No this post isn’t about a Korea Town.
This post is about the three biggest cities on peninsula Malaysia’s east coast, strung out along the coastline like beads on a string. Every visitor to the east coast will use these cities as bases to refuel and stay as they explore Malaysia’s rainforest gems, tropical islands and quirky mining towns.
From south to north, there are three K towns – Kuantan (in Pahang), Kuala Terengganu (in Terengganu) and Kota Bharu (in Kelantan). Like most big towns in Malaysia, they have a mainly Chinese urban core, with a much higher proportion of Malays in the surrounding rural areas.
But each city is unique. This post, three years in the making, covers some things I remember from these beautiful places during my trips in 2014-2016.
Kuantan
Back in the 1960s, one of my granduncles stayed in Kuantan. His black-and-white photos show coastlines empty of everything but coconut trees, the pale South China Sea beyond.
But truth is, I can’t remember much about Kuantan. I visited Kuantan in 2014 for two short days. SJ and I were coming from hiking at the old mining town of Sungai Lembing and were quite exhausted.
Still, I remember the beaches. Pahang’s long coastline has probably the best beaches in Malaysia (after Terengganu). Even though I dislike swimming in the sea, we spent an entire afternoon at Telok Chempedak, the public beach south of the city. We clambered on the rocks and watched waves bully the sand. Up until now, I feel it’s the best public beach I’ve been to.
Teluk Chempedak beach, Kuantan
Our 2014 visit to Kuantan coincided with a warm spell and a swarm of moths. So sadly we spent quite some time at the nearby Parksons enjoying the cool air-conditioning.
Our final night in Kuantan was also football night. The Malaysian FA Cup brought another state team into town, and the empty lot outside the Daril Makmur stadium was a huge flowing pasar malam (night market). It’s the best place to get your ice-cream, teh ais or pancake fix. SJ and I got the local dessert, pisang diraja (a sweet from the Pahang royal town of Pekan) there.
A vendor sells pisang diraja, a local sweet, at Kuantan’s stadium pasar malam.
Of all the cities on the east coast, Kuantan was the most public transport-friendly. We relied solely on their city bus service (Rapid Kuantan) to get almost everywhere under 5RM.
Back in 2014, there wasn’t so much budget accomodation. So SJ and I stayed at really friendly Kuantan Backpackers. I rarely write about my accomodation because they’re just hostels or guesthouses, but this was the first time I stayed in a dorm and the good experience and friends I met there have influenced my choices long after.
Choon, one of the guys I met, crashed out at Kuantan Backpackers after a long talk at night about life
Currently, Kuantan has a pollution problem because of unregulated bauxite mining near the coast.
Kota Bharu
The state capital of Kelantan, perched on the banks of Sungei Kelantan, has a reputation as an austere hometown for PAS, Malaysia’s main Islamic political party. We found it a quiet, warm town.
Kota Bharu’s quiet, lush riverfront
Kota Bharu is smaller than Kuantan, but very spread out. Its suburbs blend into the nearby towns. Public transport links are not as good either, and we had a lot of unintentional humour poking our heads into buses at the Stensen Bas in the middle of town asking the drivers which bus went where and at what time.
The picturesque Pasar Siti Khadijah, Kota Bharu’s main wet market. Here I learnt I can’t bargain against them to save my life.
The centre of Kota Bharu is its Istana Maziah, the Sultan’s palace by the waterfront. There are several museums there as well.
The other big focal point is the Pasar Siti Khadijah. The market is traditional in all sense of the word, and pretty with its colours. Just be careful what you step on.
The beaches near Kota Bharu are not as impressive as those in Pahang or Terengganu. But they have a history behind them: Pantai Cahaya Bulan (Bright Moon Beach) just north of Bachok was the Japanese landed during their WW2 invasion of the Malayan Peninsula. Just south of there is Pantai Irama Bachok, the nearest beach to Kota Bharu, sandy and quiet.
Pantai Irama Bachok (Beach of the Whispering Breeze), 20km northeast of Kota Bharu.
Kuala Terengganu (KT)
KT is unique in many ways. It has six islands in its city centre. It hosts the largest museum complex in the country. And it has a thriving Peranakan (Straits Chinese and Malay) community that’s an attraction in itself.
People normally stopover in KT because they’re heading to islands like Pulau Redang or Pulau Perhentian. So they don’t explore the city much. Even if they do, most of the attention is lavished on Jalan Kampong Cina, the one-lane street that hosts KT’s Chinatown.
Jalan Kampung Cina (Chinatown) in KT & its jammed single lane road.
This is not to say KT’s Chinatown doesn’t deserve any love. It contains the living, breathing heritage of East Coast Peranakan culture, the only one of its kind in Malaysia. Much of the food, dress, history and architecture in Chinatown can’t be found anywhere else in the country.
Outside of the main city centre, KT’s other landmarks are scattered testaments to the city’s Islamic heritage. The beautiful Masjid Tengku Tengah Zaharah (or the Floating Mosque) is in the southern suburbs near the esquesterian club and the empty beaches of Kuala Ibai. The iconic Masjid Crystal (Crystal Mosque) is at KT’s northwest, and is worth a visit at night for its lighted facade.
Masjid Tengku Tengah Zaharah aka the Floating Mosque, at Kuala Ibai.
Situated in the centre of the city, Pulau Duyong (Mermaid Island) and five other islets were once a bastion of Terengganu’s tradition boat-building industry. Now much of the land is devoted to an out-of-bounds yahct club and industrial builders. But I strolled through the village near the bridge and could still see some really nice traditional houses.
Too many sweets already: a makcik sells kueh at Pasar Payang market in KT
All that sand & no one to share it with: the lonely beaches of Kuala Ibai, 10km south of KT
The only problem with KT is its terrible public transport system. In three days, the bus didn’t show up twice. Taxis rarely leave the city centre and need to be called. For a city so spread out, I walked more than 20 km daily exploring the city.
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I hope this post serves as a brief guide to the three ‘K towns’ on the east coast. Too often they get passed over in favour of the islands and beaches.
If this post is useful or you have any questions on directions, just leave a comment!