Thrilling Terengganu

SETIU WETLAND, WEAVE EASY

All seven coaches start from TH Hotel and travel in a convoy, with police escorts no less, to Setiu Wetland. The 75-minute drive along coastal road is dotted with scenic views of colourful fishing boats anchored on the countrys longest beach by the South China Sea. It reminds us why fishing is an age-old tradition in Terengganu.

Setiu is also famous for its enchanting beaches, traditional fishing villages and nature, especially its wetland areas where we are heading. Here, aside from learning about the importance of mangroves, we plant more mangrove trees.

Meantime, in the shade of a make-shift tent not far from the mangroves, old women are giving a demonstration on mat weaving. Seated on the floor with their legs tucked sideways as kampung folk do, and armed with nipah, rattan and bamboo, they showed us how this was done. Most have over 10 years experience in weaving and are often commissioned to weave mats and baskets for chalets, restaurants, resorts and individual homes in Terengganu.

Besides weaving fruit baskets and floor mats, the women also show how to weave attap leaves, often used as roofing material for gazebos and beach huts.

As some members of the media struggle at their first try, these women make it look like a piece of cake.

STOP, IM TICKLISH!

It takes about an hour to get to Gawi jetty from Kuala Terengganu. From there, we board several boats to a few attractions on Lake Kenyir, the biggest man-made lake in Southeast Asia.

Our first stop is Orchid Garden. Located on Hulu Selimbar Island, 20 minutes from the jetty, here you can find various wild orchid species and exotic hybrids of local and international species blooming in an array of colours.

We then board our boat and head for the tropical garden on Tekak Besar Island, an eco-tourism, research and development centre for diverse types of fruits tropical, wild, exotic and indigenous fruits which are close to extinction.

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Thrilling Terengganu