Retain Terengganu’s Payang market as unique tourist attraction

Pasar Besar Kedai Payang in Kuala Terengganu, although beset with numerous controversies, continues to be the focus of local and foreign tourists during the recent school holiday. — File pic credit www.virtualmalaysia.com

http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/06/08/retain-terengganus-payang-market-unique-tourist-attraction/

Thrilling Terengganu

To get to Kelah sanctuary, we need to get on a raft to cross the river.

Read more: Thrilling Terengganu - Travel - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/holiday/thrilling-terengganu-1.576962#ixzz31YN1mpgV

IT is not all about squid jigging. The one-week Terengganu International Squid Jigging Fest 2014 is filled with inland adventure, fun and cultural exchange as participants go on excursions in the State.

SETIU WETLAND, WEAVE EASY

All seven coaches start from TH Hotel and travel in a convoy, with police escorts no less, to Setiu Wetland. The 75-minute drive along coastal road is dotted with scenic views of colourful fishing boats anchored on the country’s longest beach by the South China Sea. It reminds us why fishing is an age-old tradition in Terengganu.

Setiu is also famous for its enchanting beaches, traditional fishing villages and nature, especially its wetland areas where we are heading. Here, aside from learning about the importance of mangroves, we plant more mangrove trees.

Meantime, in the shade of a make-shift tent not far from the mangroves, old women are giving a demonstration on mat weaving. Seated on the floor with their legs tucked sideways as kampung folk do, and armed with nipah, rattan and bamboo, they showed us how this was done. Most have over 10 years experience in weaving and are often commissioned to weave mats and baskets for chalets, restaurants, resorts and individual homes in Terengganu.

Besides weaving fruit baskets and floor mats, the women also show how to weave attap leaves, often used as roofing material for gazebos and beach huts.

As some members of the media struggle at their first try, these women make it look like a piece of cake.

STOP, I’M TICKLISH!

It takes about an hour to get to Gawi jetty from Kuala Terengganu. From there, we board several boats to a few attractions on Lake Kenyir, the biggest man-made lake in Southeast Asia.

Our first stop is Orchid Garden. Located on Hulu Selimbar Island, 20 minutes’ from the jetty, here you can find various wild orchid species and exotic hybrids of local and international species blooming in an array of colours.

We then board our boat and head for the tropical garden on Tekak Besar Island, an eco-tourism, research and development centre for diverse types of fruits — tropical, wild, exotic and indigenous fruits which are close to extinction.

While the visits to both places are educational in nature, it is our visit to Kelah Sanctuary that we are excited about. It’s located on Petang river, 45 minutes from the jetty. The river is fed by 91 streams. As the river is shallow, boats can only reach up to a point where visitors get off and continue on foot.

Fret not if jungle trekking is not your thing for a new walkway makes Petang river more accessible and trekking easier.

Fishing activities are strictly prohibited at the sanctuary. However, what is thrilling is the opportunity to swim with, catch and release many species of kelah.

Our feet, legs and hands are nibbled at. Ahhh...hahahaha! Woohooo! Mak Oooiii! When the kelah feeds off your palm, the experience can be very ticklish. Upon setting foot in the river, the friendly kelah will swim towards you and start nibbling away at your feet.

REWARDING REDANG

The 90-minute journey from Merang jetty to Redang island in a big air-conditioned ferry is pleasant and smooth.

Of all the islands in Terengganu, Pulau Redang is not only blessed with tourism infrastructures but it also boasts many great dive and snorkelling sites.

Redang offers an abundance of marine life and beautiful coral gardens. A few shipwrecks will thrill scuba divers all the same.

To me, Redang is most gorgeous in the afternoon. Against the clear blue sky and white, fine sandy beach, the blue sea looks out of this world. It is on par with some of the most beautiful islands in the world such as Maldives.

You don’t need to snorkel far to see beautiful corals at Marine Park Redang. “I thought the corals must have been destroyed but I was wrong. I’m so impressed by how well the corals have been taken care of,” said a blogger from Finland. By Shuib Taib

Read more: Thrilling Terengganu - Travel - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/holiday/thrilling-terengganu-1.576962#ixzz31YMj9QnK

Squid Jigging in Terengganu

Getting Jiggy With it

Fifty fishing boats, each carrying six to eight passengers, depart from Kampung Penarik jetty and head for Pulau Chepu.

Shuib Taib gets to cross off squid jigging on his bucket list

SOTONG bakar (charcoal-burnt squid). Sotong kangkung (squid with water convolvulus). Sotong kering (dried squid). Sambal sotong (squid sambal). Unless you are allergic to seafood or are a vegetarian, it is safe to assume that you have eaten all of the above.

Squid aficionados go further by talking about their favourite sotong — whether it is sotong ghambang, sotong katak or sotong tarok.

Yet, while all these are in bountiful supply off our shores, how many of us can claim we have caught a squid?

Mention squid jigging and choppy waters, long hours and seasickness probably come to mind.

But the presence of bloggers, TV and radio crews as well as more than 100 media personnel from around the world in Terengganu (and the presence of 600 policemen, tour guides and State Tourism personnel) is enough to inspire you to kick that one thing off your bucket list.

Indeed, to mark Visit Malaysia Year 2014, Terengganu Tourism leads the way by inviting writers and bloggers from Finland, Estonia, Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, UK, US, Australia, Germany, Iran, Hong Kong, India, Chile and Malaysia to attend the one-week Terengganu International Squid Jigging Fest 2014.

In no time friendships are made, business cards exchanged and selfies taken at almost every tourist stop, on the coach, on the boat and almost everywhere else.

THRILLS AND SPILLS

Fifty fishing boats, each carrying six to eight passengers, depart from Kampung Penarik jetty and head for Pulau Chepu.

In a nearby sampan, Mr Macho from Korea is sunbathing while the local media jostle for the best position in the boat to avoid the 5pm sun. After 30 minutes of cruising along the meandering river, the water changes colour from brown to ocean blue.

Fishing boats travelling in convoys.

Then we see azure blue waters as our boat approaches open sea. As it moves further from the shore, the blue sea gets darker, suggesting greater depths.

The sun is shining brightly, making the sky crimson orange with streaks of pink. It is breathtaking and so far, the water is calm. No choppy seas. After 90 minutes, the boat finally stops.

The boatmen say squid is easy to catch during high tide on a cloudy or rainy night. Since it is neither, I expect a tough time ahead.

Squid generally start feeding after dark but we take out our jigs anyway, cast them into the ocean to sink to a depth where squid may be lurking.

Although there are many ways to fish for squid, jigging is the most popular and productive method.

By now, most of the 50 boats are anchored within reasonable distance from one another. There is still some daylight left. So we wait until it turns dark before we can hope to catch any squid. I take this opportunity to get some nice shots of the sunset.

Spotlights are turned on at night to lure the sotong.

Read more: Getting jiggy with it - Travel - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/holiday/getting-jiggy-with-it-1.576957#ixzz31YLsMfEM

Nothing much happens for the next 20 minutes until someone in another boat lets out an excited scream followed by loud cheers of “yay” from the team. It can’t be more telling. Someone has caught a squid!

When it finally turns dark, our boatman switches on a spotlight and points it at the sea. Squid are is attracted to light.

We continue to raise our jigs up and down and then bam! I feel something in my jig. Excitedly, I pull it out of the water, only to find nothing!

On the contrary, one of the boatmen is on a roll. Squid after squid bite his jig, even when he is on a cell phone!

Almost three hours have passed and my team hasn’t done too badly, with our boatman having caught the most number of squid, along with a few species of fish. Altogether, he fished about 20 squid in all shapes and sizes.
“The next time you want to go squid jigging, bring me along. I seem to bring a lot of luck to you,” I say to him, much to his amusement.

Fresh from the sea.

BEST SOTONG AWARDS

At the end of the day, winners receive hotel vouchers courtesy of several hotels in Terengganu. The top prize is a Terengganu holiday package worth RM10,000. Some categories like Most Caught Squid are divided into local and international.

But two other categories send all the participants into stitches. In the Most Unique Catch, the winner has caught an octopus instead of a squid.

The Earliest Vomit award was picked up by a fellow countryman who threw up merely 25 minutes into the sea!

The Terengganu International Squid Jigging Fest 2014 was held from April 11-17.

Read more: Getting jiggy with it - Travel - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/holiday/getting-jiggy-with-it-1.576957#ixzz31YKGa3Hc