Istanbul Time Out......Nostalgia Time In

Nostalgia # 1

While it's Istanbul timed out, Nostalgia is certainly in for me now. In my last week at this tropical paradise, I have managed to 'make myself invited', rendevous, meet up and even bumped into people who had walked through my life previously. Today, I am not going to talk about Istanbul even though it remains dear to my heart, but of my short stay in this marvelous country called Malaysia.

CLICK HERE for Terengganu Tourism Info

Terengganu, at the eastern coast of Malaysia, remained beautiful and unpretentious till today. You will be surprised to know that Trengganu, even with its many oils wells (which generate the income or revenue for the country), still remain one of the poorest country in Malaysia. It bleeds my heart to see that the people of Trengganu are still as humble, sincere, honest and poor as they were decades ago. The finding of fossil oil and the eventual set up of the petroleum refinery complexes by the petroleum giant corporations mean that the cost of living in Trengganu has shot up many times over and at times are at par with that of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city. Unfortunately, the workers salaries and benefit packages are not rising fast enough! But...did they complain? Now, perhaps you would understand what I meant when I said that they still remain humble, sincere, honest and ......NICE!

there's a cruise boat going thru' this arch bridge...this is near to the spot where the Annual Monsoon Cup Festival is .. its almost midnight (during weekend) and the young people do not have many other places to go....

this Chinese village has been declared a Heritage site and is being preserved by the state government. It really is a beautiful heritage village...

closed-up view of the carvings on the screen....I was told that the craft-men went to Turkey to study the design and re-created this design motif here....its very intricate and nice...

would you believe that this is part of the market complex? I was told that the architect is the famous Architect Prince from Terengganu.....NICE !!

whenever the marketing makes you tired or you need some respite from the heat and the sun....

you can always use the pergolas to rest and watch the activities that was going on..

see..?? how nice and clean the market areas are......

would you believe that this is a market area? did they ever stopped for a while and admire the view and smell the flowers? Notice how serene the scenery is....as serene as the folks from Terengganu....

king of fruits...Durian. At night, this place would be jam-packed and you CAN be caught in a traffic jam as people shake and smell the Durians before buying them. 

two famous dishes from Terengganu...Laksa and Nasi Dagang.....you have not lived....if you have not tried these !!

what are they doing? well...the 'poor' lady in the middle is trying to split open the 'buah belinjau" after frying them in a dry sand. The trick is to eat them while they're still hot after being fried in the sand. The problem is...the 'poor' lady could not cope fast enough to meet the waiting palms of those 'vultures' ha ha.......just too many people waiting ... 

see the similarities here ??? he he...Oh Oh...I'll have to go into hiding, so if you don't see me.........photo copied from 

                                      http://theazon.com/2011/07/feeding-time-for-small-birds/

when we were small, the shells would then become our prized "manicured nails".......clever, huh?

Without sounding biased (since I had my schooling there), Terengganu has one of the most beautiful beaches in Malaysia (if not the world). Its people are really wonderful, cheerful and simple folks. My cousins remain true sisters and brothers to me till today. We grew up together and we understand each other without any need for  formality. Even if you disappeared for years without contacting each other, you will still be welcomed and treated no differently when you returned. Ever heard of the "love mean never having to say you're sorry"? Yes...you don't have to explain anything...they'll still love you just the same. Great ehh? But ..only in Terengganu.

The local folks like to say the phrase "it's ok...nothing to it". And to top it all, when talking to someone, they normally refer to themselves as 'hamba' (or slave)! For generations they have been implanting into their mind and soul....let it be...it's okay....don't bother! So....things rarely changed in Trengganu. No... let me re-phrase that....nothing's changed in Terengganu. While me and my cousins could still laugh (my daughter said that we sounded like "hyena") till the house trembled whenever we met....my heart still bleeds for my fellow Terengganu folks. But..if they are not complaining....why should I....No??

they're both teachers and claimed that they're very strict with their students... but wait till you see us together....we are just like a pack of hyenas......oouuuhhhhhhhh!!!! Thank you Ni and Na....Je'taime !! And thank you,too to Zah, Gee and the rest....!!