My mind was probably no longer in Sillypore as I shut down my laptop after another boring week in office. Getting to work everyday is somehow no longer as interesting as it used to be. Perhaps my heart is no longer in it anymore; but I shall not discuss about this here. What is most important now is to meet Sara for our maiden trip. The destination? Kuantan (or the state capital of Pahang)!
Getting to Kuantan was not as difficult as most would thought, though buses from Singapore were full (overcame the minor hiccup by boarding the bus from Johor Bahru instead). Driving along Malaysia Trunk Road 3 (this leads all the way to Kota Bahru and the Thai border), it was 3.30am (5 hours, S$13.30/person) when the bus got into Terminal Makmur (Kuantan's long-distance bus terminal). After getting my orientations correct (was feeling a bit grouchy after the short nap on the bus), we went in search for a budget hotel and finally found one in downtown Kuantan (i.e. along Jalan Taman) after walking for almost 45mins.
Woke up a couple of hours later and briefly explored this city (maybe I should call this a town). Traffic was pretty light on a Saturday morning and not many shops were opened. Unlike other typical Malaysian towns, we had difficulty finding a "Kopi Thiam" (or a eatery serving coffee and Chinese food). We did a Roti Canai Telur (Indian pancake with egg) for breakfast in the end.
It was actually possible to reach Swiss Garden Hotel & Spa (a 4-star resort along Jalan Beserah, 20 km north of Kuantan) via bus, though we got impatient and boarded a taxi instead (Rm20/S$8.50). When we finally got our room after 30mins, I dropped my backpack and lay on the sofa while Sara taking photographs of the room while it's in the mint state. I was so tired and badly needed a rest. |
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wyattwang.com doing it along Sungai Kuantan, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. |
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I always thought downtown Kuantan would be filled with vehicles but traffic was light on a Saturday morning.
- impressions of Jalan Mahkota, Kuantan, Pahang |
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Sara and me was trying to figure out what this was but we gave up. Asked the shopkeeper and he told us this was dried strips of ikan pari (or stingray).
- impressions of Syarikat Lian Lee (a shop selling salted fish and other local produce), along Jalan Besar, Kuantan
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We stayed at Hotel Sungai Wang for the "short" night (it was already 4.30am when we checked in). Although basic was the keyword here but it was pretty cheap (Rm48/S$20.87 per room).
p.s.: It could had cost us lesser but the cheaper (and smaller) rooms were all occupied.
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Sara took a photograph of the beer (4 bottles of Carlsberg Gold) that I had stocked in the mini-bar of our room in Swiss Garden Resort & Spa. |
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I personally thought that the concept of this photograph was great. Very Wong Kar Wai right?
p.s.: Sorry fans, I was not naked. |
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I was sulking at the fact that Sara wanted to snap photographs at EVERYTHING in the hotel lobby. |
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Sara is finally unveiled (this is the first image of her that appeared in my blog)! Thought this was a good photograph taken at the entrance of the resort. |
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Sara posing at the entrance of the resort. It was so warm that day that we quickly got back to our room. |
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This was the warung (malay word for food stall) where we had our seafood dinner (just 10mins walk up north along the Jalan Beserah). The food was good and cheap as compared to the beef noodles I had in the hotel cafe. |
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