Gasing (Giant Top Spining)

Gasing or (Giant top spinning) is a popular traditional game played in Terengganu and Kelantan. Yet it is no child's play as each gasing may weight as heavy as 5kg. The size too may be as big as a dinner plate. Which explains why most of the players are adult men or young men, as hurling the gasing using a piece of rope wound around the gasing requires strength, coordination and skill to ensure that the gasing remains spinning for the longest time.

The gasing is made out of  a fine piece of hardwood such as merbau, keranji or cengal . The wood is then left to dry naturally before it is shaped into a discus. A good gasing  needs to be properly grooved and perfectly  symmetrical in order to enable it to spin for a long time.

Gasing competitions are an annual feature in the east coast. These annual competitions help  the younger generation  to preserve  the gasing as a proud heritage. In  Wakaf Changak, Batu Rakit, Terengganu the gasing competitions are an annual affair that create lots of excitement and frenzy among the viewers and the participants as they watch  the gasing spin round and round, sometimes as long as 3 hours.

Rhu Hentian Island (Pulau Rhu Hentian)

Still a newcomer in the tourism industry, Rhu Hentian Island may not be well known as the famous Pulau Redang or Pulau Perhentian. Yet its still has all the charms of the islands in Terengganu, complete with the white powdery beach and crystal clear waters.

Located only 15 nautical miles away from offshore Kuala Besut, a boat trip from Kuala Besut terminal will take only 20-30 minutes only. Visitors here will be able swim, go snorkelling,  diving, kayaking or simply relax and enjoy the magnificent view of the sea. It is reported that the island is gaining popularity among fishing enthusiasts as there are plenty of fishes here.

Being small in size (only 1.4 hectares), tourist will be able to explore the whole island within 2 hours and discover the lush tropical jungle fringed by captivating view of the white sandy beaches and  blue sea.

At present there is only one resort here, The Rhu Hentian Resort which is managed by Fisheries Association of Kuala Besut, as a first step to develop this charming little Island. 

Tanjong Mentong National Park

Being  the the new gateway and part of the Taman Negara (Malaysia's National Park), Tanjong Mentong is interconnected with Tasik Kenyir (Lake Kenyir). As such, you have to take a boat from Sg. Gawi jetty in Lake Kenyir to get to the Tanjong Mentong.

Tanjong Mentong has one of the world's most complex and rich ecosystems, as it is part of the world's oldest untouched tropical rainforest estimated to be 130 million years old. Here you can find a variety of exotic collection of  flora and fauna as well as  wildlife in their natural  habitat and sorroundings.

Climb the Mount Gagau (one of the highest peak in Taman Negara at 1,376m) where you'll be able to get a birdseye view of the National Park that spans across three states (Pahang, Kelantan & Terengganu).

Discover and experience the thrill of cave exploration at  Gua Bewah and Gua Taat situated close to Tanjong Mentong.

There is a minimum charge of RM1 per person for entrance permit, while fishing licence cost RM10 each and camera licence is RM5 per camera. Accomodations are provided by Tanjong Mentong Resort which has  5 chalets and 60 bed hostel. There is also a jetty, restaurant , meeting hall and a viewing tower for visitors convenience.

For enquiries, kindly contact :

Deputy Superintendent,

Taman Negara Terengganu National Park, Tanjong Mentong,

Hulu Terengganu, Terenggnu

Tel : 09 622 7751

or

The Manager,

Tanjong Mentong Resort

Tel : 09 623 6684

Chendering Beach (Pantai Chendering)

Located  about 6 km away from  Kuala Terengganu, Pantai Chendering is yet another famous beach in Terengganu with a great view. It has a long jetty which makes it an excellent place for fishing enthusiasts.

The Malaysian Handicraft Center is also in Chendering. Here visitors get a chance to witness the skills of local artisans in songket weaving, batik printing and  mengkuang basket weaving. There are plenty of handicraft items such as songket, batik, bags, mats, vase, wallets and hats made of pandanus leaves sold here. The famous Noor Arfa Batik and Permint Sutera Semai is also in Chendering for those who are interested to buy exquisite batik products such as batik silk cloths, sarong, kaftan or batik silk shirts.

Apart from that, there are many keropok lekor stalls by the coastal roads to Chendering. One of the popular stalls which sells delicious keropok lekor here is the 007 brand. The famous Mak Ngah Nasi Dagang which sells delightful nasi dagang is in Chendering too.

Terengganu Wood Carving

The Terengganu woodcarvers are well known and reputed in creating beautiful works of art made out of high quality hardwood. Many of the woodcarvings are found in houses, old palaces, beams, doorways, window shutters, traditional boats, bed frames, and  pieces of furniture. As carving human figures is totally prohibited in Islam, the Terengganu woodcarving is inspired from flora and fauna, Islamic art and  animal motifs.

Beautiful lattice masterpiece

Intricate floral designs 

Not a single nail used to make - Rumah bujang berserambi selasar

Desa Ukiran Kayu

 

Realising the importance to preserve this heritage, Terengganu has set up the Desa Ukiran Kayu at Tengku LongPalace, Besut. Desa Ukiran Kayu is a vocational institution offering studies and education in woodcarving, entreprenuership and carpentry. The objective of its formation is to generate professional woodcarvers who not only produces beautiful masterpieces but also will be able to present woodcraft as succesful business aswell.

Rumah Potong Belanda

The Construction of Desa Ukiran Kayu is a manifestation of  Besut as the Woodcarving District of Terengganu and as a tribute to the famous woodcarvers from Besut such as Che Long bin Yusof, Tengku Ibrahim bin Tengku Wook (Tokoh Seni Negara 1997), Abdul Rahman Long, Wan Mustaffa Wan Yusof (Tokoh Seni Negeri Terengganu 2003) and Norhaiza bin Nordin.

Desa Ukiran Kayu is constructed on the palace grounds of Tengku Long. The palace and the traditional houses  built here are decorated with wonderful woodcarvings. The good teamwork of  professional woodcarvers and carpenters has produced beautifully designed traditional houses  that has adequate lighting and good circulation of air to ensure the comfort for its occupants.

Tenggol Island (Pulau Tenggol)

Pulau Tenggol - divers paradise

Cited  as "The best diving in peninsular Malaysia" by the Asian Diver Magazine 2002 annual edition, Pulau Tenggol lies 14 nautical miles (26km) off  the coast of  Kuala Dungun. This rocky islands is about 50 hectares in size, although small in size, Pulau Tenggol  is one of the most beautiful island in the peninsular Malaysia that offers excellent dive sites.

Pulau Tenggol has been gazetted as part of the Terengganu marine park as such much of the reef remains intact as fishing, spearfishing and harvesting marine life for decorative purpose or as food are strictly prohibited.

 As such, the pristine coral formations and the rich marine life here ranging from turtles, stingrays, whalesharks, sea anemones and  barracudas makes Tenggol island a divers haven. The diversity in the structure of seabed aswell as the strong currents offers divers a great diving experience ranging from deep diving, drift diving  and wreck dive for the more advanced and experienced divers. Watch this video and be amazed by the fascinating and spectacular sight that lies beneath Tenggol Island.

Pulau Tenggol dive sites
Tenggol island dive sites as described by the Tenggol Aqua Resort :
Tokong Talang
• Depth : 90 - 110 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• On Tokong Talang you will find quite strong surface current. If you like drift dives - this is your dive spot. As for the the fish life we find here black stingrays, big schools of jacks, cave dwellers and nudibranchs.
Tokong Burung
• Depth : 80 - 100 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• It is possible to do a drift-dive at 80 feet from Tokong Kamudi to Tokong Burong. The condition is generally calm, with surface and deep water currents. The surface can get choppy after bad weather. Schools of barracudas, jacks, fusiliers, snappers and tunas have been sighted here. This site is also a nudibranch haven. Slope rocky corals will be found at 85 feet. Excellent dive site for the months April to November.
Tokong Kamudi
• Depth : 50 - 100 feet 
• Level : Open Water and above 
• A wall extends down to 100 feet. There is a good covering of soft, encrusting and stony corals, sponges and christmas tree worms. In deeper waters, you will find soft tree corals, sea anemones and nudibranchs. Fish here include angelfish, butterfly fish, surgeon fish, wrasses, snappers etc. Most of the fish sighted are mainly small corals fish but it happened to be a feeding area for sharks too. This appears to be a nudibranch haven. On the south side you can dive into several caves.
The Highway, Pulau Nyireh
• Depth : 70 - 100 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• A favourite site of many repeat divers, it's also known as "The Highway" as schools of pelagic fish are ply along this "highway". Divers may experience strong currents in this area. The terrain is generally rocky with huge boulders forming walls, tunnels and swim throughs. A photographers haven as there are interesting coral formations to be found on the walls of these boulders and there are also a few interesting variety of the smaller creatures too.
Fishbowl, Pulau Nyireh
• Depth : 120 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• You will find at this dive site beautiful corals covering a nice pinnacle. Nudibranchs in different colors and various shapes will be a highlight for divers who enjoy the smaller fish life.
Amazing Graze, Pulau Nyireh
• Depth : 90 - 120 feet 
• Level : This dive site offers a excellent visibility. Divers as well as snorkelers will enjoy the variety of fish life here. At 2 m depth the snorkelers will see baby sharks, where as the divers will find nice coral formations at 15 - 17 m intercepted by sandy areas. Literally "tons" of gubies and blue spotted stingrays have made their home here.
Gua Rajawali, Pulau Tengool
• Depth : 20 - 60 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• The best time in the year to dive here is in March and April. Lots of small colorful fish can be found here cruising between soft corals.
Rajawali Reef, Pulau Tenggol
• Depth : 90 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• This dive site offers a "easy Sunday afternoon dive". With no current at all novices will easily pass their check-out dive. 3 pinnacles, 2 holes to dive in and lots and lots of fish, what more can a diver expect?.
Coral Garden, Pulau Tenggol
• Depth : 20 - 60 feet 
• Level : Open Water and above
• The gradients of the bays are gentle with sandy bottoms, rock outcrops and many coral heads. A favourite spot for coral lovers. At an average dept of 40 feet, the area has soft and hard corals, Christmas tree worms, sponges, sea anemones etc. A one-foot length Christmas tree worm can be found in this site.
Teluk Air Tawar
• Depth : 20 - 90 feet 
• Level : Open Water and above 
• This is a well sheltered bay and the waters is generally calm. Considered the house reef of the resorts which is about 200 meters from shore, its slopes from 10 to 40 feet with sand bottom covers with hard and soft corals. Other marine life includes garden eels, our resident turtle, moray eel, box fist and even lion fish. There are three wrecks located in this bay. Two at 60 feet and the other is at 90 feet. Doing a dawn dive here is like visiting Raffles Place MRT station during the morning peak hours. Jump into our house reef right in front of your chalet and enjoy a close encounter with one of the resident turtles and a chance upon a herd of grazing hump head parrot fish as shallow as a few feet of the bay water. Night dive here are gratifying with exquisite black and white spotted baby barramundi cod and our favorite little resident baby torpedo ray, a mere 15 cm long.
Tanjung Gemok
• Depth : 148 ft. Highest point Bridge Wing at 120 Ft.
• 
  
  
  Level : Open Water and above
  • The Cement Wreck (Name: Unknown)
  • Nationality: Indonesian
  • Type: Cargo (Cement)
  • The ship lies on its starboard with its bow facing NE (Note: UK hydrographic survey states that it is lying on the port side). The wrech is known locally as the "Indonesian Cement Wreck". It is about 235 ft. in length and was built in 1955 by the Japanese. The exact date of its sinking is unknown. But it was suspected before 1965 (most likely between 1963 and 1965). The Malaysian flag taken from the wreck showed 14 strips. It was the flag used when Singapore was still part of the Federation.
• Article from The Decom Stop by Paul Tan .
Tanjung Sarong Lang, Pulau Tenggol
• Depth : 90 - 125 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• This dive site consists actually of two dive spots. The "wall" and the "edge" or "rock". Both places can be dived in one go. In the morning you will find sharks feeding here. On the rest of the day you will see barracudas, yellow tale fish and schools of fish.
Ratu Chachang, Pulau Tenggol
• Depth : 60 - 100 feet 
• Level : Open Water and above 
• A high concentration of fish life - jacks, trevilies, fusiliers, barracudas, tunas, hump heads and eagle rays. The bottom of this area houses an interesting collection of rock outcrops covered with soft and hard corals, sea anemonies and sponges. 

How to get there :

Ferry services have to be arranged from Kuala Dungun as Pulau Tenggol is not serviced by public or regular transport. Tenggol Aqua Resort provides ferry services between the island and Kuala Dungun.

The nearest airport are the Kerteh (30mins. From Kuala Dungun), Kuala Terengganu (1hr) and Kuantan (2hr 30mins). Visitors can fly in and hire a taxi to Kuala Dungun.

Air-conditioned coaches from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu also stop at Kuala Dungun. Or you can drive to Kuala Dungun, park at the office of Tenggol Aqua Resort, and take the resort ferry to Pulau Tenggol. From Kuala Lumpur, it is a leisurely and scenic 7hr 30mins drive to Kuala Dungun.

Tune in to more exciting  travel facts about Terengganu on the next issue of  Terengganu Travel Guide

Batu Bersurat Terengganu

Batu Bersurat Terengganu or the Inscribed Stone of Terengganu is an important historical artifact of Terengganu that proves Islam has reached Terengganu earlier than 1326 or 1386. Wrtitten in Jawi, Batu Bersurat Terengganu was found by an arab trader by the name of  Sayid Husin bin Ghulam al Bukhari in 1899 by the banks of the Tersat river after a flash flood hit Kuala Berang.

It was then transported back to Kuala Terengaanu on a raft where it was presented to the Sultan Zainal Abidin 111, the ruler of Terengganu at that time. As nobody at that time knew how to read Jawi, Mr. H.S. Peterson, an englishman who was working in Terengganu took photographs of it and sent them for transcription.

The message on the Batu bersurat mentioned how islam was the religion of the country at that time. It also spoke of the various  commandments and  punishments of the country at that particular time. The inscriptions was believed to be written on friday in the month of rejab, 702 hijrah or 22 February 1303. This therefore proves that Islam has reached Terengganu before the 14th century long before Melaka was founded.

Replica of the Batu bersurat at the roundabout in Kuala Terengganu

Today the Batu bersurat is one of the important historical artifact displayed at  the Terengganu State Museum. A replica of the Batu Bersurat can also be seen near the roundabout in Kuala Terengganu.