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Published: April 27th 2014
HE SAID... We woke early at 6am (in Kota Bharu) to prepare for our six hour bus trip to
Kampung Kelantan. We headed up to the rooftop restaurant of our hotel at 7am and enjoyed the Kota Bharu skyline as the sun rose over the city. After a quick breakfast of coffee, juice, cornflakes, toast and fruit, we checked out, jumped in a taxi and headed to the Kota Bharu bus station. We picked up a few snacks (blueberry tarts and kaya puffs) from a nearby bakery before boarding the bus and beginning our southward journey at 10am. Apart from the guy playing video games on his phone and the ubiquitous crying baby behind me, the bus trip was reasonably comfortable. We stopped in Jeli for a toilet break at 12pm and then pulled into Restoran Lawina 2 (a 24 hour roadside eatery in Gerik) for lunch at 2pm. I ordered a
roti sardine from the Gerik Cafe and ended up with a hot sardine and egg roll, which was very tasty. Ren ordered a chicken burger, which was also very tasty. After a 45 minute break, we continued on our long journey towards Kampung Kelantan.
The bus broke down
at 3.30pm, about 45km short of Kuala Kangsar. We sat on the side of the road and waited for our home–stay hosts to come and pick us up. Luckily there was a coconut juice stand just up from where the bus came to a standstill, so we re–hydrated while we waited in the afternoon sun. We transferred our packs from the bus to our hosts’ (Aziz and Asiah) respective cars and made our way to Suka Suka Lake Retreat, a peaceful haven on the edge of Lake Chenderoh.
We finally arrived at
Suka Suka Lake Retreat at 5pm. We sat in the dining house and sipped cold fruit juice while we were formally welcomed by Aziz and Asiah. We then made our way to our bungalow (the same one we were in two weeks ago) and cooled down with a cold shower before heading back to the dining house for a game of
congkak (a wooden board game played with marbles) and coffee before dinner. Asiah announced dinner with a bell and explained each dish. She had prepared lemongrass and chicken soup; barbeque chicken; barbeque fish; barbeque sweet potato; barbeque eggplant with coconut milk (the absolute standout dish for
me);
nasi goreng (fried rice); stir fried long beans;
rojak (fruit and par–cooked vegetable salad with chilli dressing); green salad and watermelon. It was fantastic. We sat around talking until 9.30pm, and then retired to our bungalow. We had planned to catch up on some writing, but it had been a long day, so we crawled under our mosquito net and crashed.
The resident rooster woke us at 8am. We’d slept in and felt very refreshed. We jumped straight into the cold shower and then headed over to breakfast at 8.30am. Asiah announced the meal with a bell and took us through each dish. She had prepared
roti canai (flat flaky Indian bread) with dahl and beef curry;
bingka ubi (yellow tapioca cake);
cucur badak (sweet potato fritters with a spicy coconut and dry shrimp filling);
pulut panggang (cigarette sized sticky rice rolls filled with shrimp floss, coconut and lemongrass and grilled in banana leaf);
lepat pisang (cigar sized rice flour and mashed banana with fresh coconut filling steamed in banana leaf); rambutan fruit jam; juice and coffee. It was fantastic.
After breakfast (around 9.30am) we set off on a village walk around Kampung Kelantan. We walked past
rubber plantations, palm oil plantations, small village houses and local schools. Without shade, the sun was intense, so we stopped at a small local street–side cafe for refreshments at 11am. As we ordered two
teh tariks (pulled sweet milky tea), we noticed a woman at the front of the cafe making fresh
roti canai, so we ordered one – we couldn’t help ourselves! It was fantastic, and the curry sauce it came with was incredible. This was the first time we had seen roti crushed – with the woman’s hands – as it came off the hot plate.
Feeling completely refreshed, we continued our village walk and eventually arrived back at the Suka Suka Lake Retreat at 12.30pm. We had just enough time for a cold shower before heading over to the dining house for lunch at 1pm. As always, Asiah announced the meal with a bell and explained each dish. She had prepared
mee goreng bee hoon (fried rice noodles with chicken, vegetables and tofu);
nangka (young jackfruit) salad with onion and beans; green salad with a chilli and soy sauce; vegetable crackers and fruit juice. It was fantastic, and very refreshing in the early afternoon heat.
We set up on a small sheltered deck on the bank of Lake Chenderoh (only metres from our bungalow) and caught up on our travel notes as the recurrent afternoon thunderstorm rumbled in the distance. I went for a kayak on the lake around 5.30pm and got a little lost on my return to the retreat. I took a wrong turn and ended up under a bridge near the highway. I retraced my paddles, turned left where I was meant to and finally got back to the retreat around 6.30pm.
Dinner was served at 7.30pm. We dressed in sarongs, sat on the floor and ate with our fingers. We had
rendang ayam (chicken curry),
pajeri nenas (pineapple curry),
sambal udang (chilli prawns), whole fried fish in sour sauce, sweet potato and local green leaf in coconut sauce, omelette and a dessert of
tako (coconut cream set over mung bean and pandan jelly). It was exceptional. We finished the meal with tea, coffee and fresh mango and played
congkak until 9.30pm. We said goodnight to our guests, walked back to our bungalow, prepared our packs and climbed into bed. We were so tired we didn’t even bother with the mosquito
net. It had been a great last day at Suka Suka Lake Retreat, and we were exhausted.
We woke relatively late (7am), but we didn’t mind in the least – Suka Suka has that effect on you. We had a three hour bus trip to Kuala Lumpur, so we jumped into an invigorating cold shower, packed our bags and headed over to breakfast at 8am. As always in this fantastic haven, the food was amazing. Aziah took us through each dish –
roti canai with beef curry and dahl;
popiah goreng (fried spring roll);
lompeng (steamed rice four and palm sugar);
ketayap (pandan leaf pancake with a coconut and palm sugar filling);
jemput jemput pisang (banana and wheat flour fritters); rambutan fruit jam;
teh tarik and juice. An absolute feast!
We left Suka Suka Lake Retreat at 9am in Aziz’s four wheel drive and arrived in Kuala Kangsar at 9.45am. Aziz took us into the Masjid Ubadiah (Royal Mosque) as he did the last time we visited this fascinating little town. We donned brown robes and Ren wore a head scarf. I was once again taken by the tranquillity and calmness of the prayer room.
We left
the mosque and drove to a public car park to view the Istana Iskandariah (Royal Palace). Aziz then drove us to a local market where we picked up a
congkak board and marbles. We’d asked Aziz the night before where we could buy this addictive Malaysian game, and we were so glad he remembered.
We only had 20 minutes at the market (our public bus left at 11.45am), but luckily most of the stalls sold the game. We re–organised our packs to accommodate the long wooden board and then made our way to the Kuala Kangsar bus station at 11am. It was here that we said our second (and final) goodbye to our homestay hosts, and it was with more than a hint of sadness that we did so, as they had been so incredibly welcoming of us into their home. Before he left, Aziz presented us all with a local floral emblem on a small square of material.
Our bus arrived at 11.45am. There was not enough room in the luggage compartment under the bus for all of the bags, so my pack got a seat to itself on the bus. This was fortuitous, as it offered
a little extra protection for our
congkak board. We left the Kuala Kangsar bus station at midday and began our final journey back to Kuala Lumpur.
SHE SAID... We had breakfast at our hotel in Kota Bharu at 7am, it was the usual fare, but the noodles were quite nice. We met in the lobby at 9am and were mini–bussed to the Bilal Bus Station. We left Kota Bharu and headed back towards
Kuala Kangsar in Perak, where we had a homestay two and a half weeks ago. We had been genuinely looking forward to seeing Aziz, Asiah and Azam again. As with anything we do a second time, on this trip we started seeing details and finer points that we had missed while taking in the big picture the first time around. (Our blog on our last homestay at Suka Suka Retreat is
Three easy ways to feel like a local at the Suka Suka Retreat homestay)
We had planned on writing on this bus trip, so we spread out into empty seats until more passengers were picked up at another stop at 11am. The six hour bus journey was a bit scary sounding as the bus wasn’t all that new. However, it was comfortable enough, as evidenced
by my sleeping through most of the journey (even the really scary winding roads across the mountains) until we stopped at Gerik for lunch. I had a freshly made chicken burger while Andrew had a sardine and egg roll, both of which were freshly grilled on the bbq. I’m really fascinated by the local take on burgers here. The principles are the same as a burger we would have at home, but the tastes and textures are nothing like any burger I’ve ever had.
All was going well until we stopped at a red light 45km out of Kuala Kangsar. The bus suddenly died and simply refused to restart. Aldrin thought we were only 1.5km from the homestay, so he made arrangements for Aziz and Asiah to come and pick up the luggage while we prepared to walk. However, when Aziz arrived he gave us the news that the house was 18km away! With an obvious change of plan, the girls got the first shuttle of lifts in Asiah’s car and Aziz’s ute, while the boys had to hang around in a shelter on the road side and wait their turn to get picked up.
Arriving at
Suka Suka Lake Retreat was like arriving at one of our favourite weekend getaway hotels. Feeling instantly at home, I joked with Asiah and we would like our ‘usual’ bungalow. They seemed as delighted to have us back as we were to be back. When we arrived, Azam was already home from school and greeted us at the door with glasses of juice. And of course Comel (Mr Cute), the most chilled out cat in the world, was hunted down for a cuddle. Other than Azam being back at school this time, things in the household ran pretty much as usual.
Somehow the wooden bungalows around the lake seemed more charming this time around. I think knowing what to expect with the accommodation, food, family and wildlife made our second stay all the more enjoyable. The resident geckos in our bungalow seemed more reticent in catching mosquitoes than the last lot, so we had to be much more diligent with our insect repellent. On the plus side, the weather was a lot milder, so sitting outside by the lake was not as hot and humid as it was two weeks ago.
After we settled into our bungalow, Andrew and
I played
congkak for a few hours until dinner. Even though we’d played a few games each the last time we were here, it took a little while to get back into the swing of counting out villages and trying to win marbles.
We had a bbq dinner of grilled chicken, fish, sweet potato and aubergine. The barbequed food was complemented with lemongrass and chicken soup,
nasi goreng, stir fried long beans,
rojak, lettuce salad and watermelon. Andrew, Anne–Louise, Wendy and I stayed up and talked with Aziz, and we somehow got onto the topic of ghost stories, as Aziz had just experienced one of his bungalow windows closing on their own (turned out to be a bat hanging off it and its weight had caused the window to shut). It reminded me of old family gatherings where dad or one of our uncles would tell us ghost stories. 😊
We slept really well and were looking forward to breakfast. Breakfast included
roti canai with dahl sauce and beef curry sauce;
bingka ubi (yellow tapioca cake);
cucur badak (sweet potato fritters with a spicy coconut and dry shrimp filling);
pulut panggang (cigarette sized sticky rice rolls filled with
shrimp floss, coconut and lemongrass and grilled in banana leaf); and
lepat pisang (cigar sized rice flour and mashed banana with fresh coconut filling steamed in banana leaf). I really loved the
lepat pisang and could easily live on them!
Aziz then led us out on the village walk, taking a slightly different route to last time. We crossed the shaky bridge from Suka Suka Retreat and made our way into the village of Kampung Kelantan. We then we walked through all the surrounding villages, looking at the different trees and herbs grown along the way. This time I got a better appreciation for how community–minded the villages are and how prolific their gardens are, even if it doesn’t always look so from the road. The fruit trees were all in abundant flower, apparently unseasonably so. They were expecting a bumper fruit crop in two to three months time. I wish we could be back here for that!
This time we stopped at Kampung Kuak’s kopi (coffee) shop, which was a superb place for
roti canai and
teh tarik. The shop owners were so lovely and friendly, and it was so embarrassing that one of the older women
in our group was rude to the woman making the
rotis, demanding that it be made with less oil and asking her not to touch the
rotis! I used to think that everyone should travel, but the more I travel, the more convinced I am that some people should just stay home.
I shouldn’t have laughed, but there was karma of the instant kind... they don’t just add oil between the layers of the
roti for fun, it’s to ensure even cooking between the layers. And the ‘touching’ of the
roti is the whole
canai part of the
roti canai – which is to crush the
roti while it is piping hot and break it up. Well, her
roti with no oil and no touching turned out like boot leather, and she said it was inedible. Hmm.
We continued the walk along the old highway that linked most of the villages together. There was nothing outwardly special about Kampung Kelantan or any of the other villages we walked through; they were small villages with everyday life rolling on – which is exactly why they were extremely special, and why I loved walking through them.
We walked back
to the shady lake island haven that is Suka Suka. Asiah rang the lunch bell soon afterwards (yes there’s a bell!) and we ate a refreshing lunch of
mee goreng bee hoon (rice vermicelli fried noodles);
nangka (young jackfruit) salad with onions and green beans; and green salad. I’ve never been a fan of young jackfruit, but this salad may have just converted me.
We started to laze the afternoon away, writing in one of the huts by the lake, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open so I had to retreat to the bungalow for a two hour nap. Andrew was still writing when I woke up, after which he went for a kayak on the lake. I sat on a deck chair and had quiet time with Lake Chenderoh (and it’s jumping fish and swift flying birds seemingly trying to get somewhere before dusk); and with cooking noises and smells wafting out of the kitchen. It was simply gorgeous, and felt a million miles away from anything vaguely city–like.
As dusk fell, we gathered on the lawn for a sarong tying demonstration, which was hilarious. This was followed by the traditional dinner of sitting on cushions
on the floor and eating with our fingers. It wasn’t so much of a big deal this time around, but I think I’m still far from being able to eat efficiently or speedily with my fingers. The dishes were
sambal udang (chilli prawns – a big favourite of mine);
rendang ayam (chicken curry with a thick lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, chilli and coconut sauce);
pajeri nenas (pineapple curry); fried fish; omelette; and stir fried green leaves with sweet potato. I really loved the green leaf, which is a local wild plant that I hadn’t seen elsewhere in Malaysia.
For dessert we had fresh mango and
tako (coconut cream set over mung bean and pandan jelly). The
tako had a panna cotta consistency and was cooked in a pandan leaf parcel that was shaped like a box. I think I may have found my second favourite Malay dessert.
We set up the
congkak boards after dinner, and while Andrew and I played, Aziz gave Anne–Louise and Wendy a lesson. Aziz’s calm and measured nature makes him a natural born teacher.
On our last morning we woke to the jungle noises and the wonky call of the old rooster who
had lost his sense of time. It was sad to say goodbye to Aziz and Asiah and leave the peacefulness of this hideaway to venture back to the madness of Kuala Lumpur. Don’t get me wrong, I do love KL, but it was so nice to be quiet too.
Breakfast was a quick affair of
roti canai,
popiah goreng (fried popiah rolls);
lompeng (steamed rice four and palm sugar);
ketayap (pandan leaf pancake with a coconut and palm sugar filling);
jemput jemput pisang (banana and wheat flour fritters); rambutan jam;
teh tarik and juice. Asiah always introduced the dishes to us, and I loved it when she would say ‘and we also have some
kuih’ (Malay sweets). I tried to have a light meal as it was a travel day...but I couldn’t stop eating those delicious
ketayap and
jemput jemput pisang!
We were driven to Kuala Kangsar for a tour of the Royal Mosque – Masjid Ubudiah. I really love the simplicity of colours used in this mosque’s main prayer room, and on this trip I was very drawn to the carpet which I hadn’t really noticed on the last visit. The last time we had visited, there
had only been six of us, so I didn’t feel like we were intruding. However, I cringed a bit when 12 of us walked in and a man who was praying wrapped up his prayers and left. He smiled and didn’t seem upset, but I cringed nonetheless.
We had told Aziz that we wanted to buy
congkak boards to take home, so he drove us to the shops along the riverfront to make our purchases. Most of the shops sold versions of the board, but Anne–Louise managed to spot a foldable six village one which was easier to cram into our packs – so we bought one. Wendy braved the full sized seven village board in her already very full bag. Then it was off to the bus terminal to await our bus and say our final goodbyes to Aziz and Asiah. They presented each of us with a piece of embroidery of the royal floral emblem as a memento. Before we left Suka Suka they had also given us two small wooden candle holders as thanks for returning a second time. 😊
Next we journey back to Kuala Lumpur for the last time (on this trip anyway)!
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
More Malaysia
The road traveled before is familiar and comfortable. So glad you didn't have to walk the 18km. Oh I always loved ghost stories. I agree that the older woman should stay home. I love the photo of the traditional dining table. Loved all of your descriptions of the food and the towns. Thanks for sharing.