Seaside town with rustic charm

Although its name makes it sound like just another quaint little seaside village like any other in Terengganu, it does possess all the trappings of a small town, and then some.

After all, not many villages can claim to be within walking distance to Terengganu's main airport and two universities.

One of the reasons that compelled me to move to a housing estate here three years ago was its proximity to the airport.

The Sultan Mahmud International Airport is so near, you can hear the plane that you will be boarding coming into the airport, and that serves as a reminder to better get to the airport already before it leaves with one passenger short.

The main road is not the preferred way to get to the airport for those who live here, as there is a much shorter picturesque seaside road linking Tok Jembal to it.

If you're still wondering, the village is indeed blessed with a long, casuarina-lined beach, complete with a thriving fishing community.

However, the beach has deteriorated badly due to coastal erosion brought on by the huge waves of the monsoon season.

One of the more popular seaside picnic areas bore the full brunt of the destructive waves in 2011, dragging four gazebos and countless casuarinas out to sea.

Fortunately, the state government acted fast to stem the erosion by building a wall of granite boulders before the waves claimed the two remaining gazebos as well.

However, more will have to be done as the coastal erosion has moved further north and is now threatening the beach at the rear of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, one of the two state universities situated just outside Tok Jembal.

The rest is here:
Seaside town with rustic charm