The coffee sub-culture in backcountry Kelantan is alive and thumping

We may not have Coffeebean or Starbucks but that doesn't mean that the coffee culture isn't thriving in the backcountry of Kelantan and maybe other remote parts of the East Coast as in the bigger more metropolitan cities in teh country.

The tastebuds and what defines cool coffee culture maybe completely different from that the svelte coffee drinker of Bangsar or KL is used too. You definitely will not find coffee Luwak here, even if there is it probably wouldn't fly like at the other swankier coffee digs.

What may not be so obvious in the beginning gets pretty clear once you carefully read the prints on the promotional posters pasted all over the stalls, restaurant and coffee stops in the not so hip hang-outs though swarmed for reasons less than chic.

The target market seemed largely if not all seemed slanted towards men (not sure whether it is for obvious or not so obvious reasons) ... "Siang minum saje ... Malam jadi Raja ... Isteri pun bahagia"!

Some immediate eye-catchers :

Kopi Kucing Galak ...
Kopi Jantan ...
Black Stud Cappucino ...
Kopi Kerbau Jantan ....

There are apprarently serious pre-requisites for some of these blend; hipness, coolness, swankiness is not one of them. If it's got caffiene, it's got to be coffee, just I would not be the first to try.

Anyone for a cuppa, my place or your's?














Nazeri Abghani/16Nov2010

Finds in Kuala Besut old town

An abandoned old engine in an abandoned old shophouse in the old part of town, surprised it's still there considering the craze for all things metal these days.

Back in the old days, there were not much here either other than a few trishaws, a jetty and a smallish but cosy market. These days it's a hodge-podge of new buildings housing a few commercial endeavours, tour agencies (being gateway to Pulau Perhentian and others), fishing related government agencies, several smallish hotels, coffee shops and parking lots for island holiday makers.

The trishaws are all but gone, and only a few of the old wooden shophouses are still left standing ... some have been coverted to walid houses for the bird nest industry. The quaint little market have been shifted to a new location in a bigger and allegedly better form ages ago it seemed.

Though the town didn't seemed as laidback as it used to be when I first roamed it with an FM2n and Ektar back in 1987 and a few more times after that, you still feel the quaint-ness here and there. The old shady tree by the main bus depot is still there standing taller, shadier and bigger. It even has a large bench built under its shade over the overgrown roots for idling the afternoon away.

And there's always a checkers game on at the benches ...


The brand spanking new tourist center equipped with tour agents, internet cafe, souvenir shops and other. All were closed the day we were there, off season I supposed.


One of the three original old shophouses still left standing in the center of old town, favorite haunts of oldtimers.


You cannot do without an internet cafe these days where ever you go, and purple is in this year.


The town's several hardware store catering to the used to be the fishing fraternity but now mostly tourism players.


An old Chinese shophouse, half of which has been converted discretely to a walid house, it's presence isn't too discrete though considering the constant chirping to attract the birds.


A lady proprietor of the only jeweler in town, the shop's seen better days for sure.


Closed for business.


Passing time.


The tourist center from the other end leading to jetty.


Would care to wait? Please have a seat.


Kitty cat in front of a blue shophouse by the main road.


A good checkers game is fun to watch for the inpromptu exchanges that takes place between regular opponents.


A bright and cheery bus cum taxi depot at it's original site. When we got off the bus, they were only one other passenger on board. Total take for that particular PPuteh-KBesut trip was less than $15.


A taxi driver waiting for a passenger, any passenger.


$10/person for a one way trip to Kota Bharu from Kuala Besut, by bus it's $6.50/person ... but you'll have to follow the bus schedule, perhaps the only reason to take a taxi.


Wheels by the blue shophouse.


Window at the side of a yellow shophouse.

Nazeri Abghani/15th Nov 2010

The Kuala Besut bus this morning

It's 9am departure instead of 8am we were expecting! By the time we got to Kuala Besut it was 930 am with the hot sun shining full force. But we did roam around what's left of the old fishing town.

Mt Murud Trek - the walk from Ba' Kelalan to Pa' Rabata

19th October: After three days of seemingly idle, relaxing strolls amidst the greens of Ba' Kelalan's paddyfields and sometimes purposefully high-school-ish coversations in the dark after dinner was quietly jolted by the arrival of the rest of our trekking team from Miri on Monday, a huge amount of luggage as well as a sudden realisation that we were in Ba' Kelalan to scale Mt Murud, the highest mountain in Sarawak at 2413m.

The team was made up of a motley crew of walkers and trekkers in it for the adrenaline rush of another challenge and a couple of birdwatchers intent of birding Murud. Chris Haneveld, Sara Wong, Jackie Fong, Faye Osman, Sparrow Tan, Edward Ong, Yeo Teck Seng, Ting King King and Dr Rangamal. Some have been training for this for weeks if not months on various other peaks like Lambir and Gunung Nuang before this.

Our first task was to conquer the Ba'Kelalan outer ridge and to make it in one piece to Pa' Rabata, our first jungle shelter on the same day before the trek proper to Mt Murud Church Camp at 2200m. Apparently the ridge is supposed to be the first measuring stick of whether any of us would make it to the summit.

We set off at approximately 0900 hrs 19th October after sorting out our packs and load allocation for the porters. We had with us 2 guides, Gukang and Ating, as well as 5 porters with us for the trip.


Sorting out the load before the start of our trek.


Jackie trying out the porter's load for size at our first stop before the ridge.


Our porters raring to go ... looking at the weight on their backs gave a new meaning to travelling light, they move along the trails like a ghost, silent, sure footed as if they are flying along weightless.


We all made it to the ridge which a good sign to the days of more trekking the next couple of days. Leeches encountered weren't as many nor problematic as we had predicted, perhaps because of the drier weather in the area the past few days that we were there.


View of the canopy from the ridge. The trek up to the ridge was through a community forested cherished by the Ba' Kelalan folks. There were quite a few birds heard along the trek however our paced didn't allow any prolonged stop. We were eager to make it to Pa' Rabata before nightfall.

We had our first break at 1030 hrs, and we made it to the first rest stop at a very good pace. The porters with all their allocated load caught up within 15minutes of our arrival. Considering the weight they had on their backs, they either took the secret elevator up or flew. After a short break we continued our journey uphill to the ridge.

We got to the ridge top in one piece at almost 1130hrs, the porters joined us shortly after. The cool wind sweeping across the ridge provided the well deserved respite. Having made it this high was a good sign that we'll all make it to Church Camp the next day. Surprisingly there were only a few leeches encountered along the way. But there was one pesky little guy that made to the mid thighs of yours truly and actually drew blood, this fact was only discovered upon a thorough body check at Pa' Rabata a few hours later, the slimey bastard!

The rest of the trek was mostly downhill on disused logging trails towards the valley. If going uphill was tough, going downhill on a sunny day at noon was tougher considering the constant jolt to the knees and lower back. It seemed like a never ending trail and there was very little in terms of anything interesting along the way.

One curious note was the presence of cow hoofprints all over the hills and along the overgrown logging trails. Apparently these were of cows belonging to the surrounding villages which left their charges to roam free. The cows are apparently hunted for meat as and when needed, sometimes by the owners themselves, and at other times by more opportunistic individuals.

We made it safely down the valley to Pa' Rabata about 2:30pm, by then utmost in everyone's mind was to stop moving altogether. With knees wobbling and back aching, it was a huge relief to finally be able to sit down knowing fully well that the tough part is over, or at least we thought it was "the toughest" if only for that particular day.

In almost high spirits, packs were opened, cups of tea and coffee were distributed around the shelter. In a short while one by one, took to the rocky stream next to the shelter to clean up in cool clear water.

Phew! We made it over the ridge!!!


The 5 hour trek winding uphill and downhill after the ridge did not affect our porters at all, they all smiles. Either that or we provided them with enough comedy all along the 5 hour trek that day.


Our porters taking a breather after promptly making tea and coffee for the team.


The view of the canopy from the grounds near Pa' Rabata jungle shelter.

Next up: The trek up to Lepo Bunga and Murud Church Camp, 20th Oct 2010.

Sunday back in the Kampong

We flew home Friday for our end of year sojourn back in the East Coast, an opportunity to get together with family members, spruce up the house a bit (which needs a lot more sprucing since Mom's passing) and soak in ample bucolic vibes that can only found in "hometowns". Fantastic opportunity to get the kids out and about.


A sunny but overcast day in the paddyfields of Merkang on a Saturday morning, an optimistic prelude to the coming few days, picture as composed and made by Aisya. Surprisingly it hasn't been wet at all since our arrival back home Friday.


A scene (Saturday) that could only be found in the East Coast states if not predominantly in Kelantan and maybe to a lesser extend Terengganu, men in sarongs in town in broad daylight.

Two boys walked into a Marrybrown restaurant intending to have a swell lunch for two. After going over the extensive menu, they realised that the $10 they had between them would not afford them the actual treat they had in mind. Walked in a gentleman who must have heard the discussions at the counter, and having fully underrstood the boys' predicament quietly passed over a $10 note for them to splurge on lunch. With big broad smiles the boys carried back two one piece chicken meal each and a large bowl of porridge and sat happily enjoying their lunch. They had enough change to stop by after lunch for a finale of 7-eleven slurpees! Splendid turn of events for the boys!


An early morning outing into the paddyfields requires a hearty breakfast, Ali and Aisya making an order for roti telor, their staple back in Miri. Their cousin, Afif at the next stall is procuring nasi ber-lauk, rice and creamy fish curry, a Kelantanese staple. Someone forgot to bring sweet tea.


An elderly gentleman checking out his pukat left overnite at the same canal we were fishing at. He went back with a good haul of lampam jawa, we fished all morning with worms and all we got was several "almost" and no catch, not even a pesky puyu.


Afif and Ali trying their luck with a pesky little puyu that kept making splashes and only nibbled at the bait. It swum off sinking the floats several times but not even one hook-up.


Aisya and Irfan at their end of the canal. Aisya, Irfan and Afif truly dig this fisherman's will, hours of holding a rod waiting patiently for a nibble and they would go anywhere for an opportunity to land the big one. Ali on the other hand will persevere at most for half an hour ... no bite, lets go home kinda attitude, casting is more of his style of fishing. He was so proud of the fact that he's the first boy to get multiple successful hook-ups using plastics at Bukit Kluang couple of years back ... don't think he'll ever forget that trip.


The paddyfields of Kampong Merkang, a beautiful peaceful spot with plenty of birds around. Plenty of Cattle Egrets, Pond Heron, Scaly-breasted Munia, Harriers, Black-winged Kite, White-throated Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher, Oriole, Drongo, Bee-eater among others. How much land does a man need? These would do!


The scope ready for action in case of another recurrence of last June's sigthing of a most unlikely rarity!


Stunning vistas of the nearby hills from the paddyfields.


A juvvy monitor lizard on the rocks.


Harrier soaring above the paddyfields searching for prey. Other raptors commonly seen are Black-winged Kite.


Scaly-breasted Munia (Pipit pinang) were abundant flying together in groups of 30-40 birds.

Tomorrow, we are taking the bus to Kuala Besut and walk back to Dalam Rhu Beach along the coconut lined fishing villages of the coast. Lets see how we do tomorrow ... maybe we'll see a few neneks making keropok the old fashion way along our walking routes.

Sunset at Kpg Bakam Beach

Our most-est favorite beach in Miri ... we spent many high tides evenings and in equal number low tide mornings here exploring the beach with the children.

Tumi tech orange

Fits 600mm for overhead compartment, backpack/rollalong