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  • Moored at Kedai Payang Market

    <—-Previous Story

    “I’m not from India, I’m from Iran”, the bunk bed neighbor’s traveler answered my question.

    “Do you know where is a middle eastern salon near here?. I think I need a salon for relaxation”, he suddenly asked the receptionist and hotel owner.

    I inwardly laughed at that “funny” scene that morning, a light conversation before I set out to explore Kuala Terengganu for the first time since arriving.

    I rushed down the stairs to get out of The Space Inn, along Engku Pengiran Anom 2 Street, heading north, repeating the original way when heading to the inn. Of course, I went back to Air Jernih Street, met again at the intersection where Politectic Kuala Terengganu became a landmark besides PMINT Tower and retraced Masjid Abidin Street until I arrived back in east side of Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu.

    The east side of Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu.
    Rows of Interstate Bus ticket counters.
    So here it was…. The tree just got “dressed up”……

    It was just that, two hundred meters before arriving at bus terminal, I was fascinated by the art of yarn bombing which pinned colorful knitted threads to a row of trees in a side of Masjid Abidin Street’ sidewalk, right on the west side of PB Square. Make the city atmosphere more lively.

    Arriving at bus terminal, I immediately struggled to find an Interstate Bus ticket to go to Kuala Lumpur the day after tomorrow.

    “There are even cheaper ones, Sir?”, I joked at an Arowana Bus ticket counter staff.

    “Nothing…. It’s only 43 Ringgit, Sir…. this is the cheapest”.

    “Okay, I’ll take one, Sir …. For the date of 31st”.

    A few minutes ago, I had secured a ticket to Kuala Lumpur, now I was a little calmer to start exploring my first destination.

    Yupsz, I was going to Kuala Terengganu’s market.

    That market is only a kilometer from Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu, so I decided to just walk. I slowly enjoyed the crowds around Kampung Daik Street, under the shade of roofed corridor along sidewalk, what a comfortable way to walk. My steps also had to turn right in front of Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat Jalan Kota’s Office, which were identical in color to the fire brigade offices in Jakarta (my hometown), bright red.

    Now I felt reluctant to continue swinging steps due to the scorching heat of sun in the path in front of me that wasn’t longer covered. Finally, I decided to take a break at the end of covered corridor, sitting in a concrete bench, waiting for the cloud to cover the sun.

    Kuala Terengganu fire department.

    A few moments of waiting while enjoying the passing of local residents, the cloud was present, now the street didn’t sting anymore, I immediately took a quick step down Sultan Zainal Abidin Street. Finally, two hundred meters ahead, I arrived at Kedai Payang Market which was starting to get busy.

    The Kedai Payang Market dis seem to show off its beauty, it was said that the two-year-old building functions to replace the old building that had retired.

    Rows of tents with white cloth roofs stretched across market’s face, separating the parking area from commercial area. The large tents showed that  market’s interior area wasn’t enough to facilitate the bustling commerce in downtown Kuala Terengganu.

    Now I’ve entered market inside which was very crowded, the stalls with red brick motifs still looked new, the alleys seemed full of visitors passing by. Several clowns and pet equipment sellers were seen cramming into several corners of stalls selling songket, batik, handicrafts and traditional snacks from Terengganu. While in the back area, it appeared that a special area was provided for a row of culinary stalls with a mainstay menu of Nasi Dagang, Laksa, Nasi Lemak and several other specialties.

    Kedai Payang Market back view.
    The market front.
    Market atmosphere.
    Rows of clothing stalls.
    Culinary stalls behind the market.
    Come on, first enjoy the beauty of Terengganu River!

    I just kept going until I reached its backyard. Apparently that market is right on the outskirts of very clean Terengganu River. Bot Penambang (Passenger Boats) could be seen moving back and forth to mobilize Terengganu residents from a bank to another. The Bot Penambang (Passenger Boat), which is relied upon as the city’s water taxi, seems to have originalized the atmosphere of Terengganu that morning.

    The beauty of the expanse of Terengganu River finally started to make me fall in love with that city and managed to tame me to just linger for a while enjoying the gentle breeze in a concrete gazebo which is part of public facilities belonging to Pasar Kedai Payang.

    “Don’t be in a hurry, Donny….Sit down and enjoy”.

    Next Story—->

  • Bait Al Zubair: Terpapar Sejarah di Kalbuh

    <—-Kisah Sebelumnya

    Hampir masuk pukul sepuluh pagi…..

    Aku memutuskan untuk meninggalkan tepian pantai di utara Al Alam Palace. Memaksakan diri meninggalkan otentiknya Al Mirani Fort yang sebelumnya kupunggungi dan Al Jalali Fort yang dari kejauhan seakan melambai mengundangku untuk berkunjung.

    Kembali berjalan mengitari sisi barat istana, aku meninggalkan kompleks pemerintahan Kesultanan Oman melalui halamannya yang memanjang menuju selatan dan berakhir di tepian Al Bahri Road.

    Tiba di tepian jalan utama, aku menatap jauh ke arah barat. Antusiasku kembali tumbuh, menerka-nerka, “Spot  pariwisata apa saja yang akan kutemui apabila aku berjalan kaki sejauh tujuh kilometer?”.

    Tanpa keraguan….Aku pun mulai melangkahkan kaki.

    Tiba di sebuah jalur melingkar, aku tertegun pada sebuah bukit berbatu dengan benteng gagah di atasnya. Adalah Rawia Fort yang menjadi benteng pertahanan ketiga yang kusaksikan di area Mutrah.

    Dari bundaran sisi utara, langkah kaki akhirnya mengantarkanku tiba di Al Bab Al Kabeer Gate. Sesuai namanya, gerbang itu memiliki ukuran besar, menjadi landmark kesekian di daerah Kalbuh. Gerbang besar itu menjadi akses utama menuju Musee Franco-Omanais yang merupakan  pengenang hubungan dekat antara Oman dengan Perancis. Oleh karena fungsinya, maka di dalam museum itu terdapat foto-foto diplomatik antar kedua negara di masa lalu serta berbagai jenis pakaian, furniture dan perhiasan khas kedua negara. Kapal niaga Oman dan Perancis juga ada di dalam museum ini.

    Sementara itu…..

    Aku juga mengunjungi obyek wisata di selatan gerbang, yaitu Bait Al Zubair Museum dan Bait Muzna.

    Bait Al Zubair sendiri adalah museum pribadi milik keluarga Zubair yang dibuka untuk umum tujuh belas tahun lalu. Kekhasan museum ini adalah ukiran-ukiran khas Oman yang tersemat di beberapa bagian museum yang berbahan dari kayu.

    Sheikh Al Zubair bin Ali sendiri merupakan tokoh nasional yang pernah melayani Sultan Oman sebagai Menteri dan penasehat.

    Terdapat beberapa bagian utama dari Bait Al Zubair, yaitu Bait Al Nahdhah, Galleri Syarah, Bait Al Bagh, Bait Al Oud dan Bait Al Dalaleel.

    Bait Al Oud adalah rumah utama yang didesain untuk mencerminkan karakteristik masyarakat pertama di Muscat, dimana Sheikh Ali bin Juma (Sheikh Al Zubair) dan keluarganya menjadi salah satu tokohnya. Masyarakat itu hidup damai pada Abad ke-19 dan Abad ke-20.

    Bait Al Oud memiliki tiga lantai, yaitu

    Lantai G  digunakan untuk Temporary Exhibition Hall

    Lantai 1 terdapat peta antic dari Semenanjung Arab, pameran maritim, furniture milik warga utama,

    Lantai 2 digunakan untuk Foto Muscat tempo dulu, kolekdi kamera, cetakan tua Semenajung Arab

    Rawia Fort terlihat di atas perbukitan.
    Al Bab Al Kabeer Gate.
    Musee Franco-Omanais.
    Bait Al Zubair Museum.
    Bait Al Dalaleel.
    Bait Muzna Gallery (kanan).

    Sedangkan…..Bait Al Dalaleel adalah rumah di Distrik Daleleel yang direstorasi dan direnovasi secara detail sehingga bisa membantu pengunjung untuk berpetualang waktu dan mengalami sendiri bagaimana penduduk asli oman menjalankan hidup pada masa seratus tahun lalu.

    Lalu…..Bait Al Bagh (Bagian Utama) yang merupakan bangunan museum utama yang awalnya didirikan sebagai rumah keluarga pada tahun 1914 oleh Sheikh Al Zubair bin Ali. Pada masa lalu bangunan ini berfungsi sebagai tempat berkumpulnya para elit negara. Jika ingin mengetahui lebih detail tentang Dinasti Busaidi, maka di sinilah tempatnya. Dinasti Busaidi sendiri telah berkuasan sejak pertengahan Abad ke-18 di tanah Oman.

    Sedangkan tepat di utara Bait Al Zubair, di seberang jalan Al Bahri Road, berdirilah Bait Al Muzna yang menjadi galer seni pertama dan utama di Muscat yang menampilkan perkembangan seni kotemporer di area kesultanan.

    Kunjungan di Bait Al Muzna membuatku semakin bersemangat untuk segera menemukan destinasi lain di sekitar Mutrah.

    Yuk, ikuti langkahku……

    Kisah Selanjutnya—->

  • Impressed in The Space Inn

    <—-Previous Story

    Adventure to neighboring country is easy and fun. In addition to culinary which is familiar with Indonesian tongue, their tourism also provides a lot of super cheap lodging which gives possibility for anyone to explore the country.

    That morning, I had just jumped off myBAS which had brought me from Sultan Mahmud Airport, now I had just turned around when I had just moved north leaving Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu. For a moment, I stared at it from a distance, enjoying the simplicity of that mainstay bus terminal of “Keropok Lekor” Country.

    A moment later I headed to WIN DOTCOM Telecommunications Equipment Store, the busiest shop in Syed Hussein Street to hunt for local SIM cards and internet services which I would use for my four-day adventure in Malaysia.

    Inside the shop, I was offered various types of SIM cards by shop owner who was of Chinese descent. Meanwhile, a young girl wearing a black headscarf with an authentic Malay face patiently explained my ignorance from shop owner’s quick explanation. At the end of that transaction, I got a SIM Card with a 2 GB quota for 25 Ringgit. The price was very affordable, at least I had been guaranteed by Hotlink for 10 days to have access to internet surfing.

    Now I was starting to head south, entering a road inside the block, crossing Twin Towers of PB (Paya Bunga) Square, owned by Perbadanan Memajukan Iktisad Negeri Terengganu (PMINT) which became Pusat Transformasi Bandar Terengganu or public better known as UTC (The Urban Transformation Centre) . The atmosphere began to get excited that morning, the routine activities of Terengganu residents had just begun.

    Paya Bunga Square in the morning.
    The intersection at Abidin Mosque Street.
    PMINT tower in a side of intersection.

    Seeing the architecture of Twin Towers of PB Square, I began to understand that Kuala Terengganu carvings were always embodied in every city building. Nice and elegant.

    Leaving Twin Towers of PB Square, I now head south through Masjid Abidin Street until I arrived at a large intersection decorated with a slogan Sign Board “Visit Beautiful Terengganu”. The PMINT tower which functions as Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu looked solid, occupying a corner of intersection and exhibiting city’s main slogan “Bandaraya Warisan Pesisir Air”.

    Finished waiting for the turn of green traffic light, I crossed intersection, continued heading south. Entering Air Jernih Street, a hundred meters ahead, I turned right at a fork. Location of The Space Inn wasn’t far from T-junction. The inn I chose was a dormitory which utilized a shophouse complex along Engku Pengiran Anom 2 Street.

    My steps finally arrived at the door of inn, but I was enveloped in confusion because the door was tightly locked. For a while I just silently stood in front of inn’s door without any idea. Even the sidewalks around seemed deserted, it was impossible for me to ask anyone. Luckily, ten minutes later, an inn guest came down the stairs and was about to leave the inn. It was this moment that I then used to sneak in.

    I climbed the stairs and finally arrived at 2nd floor reception desk which was guarded by inn’s owner, a middle-aged man of Chinese descent. He friendly greeted me and of course asked how I could get in because I didn’t have an access card. I told him my “cheating technique” and he burst out laughing.

    As a result he gave me an access card to go in and out of inn after handing over my passport to be scanned and the staying cost was 41 Ringgit per night. Finishing all administration, I went up to 3rd floor to look for a bunk bed according to a number listed in back of access card.

    The Space Inn.
    Reception room.
    My bed.

    Taking off my shoes in front outside, I started to enter a quiet room with cool air conditioning. Not all bunk beds were filled so that it was possible for me to move to other mattress I liked, next to  bulkhead with travelers from Iran and Japan.

    Mr Okamoto

    The traveler from “the Land of Rising Sun” worked as an English teacher in the capital city, his name was Okamoto. I met him when he was busy fiddling with the small padlock which was attached to a locker handle of inn.

    “There’s no key in my locker, did you get that padlock from the reception desk?”, I ventured to ask.

    “Oh, of course not. I bought it by myself”, he answered with a smile.

    “Oh, okay. I’ll better put my backpack in bunk bed”, I replied with a frown.

    From that conversation, the two of us became acquainted and became best friends at inn.

    Eventually it became a habit, when morning and evening, before and after adventures, Mr. Okamoto was always the first to greet me at shared-khitchen table. It made me powerless to refuse his invitation to just talk about anything while sipping coffee together. Mr. Okamoto’s brewed coffee mix always had a special taste. I didn’t know what kind of coffee he brought from Tokyo.

    Shared kitchen.
    Mr. Okamoto whose English was good….But he still had a Japanese accent.

    His friendship made me know more about Japanese culture and some interesting locations in Japan which he suggested to I visited, Okinawa being one of them. He was also honored because I had visited his country three years before our meeting. Likewise, I felt honored because he had traveled to Aceh just to enjoy original coffee from that area at the western tip of Indonesia.

    Washing

    The advantage of this tiny inn iss the availability of a space which connects share-bathroom and bedroom. In that small room, the inn manager provides a hanger and a fan. During my stay, I noticed that none of visitors used the connecting room.

    Except for me, who casually used that room to dry t-shirts which I washed every afternoon in shared-bathroom. Washing wasn’t a complicated thing for me when I get acquainted, just rub t-shirt, trousers and socks using bath soap, then rinse it under faucet, wring it hard and then hang it in hanger in connecting room, just wait until tomorrow morning until it dried.. OK? That was why five t-shirts were enough for my long journey which could even last three weeks.

    My T-shirt was still drying.
    Shared bathroom.

    Faucet Water

    It was output of a light conversation with The Space Inn staff on duty that afternoon, I finally got information that the tap water in Kuala Terengganu is very safe for direct consumption. He even demonstrated in front of me how he put the glass under kitchen faucet, streamed the tap water and then drank it casually. “Of course it’s safe…. You’ll see, every day I drink this water,” he lightly joked with a faint smile.

    Three days in Kuala Terengganu, I didn’t even spend a single bite money to buy drinking water. The price of 1.5 litre drinking water in Kuala Terengganu is around 3 Ringgit, if you are only three days in the city, it means you have to budget 18 Ringgit just to buy for drinking water.

    How?….Is Kuala Terengganu tap water useful?

    So, if you go to Kuala Terengganu, where do you want to stay???….

    Next Story—->

  • myBAS from Sultan Mahmud Airport to Downtown Kuala Terengganu

    <—-Previous Story

    Similar to my experience when visiting Ipoh a year earlier. In several cities in Malaysia, finding a bus to downtown from the city’s entrance gate was something that sometimes was rare to find in internet. The consequence was, I had to try my best to find it on the spot when I arrived in my destination. Calmness and mental strength were really tested to find that public bus.

    Exploring the entire Sultan Mahmud Airport, I took time to ask a cleaning service who was pushing his trolley. Through simple conversation, he informed that there was a bus service to downtown every hour. myBAS, the name of that bus and that public transportation would drop passengers in the top floor of airport.

    Armed with that important information, I decided to immediately go up to Departure Hall to hunt it down. But I wasn’t lucky, just as I exited Departure Hall’s front gate, the bus was already puffing a thin layer of smoke, started its engine and leaving the airport.

    “Well, in next a hour, I must wait”,  I lightly thought.

    The waiting moment which was actually boring, I used to enjoy an atmosphere around the airport from top floor. After that, I sat in the edge of Departure Hall terrace waiting for myBAS to arrive.

    Filling the waiting time, I decided to record all expenses I had spent since leaving my home on yesterday afternoon. I really paid attention to the passing of private cars which dropped off prospective flight passengers, until I realized that many people had been paying attention to my presence when passing by. It might seem a little strange, there was someone sitting in the edge of terrace waiting for a bus. I myself was a little surprised, why not provided a seat in that wide terrace. Of course not, I had to stand for an hour waiting for bus to come. That was similar to my experience in Manila when I was reprimanded by an MRT officer when I sat on the floor waiting for MRT to arrive.

    Exactly a hour, the sound of a slight engine growl came from the far right of Departure Hall, the airport bus slowly crawled up to top floor. I immediately stood up and waved as a sign I would use its services. The bus slowly slowed down and stopped right in front of me.

    Drove with myBAS to downtown.

    I jumped up from front door of medium-sized bus with a capacity of 34 seats. Give the driver a fare of 1.8 Ringgit and sat in back seat. The passengers were dominated by women and I was really amazed that all of them were wearing headscarves. “The Islamic nuances in Terengganu are thick,” I quietly thought.

    None of passengers got off the bus. “Oh, maybe Terengganu people prefer to use a private car to go to airport, but what do I care, the important thing is that I can go to downtown at a low cost,” I concluded in my heart.

    Sitting there, I enjoyed the local dialect which was passed between passengers, the Malay dialect which I always missed when I got home. I was still in the aisle seat when myBAS first out from airport, I had to wait for some passengers to get off to be able to enjoy Kuala Terengganu’s view from seat in window side.

    The time I was waiting for arrived when after a few minutes, the bus dropped passengers and left a few empty seats in the side of window, I took the leftmost seat in the middle and started following  bus’ pace in showing the original view of Kuala Terengganu.

    On a time, the view of Terengganu River and the view of downtown at the far end caught my attention. Meanwhile, rows of passenger ships and mining boats were seen going back and forth on the vast expanse of river, showing that Kuala Terengganu’s economic strength was supported by its waters.

    Seen in the distance: Felda Residence Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu Drawbridge, UTC Terengganu and Wisma Darul Iman.
    The atmosphere in Masjid Abidin Street.
    Air Jernih Street. 1.5 kilometers from Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu
    I arrived.
    myBAS at Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu.

    The next view which appeared were several one-story government buildings which occupied several sides of road leading to downtown. The bus continued to follow road signs which lead to downtown, while other signs pointed to Terengganu State Museum. Also a direction to big road to Kuantan, that was my way out to Kuala Lumpur the day after tomorrow.

    Unconsciously, fifteen minutes have passed, myBAS whcih I was riding began to reach to downtown. For ten kilometers, I was exposed to Kuala Terengganu travel spoilers which made me even more curious.

    Descending from the tiny myBAS, I immediately walked to The Space Inn where I was staying.

    My adventure in Kuala Terengganu began…

    Next Story—->

  • Al Mirani Fort dan Al Jalali Fort: Kembaran Khas Portugis

    <—-Kisah Sebelumnya

    Sebetulnya aku belumlah puas menikmati keindahan yang tertampil di segenap sisi Al Alam Palace. Corak menarik, arsitektur khas, warna mencolok berpadu dengan hijaunya taman membuat Al Alam Palace menjadi aktor utama pariwisata di daerah Kalbuh.

    Sementara itu, diantara kemegahan segenap area sekitar, tampak beberapa tukang kebun istana sedang sibuk-sibuknya membersihkan taman. Para pekerja itu khas berwajah Asia Selatan, mengenakan seragam dengan paduan celana panjang yang keseluruhannya berwarna coklat muda. Satu diantara mereka tampak mendorong seperangkat peralatan kebun untuk mendukung pekerjaan mereka.

    Al Alam Palace dari dekat.
    Halaman barat Al Alam Palace,

    Aku bergegas meninggalkan Al Alam Palace dari sisi baratnya. Melewati Al Khor Mosque. Masjid mungil dengan warna dominan ungu yang tersemat di bagian kubah-kubah mungilnya itu menjadi tempat peribadatan ikonik di sekitar istana.

    Aku terus melewati masjid itu untuk segera tiba di bibir pantai. Tetapi mendadak langkahku melambat ketika dengan seketika mendengar logat jawa dari arah belakang.

    “Kae lho….bentenge dhuwur banget yo…..”, aku segera menoleh ke arah sumber suara.

    Kulihat sepasang muda-mudi sedang melangkah cepat menuju ke bangunan benteng. Mereka berdua menyalip langkahku dari belakang, untuk kemudian berdiri di bawah kaki benteng. Begitupun aku, berdiri di sebelah mereka untuk mengambil foto terbaik dari rupa arsitektur pertahanan itu. Al Mirani Fort nama benteng tersebut.

    Inilah benteng yang menjadi saksi pengambil alihan Muscat dari kekuasaan Portugis oleh Dinasti Utsmaniyah pada awal Abad ke-16 melalui sebuah pertempuran bertajuk “Capture of Muscat”.

    “Mas, Jowone ngendi?”, aku yang sedari sebelumnya sudah tak tahan untuk menyapa mereka, akhirnya mulai bertanya juga.

    “Loh mase soko Indonesia yo?”, mereka terkaget seketika

    “Aku soko Jakarta, Mas”

    “Oalah, Aku soko Jogja, Mas”, dia menjawab sambil menunjuk kekasihnya yang berwajah khas Eropa.

    “Aku asli Paris mas, tapi sekolah nang Jogja”, gadis cantik berambut pirang itu menjelaskan ketika aku terheran karena dia bisa berbahasa Jawa.

    Percakapan kami di depan Al Mirani Fort kemudia berlanjut lebih jauh tentang dari mana kami sebelum sama-sama tiba di Muscat, perjalanan selanjutnya setelah berkunjung di Muscat serta hal-hal menarik lainnya tentang pengalaman bertraveling.

    Tetapi karena perbedaan agenda, akhirnya percakapan berdurasi hampir setengah jam itu harus terhenti, karena mereka berdua hendak pergi menuju Masjid Sultan Qaboos yang terletak di kawasan Al Ghubrah South.

    Al Khor Mosque.
    “Wong Indonesia iku narsis yo mas nak di foto”, Ungkap gadis bule itu
    Al Jalali Fort tampak dari kejauhan.

    Akhirnya kami bertiga berpisah….

    Aku sendiri menlanjutkan langkah menuju utara Al Mirani Fort demi menggapai pantai.

    Aku tiba di tepian pantai lima menit kemudian, kini pemandangan berubah menjadi hamparan membiru perairan pantai yang mengisi ruang diantara perbukitan berbatu yang menjadi pertahanan sempurna Kesultanan Oman tempo doeloe.

    Sementara di salah satu puncak bukit yang lain, berdiri gagah Al Jalali Fort yang dua menaranya menjulang seakan lekat mengawasi sekitar.

    “Can I go there?”, aku bertanya pada seorang serdadu yang tampak mengamankan Al Alam Palace sisi selatan sembari melempar telunjuk jariku ke arah benteng.

    “No….That fort is closed for next several day”, dia menjelaskan singkat dengan wajah super dingin.

    “Oh….Okay. Thanks, Sir”, aku tak berani lagi melanjutkan percakapan.

    Alhasil, aku hanya menikmati suasana pantai untuk beberapa saat ke depan.

    Kisah Selanjutnya—->

  • Peeking Sultan Mahmud Airport, Kuala Terengganu

    <—-Kisah Sebelumnya

    In online searching before leaving for Kuala Terengganu, I never found the word “International” attached to its name. I just kept guessing that the airport I was going to was only a domestic airport which only served domestic flights.

    Turned out I was only slightly right, but still horribly wrong in the end. Because this airport also provided international flights, although only for Hajj and Umrah purposes, i.e direct flights to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

    Now I was hovering over Kuala Nerus District. Terengganu River was seemed when Malaysia Airlines MH 1326 slowly lowered all its flaps on its two iron wings. That iron sheets slowly pushed the plane down towards the sole runway belonging to Sultan Mahmud Airport.

    Gliding on the runway, I was presented with a view of a small yellowish building gracefully standing and showing off its distinctive style. The beautiful carvings at its wooden ornaments along airport’s wall seemed to take me to the gates of old sultanate era. Meanwhile, terraced roofs in airport corners add to its authority and classic impression.

    Arrival Hall

    The plane had done its job and came to a gentle stop in an apron which made from solid-uncoated concrete. The aerobridge line welcomed and provided a way for me and other passengers to enjoying the beauty of airport inside.

    Malaysia Airlines 1326 in the apron.
    Corridor leading to arrival hall.

    Yellow….became the color of Malay majesty which was consistently exhibited. The waist-high wooden planks lining its walls made me feel like I wasn’t far from home. While the motive of three-color tile patterns made the atmosphere along arrival hall more lively.

    Stepping into Domestic Arrival Council, the feel of Malaysian tourism was evident in advertisement wall throughout the room. Pictures which were familiar to my mind, beautifully displayed, the legendary Mining Boat which had been sailing for 90 years, Batu Burok Beach with its beautiful white sand and Traditional Trishaw which offered the beauty of a city tour made me impatient to be closer to downtown.

    Malaysia’s tourism jargon also created an euphoria which always grew my longing for Malaysia. “Leave Malaysia” was a jargon for domestic tourism, “Malaysia Truly Asia” which was the marketing campaign of Ministry of Tourism and “Beautiful Terengganu” which was the last tourism slogan belonging to the State of Terengganu, seemed crowded to fill the arrival halls.

    I arrived at Domestic Arrival Council after descending the escalator, in downstairs I found an unguarded tourism counter which allowed me to freely pick up Kuala Terengganu tourism brochures.

    Like airports in general, of course this Arrival Hall was dominated by car rental counters, taxi ticket counters, souvenir shops and restaurants. There was also an ATM Area and Ticketing Counter on this floor. There were ticket counters belonging to Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia and Firefly.

    While the public seating area utilized an empty space around airport poles with the presence of seats without a backrest.

    Arrival Hall.
    Vehicle lane in front of the arrival hall.
    Sultan Mahmud Airport was so beautiful.

    My intention to exploring the airport, whose its name was taken from the name of the 16th Sultan of Terengganu, made me in no hurry to leave. Now I had stepped out of the airport building to see beautiful facade of airport which was built to replace the old airport building thirteen years ago.

    Crossing a lane lined with airport taxis, I began walking down a corridor with a typical Terengganu roof splitting a large parking lot. Finally at the end of corridor I could freely enjoy the beauty of this airport.

    Departure Hall

    To complete visitation, I stepped into Departure Hall upstairs. After all, the day after tomorrow I wouldn’t visit this airport again to go back to Kuala Lumpur. I prefered to take an interstate bus which of course offered cheaper ticket. I would buy it right away when I got to downtown later.

    Using escalator, I arrived at top floor. Of course I just found a row of impenetrable check-in counters and screening-gates. I prefered to walk out of Departure Hall and enjoyed airport’s atmosphere from Drop-off Zone upstairs. Arriving outside, I found ancient cannons which were neatly arranged to decorate Departure Hall’s face.

    This top floor drop-off zone was where I would wait for almost 45 minutes just to be able to enjoy airport bus service to downtown.

    Parking lot seen from Departure Hall.
     Vehicle lane in front of Departure Hall.

    The adventure at Sultan Mahmud Airport was completed.

    Next Story—->

  • Aroma Militer Menyelimuti Al Alam Palace

    <—-Kisah Sebelumnya

    Sekian lama menunggu hingga titik akhir rutenya, maka tersimpul pilihan untuk turun dari Mwasalat Bus Line 4 di Al Alam Bus Stop. Hal ini dikarenakan bus akan segera memutar balik menuku ke Ruwi- Mwasalat Bus Station di putaran terdekat dari halte bus itu.

    Turun di halte dan melanjutkan langkah menuju sebuah bundaran, maka tempatku berdiri selanjutnya secara serta merta diapit oleh dua rupa arsitektur klasik dan berusia tua. Yang pertama adalah The National Museum yang memamerkan peninggalan sejarah bangsa Oman semenjak generasi pertama yang menempati semenanjung tersebut.

    Sementara itu bangunan yang kedua, tepat di utaranya berdiri gagah Kantor Pusat Perpajakan Negara Oman. Bangunan klasik tiga lantai itu berdiri kokoh memunggungi perbukitan berbatu. Kantor pajak itu tentu menjadi tempat paling sibuk siang itu mengingat pada tahun kedatanganku, Kesultanan Oman sedang memberlakukan pajak penghasilan bagi setiap warga negara untuk pertama kalinya dalam sejarah. Wah kenapa negara kaya minyak itu baru menerapkan pajak penghasilan perorangan ya?……Pasti ada defisit anggaran.

    Demi menghindari teriknya surya, aku segera menyelinap diantara rimbunnya trotoar yang memisahkan kedua ruas Al Bahri Road di tengahnya. Tujuan utama pertamaku di Muscat adalah mengunjungi Al Alam Palace yang merupakan salah satu dari enam istana milik Kesultanan Oman.

    Istana ini sendiri tidak memperbolehkan wisatawan untuk masuk, tetapi para wisatawan diperbolehkan berdiri hingga di dekat pintunya yang hanya dibatasi oleh selapis gerbang besi .

    The National Museum.
    Tax Authority Building.
    Trotoar pemisah dua ruas Al Bahri Road.
    Al Alam Palace.
    Suasana di sekitar Al Alam Palace.

    Aku berusaha mendekati bangunan pemerintahan itu dengan menyelinap diantara deretan truk-truk militer yang terparkir di halaman istana. Aku sendiri tak begitu memahami apa yang terjadi di sekitar istana sehingga aroma militer tercium begitu kuat.

    Para serdadu tampak sibuk berjaga di sepanjang halaman . Beberapa terlihat sangat ramah penuh senyum ketika aku berpapasan dengannya. Jawaban salam sesekali terdengar dari tutur mereka ketika aku berucap salam.

    Dan pada akhirnya, semua kebingunganku terjawab setelah dua hari diriku meninggalkan Oman. Dari Manama -ibu kota Bahrain”, aku melihat sebuah berita di layar televisi bahwa Sang Pemimpin Kesultanan Oman, Sayyid Qaboos bin Sa’id Al Bu Sa’id telah berpulang kehadiran Sang Maha Kuasa.

    Ternyata kesiap siagaan para tentara Oman itu terkait dengan keadaan darurat Kesultanan Oman karena sakitnya Sang Sultan.

    Kembali ke Al Alam Palace…..

    Aku dan beberapa gelintir turis Eropa berdiri tertegun di hadapan istana kesultanan yang sangat mempesona. Berlapiskan marmer halus dengan paduan tiga warna utama, biru-kuning-putih dan mengedepankan arsitektuk khas Oman.

    Keindahan arsitektur itu terpadu indah dengan perbukitan berbatu yang tampak mengelilingi istana dan menjadi benteng alam yang ideal pada masanya.

    Usai puas menikmati keindahan istana kesultanan Oman maka aku bergegas menuju ke sisi belakang istana demi menikmati keberadaan benteng-benteng kuno yang kuyakini sebagai pelindung utama atas keberadaan istana tersebut.

    Kisah Selanjutnya—->

  • Malaysia Airlines MH 1326 from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Kuala Terengganu (TGG)

    <—-Previous Story

    Malaysia Airlines flight path MH 1326 (source: flightaware.com).
    Sleep in the waiting room in gate A5.

    Not restful….

    Throughout my sleep, occasionally my eyes warily narrowed at digital clock on the blue screen of Flight Information Display System. The plane to Kuala Terengganu would be flown on 07:25 am which made my sleep not perfect.

    Two hours before dawn, in order to stop the anxiety, I decided to get up. While tidying my tired face, I had decided to go to gate A5. “Time to go to the destination point”, I muttered to myself.

    Half unsteadily I descended an escalator leaving the International Concourse in 4th floor, then followed all signs to reach the gate. Because the previous night I got off an international flight, that morning I had to get through the immigration counter and hunted an arrival stamp in my passport to be able to go to Kuala Terengganu.

    Not finding any other passengers, I now had to face an immigration officer at Kuala Lumpur International Airport alone. The immigration counter in front was guarded by a female staff who with a cold face stared at my presence.

    “Good morning”, as usual I ventured to say hello. But as I predicted, my greeting went unanswered.

    I slided my passport and ticket in front of her and she started to examine it carefully while frowning.

    “Why do you go to Terengganu?”, was the first question from her in a low and heavy voice.

    “Tourism”, a moment of silence…….“Travel”, I reiterated.

    “How many days?”, the second question from her followed.

    “Three days, Mam”, I confidently answered.

    “Where will you spend your nights?”

    “Near downtown”

    “Hotel?”

    “Oh, wait a minute, I don’t remember its name, Mam,” I was a little nervous looking for files on my smartphone. After a while of searching I finally found it, “The Space Inn”.

    “OK”

    Smoothly completing the process of taking fingerprints and facial photo, made me step happily towards the gate in front of me.

    Now I was in gate A5, exactly 2 hours before boarding time. Silence still engulfed that cold waiting room, there was no one in sight… Therefore, I decided to go in and continue sleeping. Maybe I could do Fajr Pray in the plane.

    Zzzzzzzzz….

    Some time later,

    The sounds of passengers’ trolley bags woke me up, who actually could sleep better than sleeping in upstairs last night. Now I was awake, waiting for boarding time which would arrive in less than half an hour.

    On time….

    The boarding call finally sounded. The small number of passengers made me very fast to verify passport data and boarding passes before being allowed to enter plane’s cabin via aerobridge.

    I sat in a window seat number 24F and no one else sat in the two columns closest to me, making me feel more relieved and comfortable. I immediately went for tayammum and performed the Fajr prayer while cabin crew were busy preparing for the flight.

    The plane was waiting on the apron.
    The cabin of MH 1326 was empty of passengers.
    Take-off at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport runway.
    The beauty of Putrajaya from above.

    A few moments later everything was ready. The weather was very sunny and cloudy when the plane departed its main hub, i.e Kuala Lumpur International Airport at seven in the morning.

    Malaysian Airlines MH 1326 itself is a flight with an air distance of 333 km with a travel time of 57 minutes from the capital Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu in the north. This flight is taken using a Boeing 737-800 twin jet with an average speed of 363 km per hour and in the middle of the flight it can reach a maximum speed of 764 km per hour.

    I was ready to explore to an altitude of 25,000 feet or about 7,620 meters.

    A flight that was actually ordinary but felt very special, considering it was a flight to a new place, a place I had never been to, a place which for the past three years had only inhabited my dream….But now a dream had come true, MH 1326 was taking me there. Thank you, God……

    The special visit which was delivered by the 49-year-old flag carrier, the pride of my neighboring country, made the moment still linger to this day.

    Although this time I took a premium flight, but because of its short distance, the airline didn’t provide in-flight meal. But that was okay, I still had a piece of burger form Mr. Younes which gave to me last night. I also relaxed to eat it during the flight because I was very impressed by the view of morning sky which was really enchanting. Every now and then the inflight magazine “Going Places” managed to interrupt my eyes which were engrossed in that special sight.

    Under clouds just before cruising.
    Cruising above clouds to Kuala Terengganu.

    Yup, I didn’t feel it, I’d been in the air for almost an hour…..

    Now the plane was starting to lower its altitude, cabin crew swiftly checked the readiness of passengers to landing, slowly, the appearance of Kuala Terengganu city was visible from a height….Wouuuwww, my heart was immediately pounding wanting to track it. “Patience Donny, in a moment you will be there”, I soothingly thought.

    Now, the plane had lowered the flap to hold it in place and then smoothly landed in the runway of Sultan Mahmud Airport, a tiny airport which is the gateway to Kuala Terengganu tourism.

    Kuala Terengganu from above.
    It was a nice airport.

    Welcome to Kuala Terengganu.

    To get flight tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu, you can search for it in 12go Asia with the following link:  https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

    Next Story—->

  • Mwasalat Bus Line 4: Mejemput Keindahan Mutrah

    <—-Kisah Sebelumnya

    Dengat perut kenyang aku meninggalkan kedai makan khas Bangladesh yang letaknya tak jauh dari OYO 117 Majestic Hotel, tempatku menginap.

    Aku kembali tiba di perempatan yang terbentuk oleh persilangan Al Baladiya Street dan Al Fursan Sreet. Di Al Fursan Street, aku terus mempercepat langkah untuk segera tiba di Ruwi Mwasalat Bus Station.

    Berjalan sejauh dua setengah kilometer selama tiga puluh menit, akhirnya aku tiba di terminal.

    Misiku selanjutnya adalah mencari keberadaan bus yang akan berangkat menuju Mutrah. Dari brosur pariwisata Oman yang kudapatkan dari Muscat International Airport pada malam sebelumnya, aku cukup mendapatkan informasi bahwa untuk menggapai Mutrah maka aku harus menaiki Mwasalat Bus Line 4.

    Kusapukan pandangan ke seluruh sudut terminal demi menemukan bus itu. Pada akhirnya aku mendapatkannya di platform bagian tengah. Oleh karena sebagian kursi bus telah terisi penumpang, maka aku memutuskan untuk segera menaikinya.

    Membayar dengan uang koin sebesar 200 Baisa, maka aku segera mendudukkan diri di kursi tengah. Tak lebih dari sepuluh menit kemudian, bus itu perlahan berjalan meninggalkan terminal.

    Bus meninggalkan daerah Ruwi menuju utara melalui daerah Darsait untuk kemudian merubah arah menuju timur demi menggapai tepian Teluk Oman. Menyisir Mina Street, bus berjalan di sepanjang kaki perbukitan berbatu.

    Tak berapa lama jalanan lengang di sepanjang Mina Street berubah menjadi jalanan penuh keramaian di sepanjang Al Bahri Road yang arusnya berbelok di tepan pantai Teluk Oman.

    Pemandangan berganti dengan berjajarnya kapal-kapal pesiar mewah di sepanjang Sultan Qaboos Port yang menjadi pelabuhan kargo dan penumpang utama di Kota Muscat. Rombongan turis asal Eropa juga tampak memenuhi jalanan di sepanjang pantai.

    Bus terus menyisir Al Bahri Road, kali ini bus bergerak menuju selatan mengikuti kontur pantai. Al Bahri Road sendiri adalah jalan raya dengan dua ruas, ada dua jalur di setiap ruasnya, dan antar ruas dipisahkan dengan taman memanjang dimana bunga-bunga di tanam dengan metode drip irrigation.

    Mwasalat Bus Line 4.
    Interior bus.
    Area di dekat Sultan Al Qaboos Port.
    Pelabuhan penumpang Al Qaboos Port.
    Aku turun di The National Museum Oman.

    Selain keberadaan taman yang menghiasi sepanjang jalan, keindahan Al Bahri Road menjadi sempurna dengan keberadaan perbukitan batu nan menawan di sisi baratnya dan hamparan pantai yang membiru di sisi timurnya. Pemandangan yang bahkan membuatku tak rela barang sekedip mata untuk menikmatinya.

    Tetapi aku yang berada di dalam bus juga harus bersegera menetapkan tempat untuk berhenti, karena semakin jauh mengikuti arus bus maka aku akan semakin jauh menyisir ulang jalanan itu sebagai metode utamaku untuk mengekplorasi keindahan daerah Mutrah.

    Dalam waktu menunggu untuk mengambil keputusan itu, tetiba melintas penampakan indah warna-warni di Al Alam Palace yang merupakan istana Kesultanan Oman.

    “Ya….Di sinilah aku harus turun”, aku memutuskan.

    Tak lama kemudian, bus berhenti di Al Alam Palace Bus Stop untuk menurunkan beberapa penumpangnya. Akhirnya kuputuskan untuk ikut turun Bersama para penumpang itu.

    Kini aku berada di daerah Kalbuh yang berjarak sepuluh kilometer jauhnya dari titik semula aku berangkat, yaitu Ruwi-Mwasalat Bus Stop. Perlu waktu hampir setengah jam untuk menempuh perjalanan ini.

    Kini saatnya berjalan kaki demi mengeksplorasi keindahan daerah Mutrah.

    Kisah Selanjutnya—->

  • Hot Burger in Kuala Lumpur International Airport

    <—-Previous Story

    Arrived at International Concourse.

    The time marker showed half past eleven when Malaysia Airlines MH 724 landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. I took a deep breath when the plane was perfectly parked in the apron, it was because the connecting flight Malaysia Airlines MH 1326 would only fly to Kuala Terengganu on 07:25 hours next day. That means, for the next nine hours I had to spend all night at KLIA.

    Overnight at KLIA2….Have you ever?….Yes, I was twelve times already, I tasted the “hard mattress” of KLIA Terminal 2

     Overnight at KLIA?….Have you ever?….Nup, this was my first time staying at KLIA Terminal 1.

    While walking in arrival hall, I took a boarding pass which I got from Soetta airport’s check-in desk. After I looked at it, the boarding pass I was holding didn’t show the gate number. Therefore, I tried to find flight status information in Flight Information Display System (FIDS) located at arrival hall….Finally, I got the gate number….Yupz,A5.

    So that was…. There was already a gate status.

    So that tomorrow morning I won’t have to find the gate, I also intend to rehearse to find a way to the gate in question. From the International Concourse at level 4, I went down one level to Domestic Concourse. Please note that domestic flights at KLIA are flown from gate A and gate B, while international flights are flown from gate C, gate G and gate H.

    My rehearsal was forced to end in front of the immigration counter, but at least I understood how I had to go to the gate tomorrow morning.

    Domestic Concourse atmosphere.

    From in front of the immigration counter, I was forced to climb back up to International Concourse to find a place to close my eyes.

    Meanwhile, a few minutes into the middle of night, I was sitting on one of International Concourse’s seats when a couple of middle-aged tourists approached and took the empty seat to my left.

    “Helloo, Sir, where are you come from?”, I ventured to say hello.

    “Hi, I’m from Algeria”.

    “Oh I know, it’s a country in north of Africa”, I tried to make the conversation warmer.

    “Ohhhh….yeaaa….yeaaaa, you know that. I will go home tomorrow and will transit in Doha”, he started to tell about their travel plans.

    “Oh, Doha will be the last destination in my traveling this time”, I started to relate my trip to their trip so that the conversation would be more intense.

    “Oh, good. What is your traveling for?….Business?”

    “Oh, no. it’s just for tourism. I’m Donny from Indonesia and Oh yeaaa, what is your name, sir?”

    “Oh, I’m Younes and she is my wife”

    “Hi, Donny, nice to meet you”, Mr. Younes’ wife also greeted me

    “Hi, Madam. Nice to meet you too”

    “Donny, let’s we have dinner together!” Mr. Younes took out four burgers from a paper bag that his wife had brought with him.

    “Thank you, Sir. I had dinner since from Jakarta”, I gently refused.

    “No No No…. It’s different, It’s to accompany us while talking about our traveling”, he forced me to accept a piece of burger that was still warm.

    As a result the three of us were talking to each other while enjoying a burger together. And when we finished eating the simple dish, they said goodbye to go to the gate.

    But…..Before the two of them left their seats, Mr. Younes’s wife handed me one last burger.

    “It’s for you, Donny. Just take it, we are moslems, we are family”

    “It’s really, I think you need it more in your journey, Mam”, I subtly declined.

    “No, Donny, It’s for you”, she came closer sticking the burger in front of me

    “Thank you, Mam. Allah is always with you”, finally I couldn’t resist it.

    “Amen, Good night, Donny, Assalamu’alaikum”.

    “Wa’alaikumsalam”

    Very pleasant meeting in the early hours of that morning. I put the warm burger in my backpack. I’d better save it for breakfast tomorrow.

    After the meeting, I decided to change places to find a row of empty seats to sleep while straightening my body so I could close my eyes comfortably.

    Come on….Found a place to sleep.

    Next Story—->