing the Ibai River, I passed through an area with views I had never seen before. Instead of falling asleep, the sight managed to keep me awake all the way.
Within half an hour, the bus started to leave Kuala Terengganu District and entered Marang District which took Pandak Beach to the gate. Three kilometers away, the bus crossed the coastline of Rusila Beach which was one of the most beautiful sights in the district. Until finally the bus rested for a while at Hentian Bas Marang. The bus had to pick up some of its passengers at the small terminal.
The view after a short pause at the Marang City bus terminal may be the highlight of this trip. The beautiful seaside scenery stretched for 50 kilometers starting from Peranginan Kelutut Beach to Batu Pelanduk Beach at the beginning of the Kuala Dungun District.
My bus has arrived.It was time to start the long journey. Peranginan Kelutut Beach. One of the rivers in Marang District.The Lipur Rantau Abang Forest in Persekutuan 3 Street, Marang District. Pulau Serai Bridge over the Dungun River, Kuala Terengganu Street, Kuala Dungun District.
Two hours away, the bus had now passed through the main landmarks of the Kuala Dungun District, especially not the Dungun River which has a width of no less than 300 meters.
The bus quickly started entering Paka City. The city was home to Malaysia’s largest power plant run by the national power company, Tenaga Nasional. No wonder the vast expanse of electric power stations was in this city.
More than ten kilometers parallel to the bend of the Paka River until the bus finally left Paka City and entered a new city, Kerteh City.
Kerteh is an oil city because it has the potential for petroleum stored at the bottom of the South China Sea. The city of Kerteh is one of the most important places in the state of Terengganu because of its dense population and complete public facilities.
Exploring Kerteh City made me understand that Petronas, the giant oil company in my neighboring country, placed many important facilities in this city. Oil refineries, gas pipelines, chemical factories, and the Petronas housing complex dominated the sightings along Kemaman-Dungun Street.
For almost half an hour, I was presented with the bustle of the oil business of Kerteh City, until finally, the bus arrived at the southernmost area of the state of Terengganu, namely the Kemaman District. This is the border area between Terengganu State and Pahang State.
Entering Kemaman, the bus directly divided Chukai City which was the capital of Kemaman District. City parks were spread out in the corners of the city, and congestion was starting to feel, while the Kemaman River stretched widely as the main decoration of Chukai City.
Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Polytechnic on Paka Street, Paka City. Paka River seen from Kemaman-Dungun Street.Sultan Ismail Janaelectric Station, Paka City.Petronas’ oil refinery on Kemaman-Dungun Street, Kerteh City.Kertih Bridge, over the Kertih River, Kemaman-Dungun Street, Kerteh City.Persiaran Chukai Park on Sulaimani Street, right on the banks of the Kemaman River, Chukai City.Geliga Bridge over the Kemaman River, Kuantan-Kemaman Street, Kemaman District. Hentian Bas Ekpres Kemaman in Kemaman District.
South of Chukai City, the bus stopped a second time. This time the bus picked up two passengers at the Kemaman Express Bus Stop. After carrying its passengers, the bus continued its journey to get out of the southern border of Terengganu State and started its adventure in Pahang State.
There was still an hour to arrive at Kuantan Sentral Terminal, the main bus terminal in Pahang State. Meanwhile, it was one o’clock in the afternoon. I was sure all the passengers were feeling the same way….Hungry.
And a quarter of an hour after entering the State of Pahang, the bus finally decided to stop for lunch. It was D’Cherating Cafe which took its name according to the area where the restaurant stood, namely in Cherating Village.
Here, the driver allowed passengers to enjoy lunch for half an hour and then continued the rest of the journey to Terminal Sentral Kuantan . At the end of the journey, the driver-focused behind the wheel to complete the last 40 kilometers to the largest bus terminal on Malaysia’s east coast.
My first stage of the journey was over…
After a break at Kuantan Sentral Terminal, I would continue my journey to the final destination, i.e the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan in Kuala Lumpur.
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I sat in the front seat on the left when Bas KITē slowly left the Tamadun Islam Park complex. Via the only connecting bridge, Bas KITē completed its wheel loop over Wan Man Island.
Only me….The driver.
Now the Bas KITē would complete the remaining half of the journey to the Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu, when I got there, the bus would take a break to operate again tomorrow at half past ten in the next morning.
On the way back to the inn, I was more relaxed and free to talk with the driver. During the rest of the trip, he told about his daily activities with four other Bas KITē drivers in operating that special city bus. He also told about his son who was having a hard time finding work in Kuala Terengganu, many employment sectors chose to use foreign workers which made it difficult for residents to find a livelihood. I only listened to it as a form of empathy, even though I didn’t know the real facts.
On the way back to the inn, the bus driver only took a middle-aged female passenger who seemed to be very familiar with him. Maybe the woman was a subscriber to his Bas KITē, so as soon as she got on, the driver immediately familiarly asked about the woman’s activities throughout the day. The rest after the female passenger boarded, only the two of them had the dominant conversation until the trip was over. The conversation with Terengganu’s thick accent I tried to understand even though I could only absorb it a little.
At a quarter past six I arrived at the Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu….
Jumping off the bus and thanking the Bas KITē driver once again for giving me five precious minutes to enjoy the beauty of the Crystal Mosque, I tried to leave the terminal as quickly as possible. I didn’t want to be trapped in the dark in the terminal.
I swiftly walked through Masjid Abidin Street to arrive at the intersection where the PERMINT Tower stood. “What’s that sound?…”, I stopped when I heard a noise from a height. Due to that sound, I backed off from the inn. I was now walking along Sultan Ismail Street towards the source of the sound. “Wow….That’s a flock of sparrows”, I knew now. On the entire face of the Wisma PERMINT building, perched a lot of sparrows calling to each other, making the sound like a pleasant harmony to be heard at sunset.
For so long I was stunned, capturing and videoing the scene that two other tourists suddenly came next to me and did the same. After a while of enjoying the harmony of the sound of the sparrows, simultaneously the street lamps began to come on, and the building lights began to be turned on, making the path along Sultan Ismail Street show off the beauty of its colorful lights.
“Looks like I have to enjoy my closing night in Kuala Terengganu by being on the streets even if only for a moment”, I decided.
My night exploration step started from the KT Walk which was a spacious area that usually presents a night market view for residents. It was just that the night has just begun, and a row of new food stalls was getting ready to entertain their prospective guests who would arrive soon. Because there were no significant activities, I just enjoyed the KT Walk for a moment from a corner of the field.
Enjoying the choir of sparrows at Wisma PERMINT.The front side of KT Walk.SiThe quiet side of KT Walk.i.
The night was creeping up and the lights were starting to look more dazzling as the sky darkened. I continued to comb along Sultan Ismail Street and then was stunned at a bookstore that seemed to be the favorite bookstore in the city, SMO Bookstores. “There’s nothing wrong if I go in …”, I idly started.
I rushed into the bookstore. As soon as I entered the shop, I just looked around and visited several bookshelves which were visited by many visitors. “A collection of novels which have been adapted into Malay”, I slightly frowned as a sign that I wasn’t interested in it.
SMO Bookstores isn’t as big as a well-known bookstore brand in Indonesia, the collection isn’t much, but many people visit it. Maybe Malaysia’s good literacy rate makes it so.
I finally left SMO Bookstores and resumed my journey to enjoy the night atmosphere of Kuala Terengganu. Although not too crowded, that night was able to make me a little amazed because, during the two days in Kuala Terengganu, I was more dominant in enjoying the atmosphere of the day. Even though the sparkling lamp that night wasn’t as beautiful as in Kuala Lumpur, it still kept its charm. A city that wasn’t so crowded was showing its beauty at night.
I turned at the corner at the northern end of Air Jernih Street, which was still doing business. Walking along the street, I stopped again at a 7-Eleven, I purposely entered it to look for fast food on my dinner menu. I felt like I have been reluctant to go back a little further to visit “Kedai Kak Na” which I visited that afternoon. It was better to just look for perfunctory food at the mini market.
I came out of the 7-Eleven with a packet of fried rice that had been heated in the microwave for a while. I immediately left the minimarket to the inn while enjoying the remaining scenery. Continuing a little step on Kota Lama Street, I turned left on Engku Pangeran Anom 2 Street and then arrived at the inn, The Space Inn…
Engku Pangeran Anom, who is it?
Engku Pangeran Anom was a Terengganu noble with the full name Pengiran Anum Engku Abdul Kadir bin Engku Besar. He was a man who really understood the history of Terengganu and was often a reference to the sultanate which at that time was led by Sultan Ahmad.
I arrived at the inn at exactly half past eight….
It was time for me to wash up, have dinner, fold the clothes and tidy up my backpack because tomorrow I would leave Kuala Terengganu at half past ten in the morning.
Wisma Maidam was towering on Sultan Ismail Street which was used for the Kuala Terengganu Islamic Bank office.The intersection that I often pass every day while in Kuala Terengganu.Umobile Center (Telecommunication Equipment Store) on Engku Sar Street. Engku Sar refers to the name of the father of Engku Pengiran Anom whose full name is Syed Abdullah Al-Idrus. “Sar” is another name for “Sir”.Aneka KAMDAR Building on Kota Lama Street is used as an ASC (Arena Sports Center) which is a Sports Venue business in Kuala Terengganu. Let’s sleep!…. It was 11 p.m.….Tomorrow I would walk again.
I was still guessing, who could be, one of three drivers who would make the last trip of Bas KITē Lane C02. They were joking and intimately chatting at the coffee shop in terminal corner.
I kept watching from the waiting bench behind the Bas KITē queue until finally one of them got up from his seat, headed for the bus and then started the engine to heat it up before starting the journey.
“Oh, he’s the one”, I snapped my fingers.
I quickly intercepted it. “Sir, will the Crystal Mosque be visible from the road when this bus will pass?”, I even intercepted him with a silly question.
“You can’t see the mosque from the road…why?”, he looked surprised by the question I asked.
“If you can’t see it, I won’t be taking this last bus, Sir”, I frowned.
“Do you want to visit the Crystal Mosque?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“You can take this bus, I’ll wait five minutes for a quick visitation to the Crystal Mosque. How about mi idea?”.
“Thank you. Okay, I’ll go with you, Sir.”
Negotiations between tourists and city bus drivers were over. Now I had the opportunity even if not long to visit one of the most beautiful mosques in Asia and even the world.
Exactly five o’clock in the afternoon….
I hopped on the Bas KITē from the front door. Handed the 3 Ringgit fare to the driver and started taking seats. Meanwhile, Bas KITē slowly began to leave the Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu.
Even though my destination was in the west, but that time Bas KITē first went east, picked up some passengers at Shahbandar and Hotel Grand Continental, then turned around at Bulatan Batu Bersurat, Kuala Terengganu, and then Bas KITē went to the west to reach my desired destination, i.e Crystal Mosque.
Bulatan Batu Bersurat Kuala Terengganu at the center of the meeting of four roads, i.e Sultan Ismail Street, Sultan Mahmud Street, Sultan Zainal Abidin Street and Sultan Sulaiman Street. The atmosphere on Air Jernih Street that afternoon. Mydin Grand Market seen from Tengku Mizan Street
Slowly but consistently, the Bas KITē drove along the south side of the Terengganu River and approached its destination. Now the bus was starting to move over the bridge connecting Wan Man Island. After crossing the bridge, I was faced with a large gate in front of Taman Tamadun Islam.
The Islamic Gardens Park is an important attraction on that artificial island. This is the first theme park in Malaysia that combines the concepts of religion and tourism, of course the Crystal Mosque is an important part. Along the way through Tamadun Islam Park, the Bus KITē driver explained that in that park there were replicas of the best Islamic structures from around the world such as the Taj Mahal, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock, but I didn’t have time to visit them. .
“Crystal Mosque is near….I’ll stop and wait for you for five minutes…When you’re done, let’s go back again to this bus”, the driver spoke to me while focusing behind the wheel.
“Okay, Sir”, I happily answered.
The bus slowly slowed down and entered a large parking lot. I still didn’t realize that that place was a stop for the Crystal Mosque religious tourist destination.
“The Crystal Mosque is over thereē”, the driver pointed in a direction.
“Okay, Sir”, I quickly got up and got off the bus.
“The five-minute countdown has started”, I thought, my heart beating faster. There was no other way, except to run as fast as possible to the mosque.
The further I ran, the face of the Crystal Mosque was already in sight. And after running past a local young man who was busy documenting the mosque with his tripod, I suddenly stopped.
“Can you take a photo, brother?”, I offered my Canon EOS with a smile.
Without saying anything, the young man smiled back and took my camera. For a moment, his agenda was slightly disturbed by my tacky behavior.
Snap….
After thanking him, I ran back to the mosque. Within a minute I arrived. Ignoring any crowds, I preferred to stand still watching the mosque, which was mostly made of steel and glass.
I continued to enjoy the mosque with a capacity of 1,500 worshipers from the banks of the Terengganu River. The combination of black and white made the 13-year-old mosque very elegant and eye-catching. This was the first ‘smart’ mosque in Terengganu, the existence of an integrated IT infrastructure that allowed worshipers to access the internet to read the electronic Al-Quran.
The Crystal Mosque front view.Crystal Mosque side view.The beautiful Terengganu River.
Five very precious minutes didn’t expect that with time constraints, I was still allowed to visit the Crystal Mosque.
Four minutes have passed….
One last minute I’ll use to run back to Bas KITē. I didn’t want the driver to leave me and make it even more difficult for me to get public transportation to go home to the inn.
The relief came when the Bas KITē still stopped with a sluggish engine sound and the driver was looking at me while waving his hand as a signal for me to speed up running.
“Hufffttt….I’m tired, Sir”, I jumped from the front door.
“Hahahaha… How about that, how beautiful is the Crystal Mosque?”, he laughed as he slowly stepped on the gas pedal and let the bus go slowly.
“Very good, Sir”, I panted sitting in the front seat on the left side.
Time to back to the inn….
My adventure that day was over….
Tomorrow I would take a long road trip to Kuala Lumpur.
I sat down and intensely watched the vehicles on Batu Buruk Street from under Rhu trees when the congregation for the Dhuhr prayer began to arrive. Some of them smiled when they saw me who was still sitting on the grass of Floating Mosque’s Ramadhan Bazaar.
A few minutes after the iqamah was pronounced, the bus I was waiting for started showing its nose at the entrance gate. The Bas KITē didn’t slow down, apparently, suddenly quickly stopped in front of the north bridge.
I stuttered, got up, put the itinerary sheet which I had used as a seat cushion into the folding bag, and started running as fast as I could to catch the Bas KITē which had stopped and had finished lowering its passengers. “It’s bad if I miss it”, I held my breath and drove as fast as I could.
“Hurry….Come on, hurry up, brother”, a mother who walked with her umbrella encouraged me. I could only run while trying to leave a smile on her.
The Bas KITē, which initially started to go, finally slowed down, and the driver seemed to see me running from the rearview mirror. I did try to show myself in the rearview mirror and wave to him. Luckily for me, the Bas KITē driver noticed my presence.
I jumped up from the front door…..
“Oh, brother….I thought you had explored another place”, the driver still memorized my face.
“Not yet, Sir….I’ve been waiting for the bus for a while”, I panted and handed over 3 Ringgits while trying to keep a friendly smile.
Now I was sitting in the row of seat number six and trying to cool off the heat of my body right under the bus’ air conditioner then trying to get back to enjoying the trip to the Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu.
Leaving the Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque, initially, Bas KITē moved south, the bus took passengers to an important destination, namely Noor Arfa Craft Complex which is a well-known handicraft outlet in Kuala Terengganu. After dropping off and picking up passengers, Bus KITē again drove north along Batu Buruk Street, crossed the Kuala Ibai Bridge, and crossed again the Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque which still looked elegant even from a distance.
Noor Arfa Craft Complex on the edge of Permin Jaya Street. Head to Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu. Kedai Makan Stesen Teksi (local people call this food stall as Kedai Kak Na).
By three o’clock in the afternoon, Bus KITē finally arrived at the Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu, which was eight kilometers from the Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque.
But I arrived at the bus station in hunger. I was still trying to stay calm, because yesterday afternoon when I finished eating at the terminal canteen, I saw the existence of a food stall at a taxi rank which was full of visitors. “The food in that food stall must be delicious,” I concluded that afternoon. I’ve bookmarked the food stall and now was the perfect time for me to visit and had lunch there.
The food stall hadn’t changed from yesterday, it was crowded with visitors. Not only taxi drivers, but many office workers, security forces, and soldiers were seen queuing up to be able to eat at that place. It seemed that the place was indeed a favorite and affordable place to eat for residents.
I tried to enjoy a portion of rice with chicken pieces and I added a few pieces of fresh vegetables. The vegetables weren’t paid for.
The simple food stall only had a seat made from plastic but had its specialties because the shop assistant was a young girl wearing a headscarf with a beautiful Malay face. “No wonder this shop is crowded,” I smiled to myself.
I enjoyed the lunch very voraciously. Apart from being hungry, that stall’s food tasted very good. I ended my lunch by handing five Ringgits to the beautiful lady of the stall’s servant.
There was still 45 minutes before the Bas KITē to the Crystal Mosque departed….
I looked for a prayer room in the terminal and decided to pray. There was no more time because I would bump into the sunset when I return from the Crystal Mosque later.
Even after the prayer, there were still thirty minutes left….
I decided to explore the interior of the Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu by stepping to the second floor. On the second floor, there were rows of kiosks that were very busy with various activities selling goods and services. But the majority seemed to be dominated by clothing kiosks and tailoring services.
While the view downwards looked more beautiful than a sweep of the eye when I was below. The front left side of the terminal was dominated by the taxi parking area. Meanwhile, on the right front side, several Bas KITe were neatly parked, which since this morning have been instrumental in driving me around the city. On the other hand, that afternoon, interstate buses began to stir and slowly arrived to pick up passengers to take out of town.
Half an hour of exploring each side of the Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu allowed me to get to know more about the Kuala Terengganu mainstay bus terminal.
The back of the terminal.Kiosk on the 2nd floor of the Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu.Concrete waiting bench next to the platform.Front right side (saw the Bas KITē with multiple lanes)Front left side (saw the interstate bus ready to leave).Bus platforms.The Kiosks were on the front left side of the terminal.
It was three in the afternoon….
Time to go to the Crystal Mosque….
But now I was in big trouble. That was the Bas KITe on the last C02 trip, meaning that when I arrived at the Crystal Mosque, I had to go back to the inn by taxi… “Hmmh, expensive”, I kept thinking….
Failing to get off at Batu Burok Beach due to entrusted my trip too much to the Bas KITē driver, I was dropped off at my second target destination. It was Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque, the first floating mosque in my neighboring country.
Bas KITē stopped on the north side of the parking area which was also known as the Floating Mosque Ramadhan Bazaar area. Once down, I didn’t directly enter the mosque. I took a standing position on the north side of Ibai River’s estuary to enjoy the full view of Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque with its thirty-meter minaret from a distance.
Zaharah….is a word taken from the name of Sultan Mahmud’s mother, Tengku Intan Zaharah. The thirty-year-old mosque is truly enchanting to my naked eye from my standing position, it is appropriate that long wooden seats are provided on the north side of the estuary, allowing any visitor to sit at dawn or dusk to enjoy the beauty of the mosque which can accommodate a thousand worshipers.
Not only the building but I was also stunned by the water below. The estuary water is filled with tame fish which beautifully flock when fed by visitors from the connecting bridge on the north side. Visitors got fish food from a fish pellet seller in the parking area at a price of only one ringgit per pack.
I started to enter the mosque from the north bridge which was intentionally provided with a canopy along it, making it comfortable for visitors to linger to feed the fish. Along the canopy, signs bearing the words of the Prophet managed to become a shade of heart before actually entering the mosque.
The first thing I did when I arrived at the mosque’s door was to walk around the mosque and saw its view from all sides. Some amazing views of the surroundings were easy to find when I stood at the best spots on the mosque’s terrace. Do you want to see that beautiful view?…. Here it is:
Visitors who enjoyed fishing activities. Cactus plant on the mosque’s veranda. The connecting bridge on the south side is without a canopy. Clear green….This is the form of the Ibai River estuary where the mosque stands. An elegant pavilion that provides seating for visitors to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings.
After finishing recording memories in my head about all the beauty around the mosque, I rushed to the purification room. The time for Dzuhur hadn’t yet come, but I was very excited to perform the “tahiyatul masjid” prayer.
Entering the purification room, I washed my face solemnly, preparing myself to worship at the mosque whose position was very famous as an important landmark of the State of Terengganu.
Now I would enjoy the mosque inside which was the core part of the building, of course also the core part of this visit. The stretch of soft red carpet on the front row combined with a light blue carpet on the back makes the room come alive. Twelve large pillars support the entire mosque body and the side poles of the pulpit are decorated with beautiful lights looking up. While in the middle of the building perched a dome with a hexagon structure base. Then the dominant green windows enrich its color. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to look upstairs.
I finished praying while some mosque staffs were still busy cleaning its terrace. I returned out of the mosque through the bridge on the north side and walked around the river estuary to the garden on the south side. I had to complete the point of view. After enjoying the north side, now I sat in the south garden and enjoyed the beauty of the Tengku Tengah Zaharah mosque from the other side of the estuary.
The visitation was completed by enjoying the beach on the east of the Lagun Kuala Ibai Public Park. That was a substitute beach for the Batu Burok Beach destination which I couldn’t reach because I was dissolved in the speed of the Bas KITe.
At one o’clock in the afternoon, I finished relaxing on the beach. I had to immediately take a seat in the area of the Floating Mosque Ramadhan Bazaar which was widely stretched on the north side of the mosque to wait for the arrival of Bas KITē which would arrive in an hour. I didn’t want to be left behind because I had to immediately go back to the Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu. I still wanted to look for opportunities to go to Crystal Mosque which I decided this morning to cross off my bucket list.
Let’s pray!The door and window designs are cool.The windows of the mosque on each side…Southside garden.The view from the south side of the estuary.
This time I deliberately didn’t attend the congregational Dzuhur Prayer which would soon be held, I decided to just do it later. I had to catch the bus that time because the Bas KITē might come sooner.
I decided to sit on a side of the grassy area under the Rhu trees to avoid sunlight directly. Rhu trees certainly made my body more comfortable in waiting for the arrival of the C01 A KITe Bus.
I was now preparing to leave the Kuala Ibai District.
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