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| Sabak Beach. |
I'm at my aunt's place in Kelantan at the moment.
Yes, Kelantan. I've only been to this state once before in my life, all the way back in Form 4 for a school competition hosted by SM Sains Machang. Other than the school, the only other place I went while I was there was a night market at Wakaf Che Yeh, which at the time was a labyrinth of stalls and a haven for cheap knock-off football shirts.
This time around I'm in Kota Bharu, the capital of Kelantan. I flew here yesterday afternoon; an old friend from Rembau who happens to be studying at a university about 10 minutes away from the airport picked me up and then took me for lunch followed by a little tour of the town.
First things first: I seriously underestimated how developed the place would be (and yes, I realize how offensive that might be to some people). While Kota Bharu is, of course, not exactly KL, the town center reminds me a little of Kuantan. Not exactly metropolitan, but not too rustic either.
The reason I'm in Kelantan, by the way, is because I'll be going to Perhentian Island with my housemates (and their friend) later this week. I've never been there, or any Malaysian island for that matter barring Langkawi (Penang doesn't count), so it should, by default, be a memorable trip.
So why didn't I wait until after getting back from the island to write about this little vacation? I'm not too sure, to be honest. Maybe I just feel like writing. Or maybe I just subconsciously know that I'm not going to have much to write about Perhentian. That's not a slight on the island, but instead more an indicator of where my interests lie.
I've spent a day and a half here in Kota Bharu now. My aunt has been staying here for a few years, and her husband is a native, so I've been getting a lot of insight into (a) their life here specifically and (b) life in Kelantan in general. That's the kind of stuff that really gets my attention, not so much the tourist attractions. I mean, I like seeing things that I don't normally see, but that doesn't necessarily mean some kind of natural or man-made structure. It could also be the culture; how the people in the place live their lives.
My life growing up was rather sheltered, I'll admit. I was born into a middle-class family with two well-educated parents and was raised in a neighborhood that the first search result on Google describes as "an affluent and elite residential estate nestled on the hillside of Ampang". When you grow up in that kind of setting, surrounded with friends from similar backgrounds, you sometimes forget that there are plenty of people out there who don't live the same way you do, who go about their daily lives in ways you can't even imagine.
I like learning about how people live. It tells the story behind a person; why they are the way they are. See that guy who never stays back late at work? He's got a sick child at home. See that girl who doesn't talk to anyone outside of class? She has to work two part-time jobs to pay off her family's debts. Understanding a person's story is how you understand a person.
Kelantan is known for being a really rural, traditional place (which is backed up by the statistics: this is the least urbanized state in Malaysia), and coming here, I can sort of see why. These people have a simple, relaxed way of life, and why would they trade that all in the name of 'progress' and being 'modern'? They're happy with how they live, which isn't something a lot of us city folk can say.
That's not to say I'd want to live here, or at least not right now anyway. Maybe someday in the future, after I've done everything I've ever wanted to do, maybe I'll move to the countryside and spend the rest of my days gardening. I'll be one of those old men who slowly drive their motorcycles down the middle of the road and take pleasure in how annoyed all the impatient young whippersnappers driving their cars behind me get when they can't overtake. Maybe someday, but not right now. I'm still an impatient young whippersnapper.
