“I think someone at far away named Fiona misses your English’s article, Donny…..😊😊😊“
Like fictional scenes which occur in departure terminals, that time I was touched when I witnessed a young girl with a backpack tightly hugging her mother while carrying a large travel bag. The most likely guess was that that girl would go far from her parent in Kuantan and would study in the capital city.
That young girl’s ascent through the front door of Arwana Bus was a sign that the long journey must begin again soon. Fifteen minutes stopped, and time had succeeded in presenting a variety of uniquely local activities along the Kuantan Central Terminal platform.
Buses slowly leave the largest terminal along the east coast of Malaysia, dividing Kuantan Street which was the city’s main street. Various public facilities easily caught my eye’s attention I never wanted to fall asleep to enjoy the scenery along the way.
The bus took half an hour to explore every corner of the city until it finally arrived at the gate of Gambang District which was to the west of Kuantan City. This district was famous for its natural assets, i.e Lipur Pandan Forest which was a large nature reserve that was jointly owned by two areas, i.e Kuantan City and Gambang District.
Pantai Timur Road which I passed divided the south side of the nature reserve. The green landscape dominated the left and right sides, able to make my eyes cool while enjoying the long journey to Kuala Lumpur.
Sometime later, the landscape of the nature reserve changed to the appearance of several oil palm plantations which were easy to find in the Maran District. Maran is indeed known as a producer of palm oil in Malaysia, therefore, my eyes could easily find stretches of palm oil plantations along the road.
Another surprise was, since the last time I crossed the Kuantan River at the beginning of my journey from Kuantan Central Terminal, then I was confronted again with beautiful scenery in the window, i.e the expanse of the Pahang River which was said to be more than 500 meters wide in some parts. Then I arrived in Temerloh District, whose city was developed on the outskirts of the Pahang River. What you only need to know is that Temerloh City has been projected by the government to become the future capital of Pahang State to replace Kuantan City.
The next trip started at 2 pm. Would cover a distance of no less than 250 Km.
Indera Mahkota Hockey Stadium at Pintasan Kuantan Street, Kuantan City.
The shores of Pantai Timur Avenue which was dominated by oil palm plantations in the Maran District.
Pahang River in Temerloh District.
For two hours, the natural charm was an asset exhibited by Pantai Timur Street, so now residential areas began to appear when the bus crosses a new road, namely Kuala Lumpur-Karak Street. The city which I passed at that time was part of the Bentong District, a district that was well-known as a rest area for the Kuantan-Kuala Lumpur long route and vice versa. Therefore, apart from villages, there were many rest areas in this district.
Three hours have passed….
Now the feel of a city began to emerge. Starting by exploring the Genting Sempah Tunnel. That was a legendary tunnel because that tunnel was the first toll road tunnel in Malaysia. You could say that that tunnel was a major landmark as well as a barrier between the two states, i.e the State of Pahang and the State of Selangor….Yeaaaay, I had now entered Gombak District in Selangor.
After briefly enjoying the scenery of the Gombak District, now I arrived in Kuala Lumpur. The good news was, I have visited Kuala Lumpur several times, that time I was very free to enjoy the streets in the north of the city. The northern outskirts showed prosperity with the government’s busyness in building public facilities. I enjoyed the bustle, traffic jams, and bustle of the city so that I didn’t realize that half an hour had passed to make me arrive at Bersepadu Selatan Terminal in the south of the city.
The scenery around Cinta Manis Village, Karak City.
Rest area in Bukit Tinggi Betung Village, Bentong District.
The 900-meter-long Genting Sempah Tunnel took me into the urban areas of the Gombak District.
Melawati Mall on Lingkaran Tengah Road, Kuala Lumpur.
Project at Lingkaran Tengah Road 2, Kuala Lumpur.
Almost at 6 pm, I arrived in Kuala Lumpur.
I arrived….
Then what else should I do?
You can also get Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur bus tickets (Kuala Terengganu to Kuala Lumpur) at the travel e-commerce on 12go Asiawith the following link: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832
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.
D’Cherating Restaurant, Pahang State.
Terminal Sentral Kuantan at Pintasan Kuantan Street, Pahang State.
You could also get Kuala Terengganu to Kuantan bus tickets (Kuala Terengganu to Kuala Lumpur) on travel e-commerce on 12go Asiawith the following link: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832
Seperti adegan-adegan fiksi yang terjadi di terminal-terminal pemberangkatan, kali ini aku terharu ketika menyaksikan seorang perempuan muda beransel memeluk erat ibunya sembari menenteng travel bag besar. Dugaan termungkin adalah anak itu akan pergi jauh dari orang tuanya di Kuantan dan akan menuntut ilmu di ibu kota.
Naiknya perempuan muda itu melalui pintu depan Bus Arwana menjadi penanda bahwa perjalanan panjang harus segera dimulai lagi. Lima belas menit berhenti, waktu telah berhasil menyuguhkan berbagai aktivitas warga lokal yang unik di sepanjang platform Terminal Sentral Kuantan.
Bus perlahan keluar meninggalkan terminal terbesar di sepanjang pantai timur Malaysia itu, membelah Jalan Pintasan Kuantan yang menjadi jalan utama kota. Berbagai fasilitas publik dengan mudah tertangkap mata yang tak pernah mau tertidur demi menikmati pemandangan di sepanjang perjalanan.
Setengah jam lamanya bus menelusuri setiap sudut kota hingga akhirnya tiba di gerbang Distrik Gambang yang berada di sebelah barat Kota Kuantan. Distrik ini terkenal dengan aset alamnya, yaitu Hutan Lipur Pandan yang merupakan cagar alam besar yang menjadi milik bersama dua daerah, yaitu Kota Kuantan dan Distrik Gambang.
Lebuhraya Pantai Timur yang kulalui membelah sisi selatan cagar alam itu. Pemandangan hijau sangat mendominasi sisi kiri-kanan lebuh, mampu membuat mata menjadi sejuk dalam menikmati perjalanan panjang menuju Kuala Lumpur.
Beberapa waktu kemudian, pemandangan cagar alam berubah menjadi kemunculan beberapa perkebunan kelapa sawit yang mudah sekali ditemukan di Distrik Maran. Maran memang terkenal sebagai penghasil minyak sawit di Malaysia, oleh karenanya, mataku mudah sekali menemukan hamparan perkebunan sawit di sepanjang jalan.
Kejutan lain adalah, semenjak terakhir melintas Sungai Kuantan di permulaan perjalanan dari Terminal Sentral Kuantan, kini aku dihadapkan kembali di kaca jendela, hamparan Sungai Pahang yang konon di beberapa bagian memiliki lebar lebih dari 500 meter. Kini aku tiba di Distrik Temerloh yang kotanya dikembangkan di pinggiran Sungai Pahang. Yang hanya perlu kamu tahu adalah, bahwa Kota Temerloh telah diproyeksikan pemerintah untuk menjadi ibu kota masa depan Negara Bagian Pahang untuk menggantikan Kota Kuantan.
Perjalanan lanjutan dimulai jam 2 siang. Akan menempuh jarak tak kurang dari 250 Km.
Stadium Hoki Indera Mahkota di Jalan Pintasan Kuantan, Kota Kuantan.
Tepian Lebuhraya Pantai Timur yang didominasi perkebunan kelapa sawit di Distrik Maran.
Sungai Pahang di Distrik Temerloh.
Dua jam lamanya, pesona alam adalah aset yang dipamerkan oleh Lebuhraya Pantai Timur, maka kini pemukiman penduduk mulai tampak ketika bus melintasi jalanan baru, yaitu Lebuhraya Kuala Lumpur-Karak. Kota yang kulalui kali ini merupakan bagian dari Distrik Bentong, distrik yang terkenal sebagai area peristirahatan untuk perjalan rute panjang Kuantan-Kuala Lumpur dan sebaliknya. Oleh karenanya, selain perkampungan, rest area banyak di temukan di distrik ini.
Tiga jam sudah perjalanan berlalu….
Kini nuansa kota mulai kentara. Dimulai dengan menelusuri Genting Sempah Tunnel. Inilah terowongan legendaris, karena tunnel ini menjadi terowongan jalan tol pertama di Malaysia. Bisa dikatakan terowongan ini adalah landmark utama sekaligus menjadi pembatas antara dua negara bagian, yaitu Negara Bagian Pahang dan Negara Bagian Selangor….Yeaaaay, aku kini sudah memasuki Distrik Gombak di Selangor.
Usai sebentar menikmati pemandangan Distrik Gombak, kini aku tiba di Kuala Lumpur. Kabar baiknya adalah, beberapa kali berkunjung ke Kuala Lumpur, baru kali ini aku sangat leluasa menikmati jalanan di utara kota. Pinggiran utara itu menujukkan kemakmuran dengan kesibukan pemerintah membangun fasilitas-fasilitas umum. Aku menikmati kesibukan, kemacetan dan hiruk pikuk kota hingga tak tersadar setengah jam berlalu untuk membuatkan tiba di Terminal Bersepadu Selatan di selatan kota.
Pemandangan di sekitar Kampung Cinta Manis, Kota Karak.
Rest area di Kampung Bukit Tinggi Betung, Distrik Bentong.
Genting Sempah Tunnel sepanjang 900 meter mengantarkanku memasuki perkotaan di Distrik Gombak.
Melawati Mall di Jalan Lingkaran Tengah, Kuala Lumpur.
Proyek di Jalan Lingkaran Tengah 2, Kuala Lumpur.
Hampir jam 6 sore aku tiba di Kuala Lumpur.
Aku tiba….
Lalu apalagi yang harus kulakukan?
Tiket bus Kuantan ke Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Terengganu ke Kuala Lumpur) bisa Kamu dapatkan juga di e-commerce perjalanan di 12go Asiadengan link sebagai berikut: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832
Aku terhuyung menyambar sembarang pegangan ketika terbangun mendadak dari tidur dan langsung menuju kamar mandi bersama ketika nyawa belum sepenuhnya terkumpul. Itu gegara aku menatap jarum jam dinding bertengger di angka setengah delapan.
“Kacau”, aku mengutuk bangunku yang sudah terlalu siang. Ba’da Subuh tadi, aku memang sengaja menarik kembali selimut dan menutupi badan yang kedinginan. Beruntung, semalam aku sudah mengepack semua perbekalan.
Aku mandi dengan cepat, toh seluruh badan masih terasa bersih setelah terakhir mandi jam sepuluh malam tadi. Aku memakai kembali t-shirt yang semalam kupakai untuk tidur dan mengenakan celana jeans yang telah kusiapkan dari semalam.
Seusainya, aku menggemblok backpack di punggung dan menuju shared-kitchen untuk menyeduh serbuk oat dengan air panas dari dispenser. Sungguh menu sarapan yang menjemukan, tetapi masih saja kurepetisi semenjak tiga hari keluar dari rumah.
Sembari menyesap serbuk oat basah suap demi suap, aku mulai khawatir karena meja resepsionis itu masih gelap dan kosong.
“Aduh, jam berapa staff akan siap?. bisa kesiangan nih mengejar bus”, aku membatin dan berharap, seusai sarapan nanti, staff akan datang sehingga aku bisa menyerahkan kunci dan mengambil uang deposit.
Ternyata hingga sarapan usai pun, ruangan masih saja lengang. Aku yang semakin was-was hanya bisa pasrah menunggu di lobby. Beruntung, lima belas menit kemudian, owner penginapan muncul dan langsung tersenyum ke arahku.
“Nak check-out….maaf lamē menunggu”, dia memulai percakapan sembari menyalakan lampu ruangan dan menuju belakang meja. Sedikitnya tamu penginapan membuatnya tak perlu menanyakan identitas dan nomor kamarku karena dia pasti mudah menghafalnya. Tak butuh waktu lama untuk mengambil amplop bernomor kamarku dan berisikan uang deposit 30 Ringgit lalu memberikannya untukku.
“Terimakasih, Pak Cik”, aku menerima uangnya dan menyerahkan kuncinya.
“Sampe jumpē….Hati-hati”, dia melambaikan tangan ketika aku mulai menuruni tangga untuk meninggalkan penginapan.
Di luar penginapan….Untuk kelima kalinya, aku sempurna mengkhatamkan jalur menuju Hentian Bas Majlis Bandaraya Kuala Terengganu. Kini aku berjalan sangat cepat dan hanya berfokus untuk segera sampai di terminal. Lebih baik aku menunggu jauh dari jam keberangkatan bus daripada ketinggalan.
Hampir setengah sembilan ketika aku tiba tepat di depan konter tempatku membeli tiket kemarin.
“Tunggu sahajē di platform 1, nanti bus nak datang”, begitu jawaban abang penjaga konter ketika aku bertanya dimana harus menunggu.
“Whatever, satu jam ke depan aku akan menunggu di sini saja”, aku membatin ketika mengakuisisi tempat duduk beton di sebelah platform 1.
Tetapi menunggu sesuatu di negeri orang selalu saja menarik. Mengamati aktivitas warga lokal di setiap sisi terminal membuatku berada jauh dari rasa bosan.
Hingga akhirnya aku terperanjat ketika sebuah bus warna merah maroon berkombinasi kuning muncul dari gerbang belakang terminal.
“Arwana Group”, dengan jelas aku bisa membacanya dari kejauhan.
Ini dia bus yang sedang aku tunggu. Bus itu tiba lima belas menit sebelum keberangkatan. Bus berhenti tepat di platform 1 dan aku bergegas mendekatinya hingga seorang berwajah Arab menghentikan langkahku.
“Yes….This bus goes to Kuala Lumpur”, aku menjawabnya singkat.
“Where are you come from?”, aku menambahkan.
“Yemen….”
“Is Yemen Okay now?”, setahuku negeri itu sedang dilanda perang saudara.
“Yeaa…better”
Aku melompat masuk dari pintu depan dan mencari tempat duduk nomor 13. Aku memilih bangku tunggal pada bus yang memiliki formasi bangku 2-1 tersebut.
Tepat pukul setengah sepuluh bus pun memulai perjalanan panjang menuju Kuala Lumpur…..
Perjalanan seharga 43 Ringgit itu akan ditempuh dalam waktu 5 jam dan menempuh jarak tak kurang dari 450 km.
Bus mulai meninggalkan kota dengan menyisir Laluan Persekutuan 3, inilah rute darat utama di pantai timur Malaysia yang membentang sepanjang lebih dari 700 km, bermula dari Kelantan di utara dan berakhir di Johor Bahru di selatan. Aku sangat bersyukur karena diberi kesempatan oleh Tuhan untuk menyisir lebuh*1) tepi pantai dengan pemandangan paling indah di seantero Malaysia. Pemandangan paling menakjubkan dalam perjalanan ini adalah dimana aku bisa melintasi lebuh yang hanya berjarak 50 meter saja dari bibir pantai. Nanti akan kuperlihatkan keindahan lebuh ini.
Di awal perjalanan, aku masih ingat dengan pemandangan Kuala Terengganu yang tersaji hingga Kampung Kuala Ibai, karena aku telah melintasnya saat mengunjungi Masjid Tengku Tengah Zaharah tempoe hari. Tetapi setelah melintasi Sungai Ibai, aku benar-benar melewati daerah dengan pemandangan yang tak pernah kulihat sebelumnya. Alih-alih tertidur, justru pemandangan itu sukses membuatku terjaga sepanjang perjalanan.
Dalam setengah jam, bus mulai keluar dari Distrik Kuala Terengganu dan memasuki Distrik Marang yang bergerbangkan Pantai Pandak. Tiga kilometer jauhnya, bus melintas di garis Pantai Rusila yang menjadi salah satu pemandangan terindah di distrik itu. Hingga akhirnya bus beristirahat sebentar di Hentian Bas Marang. Bus harus menjemput beberapa penumpangnya di terminal kecil tersebut.
Pemandangan usai jeda sejenak di terminal bus Kota Marang, mungkin menjadi pertunjukan utama perjalanan ini. Pemandangan tepi pantai yang indah terhampar sepanjang 50 kilometer yang dimulai dari Pantai Peranginan Kelutut hingga Pantai Batu Pelanduk di permulaan Distrik Kuala Dungun.
Busku telah tiba.
Saatnya memulai perjalanan panjang.
Pantai Peranginan Kelulut.
Salah satu sungai di Distrik Marang.
Hutan Lipur Rantau Abang di Laluan Persekutuan 3, Distrik Marang.
Jembatan Pulau Serai di atas Sungai Dungun, Jalan Kuala Terengganu, Distrik Kuala Dungun.
Dua jam perjalanan, bus kini telah purna melintas landmark utama Distrik Kuala Dungun, apalagi kalau bukan Sungai Dungun yang memiliki lebar tak kurang dari 300 meter.
Dengan cepat bus mulai memasuki Kota Paka. Kota ini adalah rumah bagi pembangkit listrik terbesar di Malaysia yang dijalankan oleh perusahaan listrik nasional, yaitu Tenaga Nasional. Tak heran hamparan luas stasiun tenaga listrik berada di kota ini.
Lebih dari sepuluh kilometer menyejajari liukan Sungai Paka hingga akhirnya bus keluar dari Kota Paka dan memasuki kota baru, yaitu Kota Kerteh.
Kerteh adalah kota minyak karena memiliki potensi minyak bumi yang tersimpan di dasar Laut Cina Selatan. Kota Kerteh menjadi salah satu tempat terpenting di negara bagian Terengganu karena penduduknya yang padat disertai dengan fasilitas publik yang lengkap.
Menulusuri Kota Kerteh membuatku faham bahwa Petronas, si perusahaan minyak raksasa Negeri Jiran itu menempatkan banyak fasilitas pentingnya di kota ini. Kilang-kilang minyak, pipa-pipa gas, pabrik-pabrik kimia dan kompleks perumahan Petronas mendominasi penampakan di sepanjang Jalan Kemaman-Dungun.
Hampir setengah jam, aku disuguhkan kesibukan bisnis perminyakan Kota Kerteh, hingga akhirnya bus tiba di daerah paling selatan dari negara bagian Terengganu, yaitu Distrik Kemaman. Inilah daerah perbatasan antara Negara Bagian Terengganu dan Negara Bagian Pahang.
Memasuki Kemaman, bus secara langsung membelah kota Chukai yang menjadi ibu kota Distrik Kemaman. Taman-taman kota terhampar di pojok-pojok kota, kemacetan mulai terasa, sedangkan Sungai Kemaman tampak membentang luas sebagai penghias utama Kota Chukai.
Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin di Jalan Paka, Kota Paka.
Sungai Paka tampak dari Jalan Kemaman-Dungun.
Stesen Janaelektrik Sultan Ismail, Kota Paka.
Kilang minyak milik Petronas di Jalan Kemaman-Dungun, Kota Kerteh.
Jembatan Kertih, di atas Sungai Kertih, Jalan Kemaman-Dungun, Kota Kerteh.
Taman Persiaran Chukai di Jalan Sulaimani, tepat di tepian Sungai Kemaman, Kota Chukai.
Jambatan Geliga di atas Sungai Kemaman, Jalan Kuantan-Kemaman, Distrik Kemaman.
Hentian Bas Ekpres Kemaman di Distrik Kemaman.
Di selatan Kota Chukai, bus berhenti untuk kedua kali. Kali ini bus mengambil dua penumpangnya di Hentian Bas Ekpres Kemaman. Purna mengangkut penumpangnya, bus melanjutkan perjalanan untuk keluar dari batas Negara Bagian Terengganu sisi selatan dan memulai petualangannya di Negara Bagian Pahang.
Masih satu jam lagi untuk tiba di Terminal Sentral Kuantan, terminal bus utama di Negara Bagian Pahang. Sedangkan waktu sudah menunjukkan jam satu siang. Aku yakin semua penumpang sedang merasakan hal yang sama ….Lapar.
Pucuk dicinta ulam tiba, seperempat jam usai memasuki Negara Bagian Pahang akhirnya bus menentukan persinggahan makan siangnya. Adalah D’Cherating Cafe yang mengambil nama sesuai dengan daerah dimana rumah makan itu berdiri yaitu di Kampung Cherating.
Di sinilah, pengemudi membiarkan penumpangnya untuk menikmati makan siang selama setengah jam untuk kemudian melanjutkan perjalanan sisa menuju Terminal Sentral Kuantan. Di akhir perjalanan itu, pengemudi berfokus di belakang kemudi untuk menyelesaikan 40 kilometer terakhir menuju ke terminal bus terbesar di pantai timur Malaysia.
Perjalanan tahap pertamaku usai sudah….
Usai jeda di Terminal Sentral Kuantan, aku akan melanjutkan perjalanan menuju tujuan akhir yaitu Terminal Bersepadu Selatan di Kuala Lumpur.
Rumah Makan D’Cherating, Negara Bagian Pahang.
Terminal Sentral Kuantan di Jalan Pintasan Kuantan, Negara Bagian Pahang.
Tiket bus Kuala Terenganu ke Kuantan (Kuala Terengganu ke Kuala Lumpur) bisa Kamu dapatkan juga di e-commerce perjalanan di 12go Asiadengan link sebagai berikut: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832
