East Coast Ride (19-31 March 2018), Day 5 : Chukai to Kuala Dungun

Kuala Dungun

Riverine Garden Hotel

Breakfast at Kedai Kopi Tin Kam Leng, next to the bus station

Kemasik Beach

Comparing wrinkles!

 D'Nur Selera, lunch

Leaving Chukai

Aftermath of the storm, enroute to lunch stop

Playing Bollywood actresses at Kuala Dungun

When you are in Kemaman, eat like the locals do. Craving for Kemaman’s authentic fish noodle, we made a beeline to the most unassuming coffee shop in Chukai this morning. Housed in what was once a rich Chinese man’s bungalow from the heydays; the now, dilapidated building is totally obscured from the main road. 
 

The coveted noodle, drowned in clear fish stock is served with steamed kembung fish. A nice onion chili sambal is given on the sides to add flavour to an otherwise bland taste. Hence, the winning formula here weighs heavily on the freshness of the fish which can be easily procured in this fishing town.

Riding out of Chukai, we followed Route 3 which led us through Teluk Kalong Industrial Park. Worried we may face heavy traffic in an industrial estate, the roads were almost deserted. It finally hit us that today was Friday, a blessed day for Muslims and a holiday as such in the Islamic state of Terengganu.

As we cut through the industrial park, somewhere in close proximity was Perwaja Steel Sdn Bhd, the now defunct steel production company. Incorporated in 1982 to produce steel for domestic needs, it went through many stages of restructuring before ceasing operations in October 2013 with an estimated debt of RM10 billion.

Sadly, Perwaja made it to Wikipedia’s list of scams and scandals in Malaysia. As receivership was announced as recently as March 2018, it is a clear example of how a government’s blue eyed project can fail despite lavish fundings and protection from competing imports, if it is poorly executed. Most mind boggling though is the fact that no culprits has been brought to justice until today even though reports have confirmed large amounts of money has been siphoned out of Perwaja!

After the industrial park, a little leg work was required to get us over the mountain range. Cruising down a slope, we passed the gates to TATI University College, a private university with overseas ties. Established in 1993 as an institute offering diplomas, it rebranded itself as a University College offering degree programs in a tie up with UTM.

Closing in on Strawberry Kijal Resort, the beautifully paved roads amidst lush pine forests caught our breath. Sadly, this multi block apartment hotel with its own private beach and lagoon is another white elephant! Once operated by Berjaya, the Terengganu state took over the property for RM27 million in 2010. Planning to convert it to a heart institute, this ambitious idea did not take off, rendering the whole place a ghost town!  

Emerging out of the dense forest, we arrived at Kijal. An averagely populated town, we cruised past homes with malay influences. Large enough to call for a post office and police station, it was lacking in shops and commercial centers.

Google saved us a few hundred meters of legwork, bypassing Route 3 on our left!

Right after Laguna Kijal Homestay

At the edge of the town, we came upon Resorts World Kijal, formerly known as Awana Kijal Golf, Beach and Spa. It’s large complex by the beach, connected to the trunk road via a long driveway was all dazzling as grandeur should be.

Beyond Resorts World Kijal, the roads were wide with ongoing roadworks. Deciding on a break, we turned into Kemasik beach.

At 10 am, the beachfront cafes were just starting their operations but a few families can be spotted wading in shallow waters. The waves though were rough, made worse by the many rock formations along the coast. Some rocks, large enough to sustain vegetations even comes with flag poles, flying relevant party flags for GE14.

Kemasik beach looked promising with alfresco dining by the beach while a food court next to the main road offers no nonsense quick meals to those who has a schedule to meet! Ample parking, clean toilets and spacious shower rooms, all recipes for success were thoughtfully provided!

After Kemasik, we soon rolled into Kerteh. Fondly regarded as Petronas town, this base operations for the oil conglomerate sees acres after acres of staff housing along the road! All in uniformity with perfect lawns, it reminded Claudine of Stepford, the fictional town from the 1972 movie!

Soon to follow were the ghastly steel structures of oil refineries. While the roads were spotless, no street vendors were visible throughout this stretch.

If the oil giants were able to ward off hawkers from the trunk road, they were unable to control the natural elements that were to strike Kerteh soon. Dark clouds were blowing in fast as we were approaching Terengganu Crude Oil Terminal. Spinning hard and on the look out for shelter, we were in for a wet time as all we saw were heavily guarded crude industries with sentry post at every gates!

We knew our only escape was to get out of this high security area. Pumping the pedals hard, we managed to get to the brink of the crude industries as the first pelts of rain fell from the sky.

Right after the traffic lights and just opposite TNB’s power station we found our shelter just as the rain caught up with us. A malay gerai, it was closed and all boarded up on a Friday. Taking refuge from the rain on the tiny space where the roof extends beyond the grilled fences, we got wet every time the wind decided to blow!

Meanwhile, VT and Mr Lim were luckier! They found a waiting area for visitors, waiting to clear security. Snug and warm, they shared their location with the 3 wet folks!

Thankfully, the rain stopped as quickly as it came. Just as quickly, we were reunited with VT and Mr Lim who were slightly less than 2 km away.

On the move again, we started hunting for lunch and soon found ourselves at D’Nur Selera, near Paka town. While their buffet spread were extensive, most of the dishes were snapped up by hungry factory workers from as early as half past noon. The food was delicious, made more so by their sambal belacan!

After lunch, we cut through Paka town and circled the foothills of Bukit Bauk. The road builders had respectfully circumvented the granite hills, leaving the forest undisturbed. Instead, it was converted into an eco park for nature lovers! Unknown to outsiders, Bukit Bauk harbours many horror stories ranging from headless ghosts to invisible beings!!!

At the foothills of Bukit Bauk, there are 2 large institutions. Sekolah Menengah Teknik Dungun, becomes the feeder school to Politeknik Sultan Mizan which stood side by side. Both equipped with large fields and boards, we saw many young teens on their way back from Friday prayers.

Cruising downhill after Bukit Bauk, we decided to stop for drinks before hitting town. Taking a break at Batu 6’s Chinese coffee shop, we noted our corner eatery is actually a house converted into a restaurant!

We arrived at Hotel Saujana at the hottest time of the day. Housed in a three story shop lot right opposite the hospital, we wisely requested for rooms facing the back lanes. However, between Jenny and Claudine, they checked out several rooms before settling down on the best amongst the worst!

Despite a large room, VT and Claudine noted their room curtains were falling off their hooks, the room chair was stripped off the upholstery and the toilet could not flush initially. Next, they discovered the bathroom comes with a pooling effect which allowed water to seep out to the room.

Putting up with all the defects, Claudine and VT had taken a rest after all the washing was done only to be disturbed by a continuous noise coming from the bathroom. Dismissing it as water filling into tanks, they quietly noted something more hair raising.....a random knocking on their room door!!!

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That evening, we walked the beach and dined on street food. Overcrowded with tourists, the food served at the beach promenade were disappointingly edible only.

Returning to our rooms, the noise in Claudine and VT’s room continued to persist till morning. Even though they had doubled checked if the knocking was caused by a draft, all the exterior windows were shut tight!!!!


Photo Credits :
1. KC
2. Mr Lim

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Hotel Saujana, Kuala Dungun