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  • Hotels In Kuantan And Cherating

    A Cherating Sunrise
    A Cherating Sunrise

    Memories Of Labour.

    I wrote recently about Kota Kinabalu being the sunset capital of the world, particularly from the beaches of Tanjung Aru. On peninsular Malaysia, we have what may be the Sunrise Capital. The sunrise are consistently glorious. I am talking about the beaches of Cheating near Kuantan city. It faces the east and the South China Sea. I used to stay at the Hyatt Regency Kuantan which was on the Teluk Cempedak beach. Loved the sea facing dining terrace at the Hyatt Kuantan,

    The sunrise view from there was great too. Many Malaysians know Cherating from Club Med located there. One day on this same day, around 13 years ago, and it was also Workers Day or Labour Day, also a public holiday then,

    I took an impulse drive to Kuantan. Every hotel from luxury beach resorts to budget hotels were fully booked. Was grateful for the thoughtful hotels that placed a sign showing “full house” visible from the car. Grateful also for budget hotels that have their phone numbers on their lighted signboards. You will appreciative that too when you parked and ran in/out of lobbies like a million times.

    Many hotel less people ended up sleeping in the car which presented two challenges. Option 1: Die of carbon monoxide poisoning if the car engine and air conditioning were kept running, Lower the windows and the car will host a buzzing mosquito party.

    Option 2: You will die of Dengue and other mozzie carried diseases. Moral of the story: Book your hotel in advance as everyone has the same idea to visit a popular tourist destination on a public holiday.

    Google was so primitive then and it even suggested Genting Highlands Resort as an alternative nearby hotel. I called up and expectedly they were full house too. Is like that all over the world. I recently wrote about the overcrowding at Yellowstone National Park in the US. Check availability ahead for hotels in Cherating, Kuantan and anywhere in the world via MyCen Hotels http://www.mycen.my/

    Anyway, I parked and slept at the very dark car park of an unknown beach hotel in Cherating. With the full occupancy, the open air park was full too. Was lucky to get a space. Luckily my then travel partner and camera assistant Pooi-San was quite a tough and hardy girl. I walked groggily to the beach at around 6 am and soon saw the most beautiful sunrise. A just reward for all the hardship.

    See over 92 hotels and homestays in Kuantan, Cherating and Beserah area.


    Photographed handheld with the excellent Olympus C8080 bridge cam,

    #kuantan #cherating #sunrise #eastcoast

    Map:

  • Lim Teh In The Sultanate.

    Lim Teh In The Sultanate.

    Universal Cafe, Seria Brunei
    Universal Cafe, Seria Brunei

    Since we are looking at Brunei, let’s visit a Chinese kopitiam in Pekan Seria, Brunei. The shop was even more authentic than the many found in Malaysian towns. .

    It featured old school coffee shop chairs and real marble table-tops from the 1950s or 1960s. There was also the quintessential bored cashier or proprietor sitting behind the counter. There were no big candy jars on the counter however,

    At the time I was there, the country had a reversed and practical system of halal certification. Since non-halal food outlets are few, non-halal shops are required to display a sticker or sign declaring Muslims are not allowed.

    The are many Indian and Mamak eateries in the nanny state too, if you know where to look. Seria the coastal district abd Chinese town was fascinating.It had a frozen in 50s or 60s look. Many of our kopitiams were once pristine like this. If authentic, the shop ought to have the disgusting spittoon containers since the early patrons were refined tin mine workers. If you are unrefined, you just spit on the floor. Haha.

    The majority of the Chinese speak Hokkien (Fujian dialect) here and were happy to converse in the mother tongue if you engage them. .

    I stll think Pekan Tutung, also on the coast, is the real Chinese town where Chinese schools and Chinese temples are found.

    Chinese Bruneians are said to form 15 % of the Sultanate’s population and have considerable presence and clout in commerce and the economy. A characteristic  of the worldwide and far flung Chinese diaspora,

    There are many oil refinery ‘flare stacks’ visible from Seria and you can photograph the dramatic flames shooting up. A nice reminder that Brunei is an oil rich state.

    Only one good hotel in Seria and it is the modern Roomz Hotel or see banner below:


    #documentaryphotography #streetphotography #travelogue #chinese #tutung
    #chinesekopitiam #kopitiam #coffeeshop #chinese #asean #brunei #seria

  • Hotels In Kuala Belait Brunei

    The Bruneian Poor Man's Harley.
    The Bruneian Poor Man’s Harley.

    The Bruneian Poor Man’s Harley.

    Brunei’s Kuala Belait wet market is like what our Central Market used to be; except the art deco building is circular.

    I met vegetable seller, Bujang, inside. Somehow, we started talking about big bikes and he said he’ll go home to get his bike to show me.

    It was the fairly rare Hyosung GV650 Aquila, a shiny cruiser. I remember distinctly Bujang telling me is China-made but a Google search later revealed it is a Korean product.

    He described it as a poor man’s Harley for those facing mid-life or three-quarter life crisis. Bujang was 65 at the time.

    The poor man’s Harley for Bruneians still cost a hefty USD 8,000 before tax. It is tax-free in Brunei, of course. I like the reaction of his then six-year-old daughter when she saw her dad returning with the bike. That’s Bujang’s wife’s bike behind the daughter.

    Kuala Belait is the second largest town in Brunei, after capital Bandar Seri Begawan.

    You can find 5 good hotels or more in Kuala Belait here.

    Olympus E-3, ISO 100, f8, 1/250 sec.

    #documentaryphotography #streetphotography #travelogue #travel #market #biker #motorcycle #cruiser #superbike #harley #hyosung #aquila #asean #brunei #smalltown

    Map: