Kuala Terengganu & Around...

---

From the Perhentian Islands we took a boat back to the mainland and from there we took a a very packed public bus to Kuala Terengganu. We didn't have much planned for our time there but I hoped that we would get to visit Kenyir lake- the largest man made lake in Asia.

We checked into a mediocre hostel and enjoyed our first McDonald's in a long time!

Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country and this was more evident in Kuala Terengganu (and the journey there) than it had been on the islands. Pork was off the menus and the women were dressed traditionally and covered their heads. We followed suit as much as the heat would permit us to!

The town itself is actually very large and turned out to have a lot to do and see there, so we spent several days more than planned in the region. We found an amazing shopping centre and spent next to nothing on loads of cute Asian stuff (it is really, really cheap here!), visited the local Chinatown (where there is a caged anaconda that the local people throw money at and pray to!), checked out the waterfront (where we saw a HUGE lizard walk out of the ocean and stroll around the beach before returning to the sea!), visited the local market (where I bought an absolutely useless piece of material that i was assured was a local handicraft!), went on a firefly safari (amazing- see below) and visited the Kenyir Lake.

The firefly safari was excellent. I had never seen a firefly before and I got to hold one in my hands- it was like holding a little fairy! There's a forest of a particular variety of tree that the fireflies like about an hour outside of Terengganu city and here you could see the little fireflies flashing their lights in time with each other. Their lights are actually really bright and it was amazing to watch them. Very memorable. We visited a local fishing village and had a picnic dinner by the sea, before our driver took us to his friend's house for tea. There, his friend's wife dressed us up in traditional Malay clothes and we got to taste locally grown tea and see a traditional Malay house. It was really lovely- despite how awful we looked in the clothes (!)- and it gave us a chance to learn more about the local culture and lifestyle.

The following day we got up early and headed out to Kenyir lake...
Unfortunately there was torrential rain blanketing half the state and the trek we had planned was a somewhat subdued affair. It was also cut short when our guide got bitten by a leech and Donna fled the scene!! That said; the lake itself was beautiful and the mist and rain was quite atmospheric (before it drove us indoors), we enjoyed a picnic inside of our van and we endured a short trek up to a big waterfall in a gorgeous national park, so all was not lost.

So after several (excellent) extra days in Terengganu, one too many McDonalds, one major leech situation and a little bit too much shopping, we booked a night train out of town and on towards Taman Negara National Park.

Next stop (after what is set to be a VERY arduous journey): Kuala Tahan and the Taman Negara rain-forest...

---