Masjid Beijing
Once Abby and I were back in Rantau Panjang, Abby drove me to Masjid Beijing which is also known as Masjid Jubli Perak Sultan Ismail Petra. Located in the town of Rantau Panjang, the mosque is unique because it combines the Chinese and Islamic architecture. It has a striking resemblance to Niujie mosque, which is the oldest and biggest mosque in Beijing.
Masjid Beijing was first built in 12.09.2005 with the costs of RM8.8 million. It can cater up to 1,000 people at one time.
From far, the mosque could have been mistaken as a temple for its pagoda-like feature and the green and red rooftops. The interior design was heavily influenced by Indian and Uzbekistan’s architecture.
With so many architectures assimilated to build Masjid Beijing, the message it seeks to send is clear. That Islam is for all.
The interior design – the view from ladies prayer area.
Next, we took the jalan kampung via Tumpat to Kota Bharu. On the way, we bumped into small fish stall. We stopped by to take some pictures. According to Abby, some of the fishes were ready to be cooked. In fact, tumeric powder and salt were already spread over the fishes. Like I said, you only need heated oil to deep fry the fishes.
Wat Polithivan
From Masjid Beijing, we visited the biggest sleeping Buddha in Kelantan cum the second largest in South East Asia – Wat Polithivan. As Abby parked the car, I noticed the sleeping Buddha was somewhat lonely and isolated for we were the only tourists around. We were accompanied by the temple cleaner as well as the numerous dogs which were on guard of the area. The presence of the dogs made it very difficult to move around as they barked non-stop to me.
Bunohan
I did ask Abby about the town of Bunohan which was made famous by the movie Bunohan starring Faizal Hussein, Zahiril Adzim and Pekin Ibrahim. Some says a woman was killed by an outsider and thrown at the paddy field in Kampung Bunohan. Another version on how this village got its name is the fish trap known as bunohan which was used by the villagers when they fished in the river running through the village. They would make a bountiful catch every time they used “bunohan”. Which version is true is unknown to us. So I guess, believe what you want.
Pantai Cahaya Bulan/Pantai Cinta Berahi
A trip to Kelantan would not be complete if I did not visit Pantai Cahaya Bulan which is also known as Pantai Cinta Berahi. It is located 10km from Kota Bharu and was the landing beach for the Japanese soldiers during the WW2. As we were very hungry, we had some fried seafood, fishballs and prawn balls. I ordered the famous maggi ketam nipah. We both ordered air kelapa for the drinks. In such weather, air kelapa is perhaps the most suitable drinks. Eating in Pantai Cahaya Bulan is not cheap, the whole meal ordered came close to RM50. But the huge bowl of maggi ketam could be shared by two pax.
If you are coming with family and kids, be prepared to buy the kites and toys sold by the beach. Pantai Cahaya Bulan is not the kind of beach where you go for a swim because the current is very high, so does the chance of getting drown.
Since I wanted to see the sunset, Abby brought me to a secluded beach only locals know its whereabouts. I was driven into a fishing village where the locals were chilling outside their houses. The ladies talked to one another while the kids were busy playing football.
Sunset captured from the car.
Abby seemed to know where to go, so I followed her trails. She parked the car at a huge compound and then together we walked through what looked to me like pine trees. There was the beach and as I looked back, the sun was setting down. It was too glaring and it was not as dramatic as I wanted it to be.
Next, Abby brought me to another section of the beach. She told me only wedding photographers in Kota Bharu knew this place. It had an incredible sand formation. The first thing that came to my mind was our very own Utah of Malaysia.
I had to climb the sand to be on top of the formation to capture the pictures of the surroundings.
Far in the horizon, a group of boys were playing sepak takraw.
I am thankful for the hospitality offered by Abby who brought me around for the whole day. She drove to Kota Bharu to send me to the bus station from where I took the midnight bus to Kuala Lumpur.
2 full days in Kelantan are not enough to taste the flavours of Kelantan. I will come back for more.
Complete Travelogue for Kelantan Trip (January 2014):-
Backpacking in Kota Bharu via Jungle Train
Backpacking in Kota Bharu (Day 2)
Backpacking in Kota Bharu (Day 3) Part 1
3 Comments
Hi farah!
Wow it’s so interesting reading your travelog to Kelantan 🙂
I stumbled upon your blog when searching an info for solo backpacking to Kelantan.
how far the train station to jalan padang garong? is it in walking distance? TQ
Hi Afidah,
Thank you for reading. Train station to Jalan Padang Garong about 20minutes with normal traffic. You should expect to be asked to pay around RM35-RM40.
All the best in your travel to Kelantan. 😉
Farah
Cara lebih murah…. dari stesen k/api Wakaf Bharu kena jalan kaki dalam 5-8 minit ke jalan utama (siang hari sahaja). Naik bas laluan Tumpat/ Pengkalan Kubor ke Kota Bharu. Tambang mungkin dalam RM2 shj kerana perjalanan dlm 10 minit aje ke Stesen Bas KB (kalau tak jem di Jambatan Sultan Yahya Petra).