Terengganu's Touristic Appeal: February 2012

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Masjid Sultan Ismail, Chendering, Kuala Terengganu

This is a new mosque in Chendering, Kuala Terengganu with beautiful design, white in colour. Officially open in December 2011 by his Highness, the Sultan of Terengganu. Located 10 km south of the city centre, this mosque commands a good welcoming sign for Kuala Terengganu. It's about 2 km from the "floating mosque" of Kuala Ibai. It was formerly known as Masjid Raja.

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Terengganu Profile

Terengganu Flag

Head of the State: The Royal Highness Sultan of Terengganu

Head of the State Government: Menteri Besar (Chief Minister)

System of Government: Constitutional Monarchy

General Election: every 5 years to elect 8 Parliamentarians and 32 State assembly men.

8 Administrative Districts:Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Marang, Dungun, Kemaman, Besut, Setiu and Hulu Terengganu

Population (2010): 1 million. Ethnicity: 95 % Malays and Muslims

Capital: Kuala Terengganu (350,000), gateway to Redang Islands

Area: 1,295,512 hectares

Urbanisation Rate (2010): 52.7 per cent

Major towns and cities: Kuala Terengganu, Marang, Dungun, Chukai, Jerteh, Kuala Berang and Permaisuri

Scenic Islands : Perhentian, Redang, Marang and Tenggol

Biggest man-made lake: Kenyir Lake. It also has 230 islands.

Jetty: Kuala Terengganu and Merang (for Redang Islands); Marang (for Kapas Island); Kuala Besut (for Perhentian Islands) and Kuala Dungun (for Tenggol Island)

Airport: Sultan Mahmud Airport (Kuala Terengganu), Kerteh and Redang Island (small air strip for small aircraft, now closed). MAS, AirAsia and Firefly fly to Kuala Terengganu daily.

Major industrial sites: Kerteh-Paka (oil&gas) and Teluk Kalong (in Kemaman);Gong Badak and Chendering (in Kuala Terengganu).

Port: Kemaman Port

Major Fishing Port: Chendering and Kuala Besut

Major Universities: Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

Tourism: Eco-tourism, Agro-tourism, Historical and Heritage tourism, Nature tourism and Recreational and Sports tourism. All these include beaches, culinary, culture, handicraft, heritage, historical, islands, nature, shopping, sports and recreation.

Money: Malaysian Ringgit (MR). Denomination Notes 1,5,10,50,100. Coins:50cents, 20 cents, 10 cents, 5 cents, and 1 cent. Cards like Visa or Master card are accepted at major outlets only. So, be ready with cash.

Public Holidays: Friday and Saturday; Others include: I May(Labour Day), 31 August (Independent Day), Muslim New year, Chinese New Year etc.

Government Working Hours: 8.00am - 5.00pm (Sunday to Wednesday); 8.00am -3.30pm (Thursday)

Banking Hours: 9.30am-3.00pm.Close on public holiday. No night banking. All banks and post offices can perform electronic transfers. All banks have automated teller machine (ATM).

Radio: click http://radiotime.com

Language: Bahasa Malaysia although English is widely spoken. Terengganu has her own dialect.

Main mode of Land Transport: Cars, Buses, Taxis, Motorcycles and no train. Careful on private taxi operator (unlisensed).

Public Land Transport: Inter city buses and taxis. All bus tickets are sold at bus stations. Town bus Cas Ligas for Kuala Terengganu (ticket sold on the bus).

Driving: Right hand drive like most Commonwealth countries.

Petrol Station: All towns and major roads. All stations have toilets and convenient stores.

Government Hospital and Clinics: Available in all Districts.

Police station: Available in all Districts.

Tipping: Generally not part of the culture although many of them expect to be tipped.

Telecommunication: Code 60 for Malaysia and 09 for Terengganu. Cellular provider inludes Maxis, Celcom, Digi.

Wet Months: November to January, the rest are dry months. High humidity.

Day Temperature: In the range of 28 Celcius to 33 celcius

Places of Interest and activity: Parks, Beaches, Equestrian Complex, Museums, Crafts Complex, Wood Carving Complex, Waterfronts, Lakes, Wetlands, Oceanic Islands, Waterfalls, Zoo, Boat Making, Keropok Making, Wildlife Sanctuary(elephant), Turtle hatching centre, River cruise, Fishing, Scuba-diving, Golfing, Horse-riding, Chandat Sotong (squid fishing), markets and shopping, cultural activities (wedding ceremony of all races), kite and top spinning, bersilat (traditional Malay art of self defense).

Popular Beach: Batu Buruk, Chendering, Teluk Ketapang(Kuala Terengganu); Kemasik (Kemaman); Teluk Air Tawar, Bukit Keluang (Besut); Rantau Abang (Dungun), Rhu Sepuluh and Penarik (Setiu)

Heritage Walk: Kuala Terengganu: Around Dataran Shahbandar, Post office, Padang Malaya, Pasar Kedai Payang, Kampong China, Masjid Putih and Bus Station.

Popular River fronts: Balik Bukit Recreational Area, Riyaz Resort Pulau Duyong, Taman Tamadun Islam, Ibai Recreational Area in Kuala Terengganu; Chukai River Park in Kemaman

Popular Scuba-Diving Areas: Within Marine Parks of Perhentian, Tenggol and Redang Islands.

Popular Agriculture Park: Sekayu in Kuala Berang ( has waterfalls); Setiu Agro Resort.

Popular Shopping Areas: Pasar Kedai Payang, Mydin Mall(Hypermarket), Sabasun, Giant and Weekend Markets.

Traditional Massage: The masseurs normally perform services in their houses. Some masseur can fix simple broken bones or sprain. Some can perform "devil-bashing" i.e. getting rid of bad spirits from your body. Ask around if you need the service.

Accommodation: There are many accommodation in Terengganu be it 5-star or budget hotels. Most hotel charge below RM200 per room per night(not per pax). 5-star hotel charge more than this. For large family traveller, you can stay at homestay which is quite cheaper. For backpacker, hostels are available in most towns.

Food: There are many restaurants, cafes, stalls or food court selling Terengganu food. KFC, McDonald, Kopitiam, Secret Recipe, Pizza Hut are also available. Traditional Terengganu food includes all kind of rice (Nasi Minyak, Nasi Lemak, Nasi Kerabu, Nasi Kuning, Nasi Himpit, Pulut Chawan, Nasi Dagang); Laksa and Laksam (made of rice flour, steam and eat with gravy); snack (keropok lekor, pais, sata, lempeng nyior and other delicacies). Nasi Dagang is the trade mark of Terengganu rice.It is rice mix with gluten rice and coconut milk and steamed. It is eaten with a special curry fish(special spice and aya fish).

Drinks: All kind of fruit juices; ice-creams; chendul; ais kacang; chendul with tapai or with durian and pulut; air chikun; mineral water

Fruit: It is seasonal e.g.Durian, Mangoesteen, Rambutan, Duku and Langsat. Terengganu Duku is famous in Malaysia for its sweetness. All fruits have their own seasons. Durian and mangoesteen are not allowed in hotels.

Souvenirs: Handicrafts ranging from batik cloth and shirt, songket, t-shirts, key-chains, mengkuang/pandan leaf mats and hats, brass pot, silver brooch, wood-carving clock to food such as Niisan(Terengganu brown sugar) etc. Find small size souvenirs that you can squeeze in your bag.

My Wish: I hope all people who are involved in tourism industry (e.g. transport, food, accommodation, shopping, advertisement, entertainment, etc), please have ethics and be trustworthy, don't cheat the tourists, make them happy and facilitate them while they stay in Terengganu. For all you know, they may come back again. Let's create a sustainable tourism development in Terengganu.

Terengganu Official Tourism Web:

click here