Jabatan Pelancongan Negeri Terengganu

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Backtracking a moment from Payang Memory Lane, I followed Pasar Besar Payang Street to the mouth of the Terengganu River. Considering the roaming area was a coastal area, then my feet wouldn’t be far from the water. I would stop two hundred meters north, right on the banks of the Terengganu River.

While the sun was still perfectly round in the west, its rays were still able to make the skin red. Forcing me to occasionally stop behind the big trunks of palm trees by the roadside. Hhmmhh…. Terengganu’s sun was too long, it made the whole face sting.

But not long….A moment later I arrived at the northern edge of Kampung Cina (China Town). My eyes were instantly fixed on the arched footbridge at the eastern end of the village, it seemed that the object had become the main landmark of this night’s tourist attractions.

Arch bridge on the Kuala Terengganu Heritage Island.

The dividing canal between Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu and Kampung Cina.

The gateway for pedestrians to Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu.

That was where I would enjoy the atmosphere….I Love KT Park.

Unfortunately I didn’t have time tonight, my body was tired to endured the sleepiness all night at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. So tonight, I chose to soundly sleep. It was fine that I have to visit that destiation now, even though I won’t be find its culmination visitation time.

That was Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu, an artificial seven-hectare island on the banks of Terengganu River estuary which was commonly used for night markets, big events, music concerts, art exhibitions and the base of Heritage Island River Cruise to explore the beauty of Terengganu River which had many excellence tourist attractions in its various key spots. Locals often refered to Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu as i-City Terengganu, referring to the ICT-based city in Shah Alam, Selangor.

On top of the iconic archway, I freely could gaze at all corners of Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu. In plain view, the island was only separated from the mainland by a canal thirty meters wide. The canal looked clean and was occasionally passed by a security guard’s engine boat.

It seemed that this island wanted to reveal its identity as the pride of Terengganu with the existence of a green park on the eastern edge of the island. The park was titled I Love KT Park. From a distance, several vehicles were seen parked in the park. A group of families seemed to roll out their mats to enjoy the sunset in Terengganu River by eating the home-cooked food they brought, some men on motorbikes seemed to prepare fishing rods, they were ready to hunt fish on the banks of river.

As a venue for large events at night, the island was equipped with firing light poles in every corner. I could imagine how festive it would be tonight when the lights were turned on and poured light into the crowds of culinary tents below.

“Looks like I have to complete the adventure by sitting and relaxing at the end of the island,” I muttered as I looked at the row of shady trees in the northern shore. I started down the canal to reach the main gate of the island which was in the form of a graceful gate with a typical Chinese pattern.

My steps began to split the island right from the middle, I accelerated the swing of my steps to pass the twilight rays which still gave off their stings. I arrived….. Oh, there wasn’t a single bench to just sit on. Alright…. I took out the itinerary sheets which I compiled a few months ago. I tore off the first sheet where I had completed all the stages of the itinerary. I took a clearing under a big tree and sat down on my own itinerary sheet.

Cool….silent….safe….enchanting, that was the feeling which arised when you awere under a shady tree with my gaze thrown far to the north. I could see the expanse of Pulau Duyung (Duyung Island) which was three hundred meters away and was only separated by the waters of the Terengganu River.

Seen in the distance is the Sultan Mahmud Bridge.

The beauty of the Terengganu River before sunset.

The bustle of the ships belonging to the Pulau Duyung Supply Center (PDSC), which is one of the oil and gas companies in Terengganu, was very obvious, but I didn’t know what was going on inside. The Ignorance made me only able to digest the scenery in front of me, which was like an oil shipyard.

While on the east side, there was a magnificent building belonging to Jabatan Pelancongan Negeri Terengganu. There were tourist ships neatly lined up on the banks. Maybe it was the ships that would take tourists to the beautiful islands which were Terengganu’s marine assets.

Next Story—->

<––Kisah Sebelumnya

Mundur ke belakang sekejap dari Lorong Kenangan Payang, aku menelusur Jalan Pasar Besar Payang menuju muara Sungai Terengganu. Mengingat area jelajah adalah kawasan pesisir, maka kakiku tak akan jauh-jauh dari perairan. Aku kan menghentikan langkah dua ratus meter di utara, tepat di tepian Sungai Terengganu.

Sementara matahari masih saja membulat sempurna di barat, sinarnya masih mampu membuat merah kulit. Memaksaku sesekali berhenti di balik batang-batang besar pokok palem tepi jalan. Hhmmhh….Terlalu lama tersiram surya Terengganu membuat segenap muka terasa perih.

Tapi tak lama….Sesaat kemudian aku tiba di tepian utara Kampung Cina. Mataku sekejap tertuju pada titian lengkung di ujung timur kampung, sepertinya obyek itu menjadi tengara utama tempat wisata malam ini.

Jembatan lengkung di Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu.

Kanal pemisah antara Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu dan Kampung Cina.

Gerbang masuk bagi pejalan kaki menuju Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu.

Di sana lah aku akan menikmati suasana….I Love KT Park.

Sayangnya aku tak punya waktu malam nanti, badanku telah lesu demi menahan kantuk semalaman di Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Jadi malam nanti, aku memilih untuk tidur pulas saja. Tak mengapalah aku harus mengunjungi tempat wisata malam ini sekarang, walaupun aku tak akan menjumpai puncak pertunjukan.

Inilah Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu, sebuah pulau artificial tujuh hektar di tepian muara Sungai Terengganu yang umum digunakan untuk pasar malam, acara-acara besar, konser musik, pameran seni serta pangkal atraksi Pulau Warisan River Cruise untuk menyusuri keindahan Sungai Terengganu yang menyimpan banyak tempat wisata unggulan di berbagai spot utamanya. Khalayak sering menyebut Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu sebagai i-City Terengganu, merujuk pada kota berbasis ICT di Shah Alam, Selangor.

Di atas titian lengkung ikonik itu, aku bisa dengan leluasa menatap seluruh sudut Pulau Warisan Kuala Terengganu. Secara kasat mata, pulau itu hanya terpisahkan dari daratan utama oleh sebuah kanal selebar tiga puluh meter. Kanal itu tampak bersih dan sesekali dilalui oleh perahu mesin petugas keamanan.

Tampaknya pulau ini ingin menampakkan jati dirinya sebagai kebanggaan Terengganu dengan keberadaan taman hijau di tepian timur pulau. Taman itu bertajuk I Love KT Park. Dari kejauhan tampak beberapa kendaraan merapat di taman itu. Sekelompok keluarga tampak menggelar tikar untuk menikmati suasana senja di Sungai Terengganu dengan menyantap hidangan rumahan yang dibawanya, beberapa laki-laki bermotor tampak mempersiapkan alat pancing, mereka siap berburu ikan di tepian sungai.

Sebagai tempat penyelenggaraan event-event besar saat malam, pulau ini dilengkapi dengan tiang-tiang lampu tembak di setiap sudutnya. Bisa dibayangkan betapa meriahnya malam nanti ketika lampu itu dinyalakan dan menyiramkan cahaya ke keramaian tenda-tenda kuliner di bawahnya.

“Sepertinya aku harus menggenapkan petualangan dengan duduk bersantai di ujung pulau sana”, aku bergumam ketika memperhatikan deretan pokok nan rindang di tepian utara. Aku pun mulai menyusuri kanal untuk menggapai gerbang utama pulau yang berwujud gapura anggun bercorak khas Tionghoa.

Langkahku mulai membelah pulau tepat dari tengahnya, kupercepat ayunan langkah untuk melintas sinar senja yang masih saja menitipkan sengatan. Aku sampai…..Oh, tak ada satupun bangku untuk sekedar berduduk manis. Ya sudahlah…. Kukeluarkan lembar-lembar itinerary yang kususun beberapa bulan lalu. Kusobek lembaran pertama yang segenap tahapan itinerarynya sudah paripurna kujalani. Aku mengambil tempat lapang di bawah sebuah pokok besar dan terduduk diatas lembar itinerary buatanku sendiri.

Sejuk….sunyi….aman….mempesona, begitulah perasaan yang muncul ketika berada di bawah pokok nan rindang dengan tatapan terlempar jauh ke utara. Tampak hamparan Pulau Duyung yang jaraknya tiga ratus meter dan hanya dipisahkan oleh perairan Sungai Terengganu.

Tampak di kejauhan Jambatan Sultan Mahmud.

Keindahan Sungai Terengganu menjelang matahari terbenam.

Kesibukan kapal-kapal milik Pulau Duyung Supply Centre (PDSC) yang merupakan salah satu perusahaan minyak dan gas bumi di Terengganu sangat kentara, tapi entah kesibukan apa yang terjadi di dalamnya. Pendeknya pengetahuan, membuatku hanya mampu mencerna pemandangan di depan sana tak ubahnya sebuah galangan kapal-kapal minyak.

Sedangkan di sisi timurnya, tampak bangunan megah milik Jabatan Pelancongan Negeri Terengganu. Tampak kapal-kapal wisata berjajar rapi di tepiannya. Mungkin itu adalah kapal-kapal yang akan mengantarkan para wisatawan ke pulau-pulau indah yang menjadi aset bahari Terengganu.

Aku benar-benar menikmati pemandangan Sungai Terengganu dari sisi yang berbeda. Aku memuaskan diri dengan berlama-lama duduk di tepian pulau hingga suhu Terengganu benar-benar reda untuk kemudian melanjutkan langkah.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Tag: Jabatan Pelancongan Negeri Terengganu

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