The King Is Back !...The King Is back !!

This Christmas holiday along with the New Year break I was supposed to drive over  with my eldest son to Phuket via Sungai Golok plus minus on towards Cheingmai.  Sort of a non structured holiday between father and son. In fact we initially planned  a 'tail/head' kind of thing. If the coin shows 'head' we will head for Singapore, if 'tail' we head for Bukit Kayu Hitam and beyond. But we have already decided it would be 'hell' if it is 'head' since both of us cannot stomach Sinapo, so we decided to be more rational.

But providence had it ,  mid way in Tak Bai, Thailand, I met a long lost relative  who for the last 10 years has embraced the 'tabligh movement' in Patani.  I end up sleeping in a mosque  by the beach  in Patani for 2 nights. Cut short my trip to Phuket. Spent a night at the border town of Tumpat, near Kampong Rhu Tujuh [ my god ! Kelantan has very few public amenities and beaches and all of them are dirty like shit !....one of these days when I have time I would write to YB Datuk Husam...a few heads of our municipalities need to roll...they seem to work without imagination and with a total lack of passion.  ].

Drove to Slow Temiang to see my boys, then  at 7 pm, took the 110 kilometre trip from Felda Ciku to Kenyir dam. The Kelantan side was full of potholes  and is narrow  and almost estate-like,but once I entered Teganung it was almost magic...new highway,dual carriageway and all the works...[ .Tok Pha has been warming his backside for ages in the cabinet, one wonder what he is doing there, probably just getting fat !? ].

Kenyir Resort  run by DRB HICOM,  and Kenyir itself is a haven for nature lovers and holiday people but it is currently a well kept secret. Very few people visit Kenyir and fewer Teganuans stay at the resort. It is a wee bit pricey.

But for those who drive all the way from say KL, my advice is say at the resort. It is worth it. Stay a minimum of at least 2 nights and preferably book the lakeview chalets ..you would not be disappointed. Kenyir is for 'philosophers' and thinkers from amongst us. Be mesmerized by the beauty of the lake for hours on end. Be wokened up by the birds chirping. Listen to the wind passing by.  A great place for prayer and dzikr and introspection. I revisited Sherlock Holmes'  Hounds of Baskerville  on the veranda overlooking the great lake. The last time I read him  was when I was in form three, some 45 years back ! Masha allah !

"Does Tan Sri Syed ever visit this place ? ", I asked the assistant manager.
" No Sir.."
My god ! These corporate raiders, they are too busy 'raiding' and making 'money', places like this belonging to them they don't even bother. IT IS A GEM of a place. If I run it I would talk to Tan Sri Lee of Palace of Golden Horses and have a seaplane plying the place from these two great hotels and fill it up with rich Arabs and tourists

From Kenyir to Kuantan via Bukit Besi, Muktafi Billah and  Paka it is TDM TDM TDM everywhere. Miles and miles of TDM palm estates !

We , Kelantanese have to salute the Teganung chaps for being one up. At least their lands and palm oil are not being raped fully by Chinese taukehs from Sinapo, Johor or Banting  flaunting their seven mistresses, with little contribution back to Kelantan apart from their annual contribution which is pittance!
They are nothing special, all lived on  borrowed money, the one from Banting get 7k RM back from the World Bank for every hectare he plant with rubber wood. They termed it 'reforestration.'.
We in Kelantan have missed the boat. From Loging to Gua Musang, and right thru to Kuala Krai, it is all gone ! ALL GONE.
When will these ustazs [ and I am being very polite here because I count YB Husam et al  as one of  my friends ] ever get beyond their 'proverbial' kopiah ?!
I am still very angry.

My only consolation from this short but memorable trip is when I reach Karak. Stopped by to have some durians : The KING.....Musang King in December, mashaalllah !

The KING IS BACK at just 15 RM per kilo.
Used  to be 30 RM but Singaporeans this time decided to forgo the 'King' this year because of too high price. So even the lowly Ahmad, Maniam and Ah Kong can have it here.




Other related articles in ' Diary' :
Ramadan in KB in the 60's,
 http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2009/08/ramadan-1960.html

Bersih.........
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2011/07/bersihbersihbersihbersihbersihbersihber_11.html

Of  Slow Temiang and Tales from Yala
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2009/04/tales-from-yala.html

Prayer of the Cicadas
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2011/04/gunong-stong-revisited-prayers-of.html

Alone In The Crowd........
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2011/11/alone-in-crowd-looking-back.html