Terengganu - If you think a Malay-style holiday unappealing, you`ve not stayed at the Tanjong Jara Resort where PUTRI ZANINA has a totally Malay experience.
I AM Malay, so why am I drawn to a totally Malay kind of holiday? The truth is, I`ve lost touch with my roots, having lived and worked in Kuala Lumpur for more than half of my life.
Balik kampung means driving up north for two hours to yet another city, Ipoh. My parents` house is also not the picturesque Malay wooden house on stilts under coconut palms. It`s a bricks and cement structure by the main road leading to the airport.
That`s why I find the thought of spending a few days at Tanjong Jara Resort, a place that invites one to experience the rich tapestry of Malay culture and heritage, so appealing.
Located near Dungun, Terengganu, the resort is a big village with wooden cottages, shady trees and well tended gardens.
There`s even a small river running close to the shoreline. The neighbourhood comprises typical Malay villages along the golden beachfront. On clear days, the blue sky is reflected in the turquoise-blue sea. The last time I saw a sea so blue was in North Island, New Zealand. Knowing that such a sea is here gives me pure joy.
Regal Façade, Sincere Smiles
As we drive into the porch, capped with an imposingly high pointed roof, I realise that the resort does not imitate old traditional Malay houses. With wooden boards engraved with intricate, traditional Malay floral motifs, it looks truly regal.
I learn later that the building – its materials, colours and detailing – is inspired by Malay palaces of the 17th Century. From the roof eaves to window panels and wall decorations, everything is crafted with beautiful patterns. For its perfect detailed representation of traditional Malay architecture of the period, the resort won the highly acclaimed Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the world`s highest accolade for this field.
But what wins my heart isn`t its majestic design; rather it`s the “royal” treatment and genuine smile of Pak Kesah, the doorman. As soon as he sees us arriving, he hits a gong to “announce” our arrival like the proclamation done for royalty in the old days. Instead of saying “selamat datang” or “welcome”, he surprises us with a warm “masuklah, jalan jauh, tentulah penat” (come in, you`ve travelled far, surely you`re tired).
Malays always say “masuklah” to welcome guests to their home and the way Pak Kesah, whose full name is Aksah Mohd, does it immediately makes us feel very much at ease.
Dressed in baju Melayu with sampin (sarong wrap) and songkok (traditional headgear), he is the essence of the very “Malay-ness” of the place.
With his simple kampung accent, Pak Kesah, 68, is like an icon for the resort. He and his gong have been featured on local and international TV networks, including CNN and BBC. “I bring guests (many of whom have become his friends) back to my house to taste Terengganu food like nasi dagang and keropok lekor. They`re happy to visit me at home,” he says with a smile that belies his difficult past as a fisherman and odd job worker.
Though he would rather stay home and rest, Pak Kesah, who has nine children and 13 grandchildren, obliges his employers who let him work the fixed hours of 9am to 5pm rather than shift duty. That`s the perk for having served the resort for 28 years, from when it was first owned by the Tourist Development Corporation. In the late 1990s, it was taken over by YTL Hotels & Properties.
“I like meeting people from all over the world,” he says, leaning forward to adjust his songkok. “Senyum sokmo” (Terengganu dialect for “smile always”) – that`s his motto. “Orang lain pun senyum, tapi senyum tak menjadi (other people also smile, but their smiles don`t quite come across),” he says with a laugh. How true, for though most hospitality staff are friendly and courteous, they remain detached with just the right dose of professional courtesy.
Awakening Six Senses
Another personality at the resort, Captain Mok (short for Mokhtar Mohamad), is a tower of knowledge, not only of Malay tradition but of Nature as well.
The ex-Army man is now the resort naturalist. Many guests call him bomoh (Malay healer) for he helps them by giving natural remedies.
“You can treat diarrhoea by drinking warm water with curry leaves and papaya leaves. Just break the leaves with your fingers, mix them in the water and drink it. You can even eat the leaves,” he says, rolling a tobacco leaf and lighting it. Taking a puff from the rokok gulung, he talks about the resort`s Malay concept. “It was already in place when I came in about six years ago. Datuk Mark Yeoh (YTL Hotels & Resorts executive director) introduced the Unmistakably Malay concept. It was more about the architecture. I introduced the cultural elements. I believe guests who stay here would like to see local culture.”
In fact, they get to do more than that. All their six senses will get tuned up here. “Sight, taste, smell, sound, touch and mind – we cover everything,” he adds.
Discovering The Locale
Yes, it`s a total immersion of the senses. A bicycle tour from the resort, for example, will take you through coastal villages where fishermen are mending their nets and the womenfolk drying fish in the sun.
The cruise along Sungai Marang, lined with mangrove and nipah trees, will unveil the life of farmers by the river while a traditional handicraft tour will show you how the locals make batik, songket, keris, brassware, mengkuang items and even boats. A visit to the Dungun Thursday night market will astound you as there are hundreds of stalls.
“These tours reveal the lifestyles of the people — fishermen, farmers and entrepreneurs. On all these tours, you get to see, touch and taste. We can stop at a coffee shop and join locals enjoying their favourite brew and read the newspapers or taste local fruit. We can even follow cows, chickens and goats that move about freely in the villages,” says Mok.
Just 45 minutes away by boat is one of Asia`s best snorkelling and dive sites, Pulau Tenggol. Landlubbers however, may prefer to follow Mok up the hill behind the resort where monkeys swing on treetops. The walk begins from the herbal garden where Mok will talk about the traditional uses of the various herbs and ends with a hike up the Jara Hill for a panoramic view of the sea and beyond.
Culture Comes Alive
Every Saturday evening, the resort beachfront bursts to life with “Kampung Life” activities. Mok assumes the role of a penghulu (headman) leading traditionally-clad staff members and villagers from a nearby kampung to dance, play, cook, serve and mingle with guests.
Under coconut trees are stalls serving keropok lekor and cucur udang, apam balik, lemang with serunding, kuih akok and otak-otak. Satay is a hot favourite.
Then have a sip of hot teh-O or kopi-O (black tea or coffee) served directly from large kettles or a cold roselle, the resort`s signature drink made from a species of hibiscus that`s rich in vitamin C and minerals. “Terengganu has a roselle farm, so I thought we should make it the specialty drink here,” says Mok.
Mok points to a tall coconut tree where, perched precariously at the top, three-year-old Mamat the monkey is plucking young coconuts and throwing them down according to instructions from his master, Ismail Daud from Kampung Seberang Pintasan. One can ask Ismail for a drink of coconut water, so I grab the chance to reap the sweet reward of Mamat`s labour.
I wander around and watch locals performing silat, dancing to the beats of gong, nafiri and gendang, doing the bamboo dance, playing sepak raga and congkak and watching a man make wau.
And it`s all free! There is no charge for guests taking part in activities at the culture village. For a five-star resort, this is a plus point and just what I love about it. It`s not all about money – it`s about giving the experience.
As Mok says: “This is our kampung. This is our life here. Come and be part of us.”
Total Wellness
Next, we go on a different journey... to find inner peace through the resort`s Sucimurni concept. It starts with sight, when our eyes take in ponds filled with lotus flowers in courtyard.
Our sense of smell is aroused by the sweet scent of flowers and hearing when we listen to the lapping waves. The clean surrounding is a pleasure to touch and our taste is heightened with the freshest juices and food.
At a terrace by the pool fronting the sea, the slim and agile Mok shows us the Indera Deria exercise, practised by Malays, especially fishermen, farmers and warriors in the past.
In that cold, crisp morning, I perform, for the first time, postures from the silat gayung, silat sending and silat batin. “Every motion has a purpose – to strengthen the stamina, energy and mind,” says Mok, as he picks an imaginary crystal ball.
“Imagine, the ball is fragile. You`ve to handle it gently yet firmly and you`ve to focus your mind on it, so as not to drop it as you move. You bring it down and up and your eyes follow it. At the end of it, you break it to signify that you are confident of yourself. It`s one of the silat moves designed for on-target strikes,” he explains.
Old Malay villagers do this after the early morning prayers, starting by rubbing the palms together to warm them and then putting them over the eyes. Then move the palms above the ears, followed by the back of the head and the top of it. Stretching postures followed to loosen muscles in the hands, waist and back. They will also do breathing exercise and balancing postures and when these are done, they are ready for the day. He says all these are included in the Indera Deria exercise.
It is also designed to make one in tune with nature. A series of seven exercises for each day of the week lets you reach the centre of your energy, called chakra. Mok adopts the postures of seven animals for the daily 10-minute exercise. He mimics the postures of a crane to get rid of toxins (Mondays), a tortoise to work out the head and neck (Tuesdays), a mousedeer to work out internal organs in the stomach and posterior (Wednesdays), a cat to attain calmness and sharpness of the mind (Thursdays), a bear to strengthen the body (Fridays), an eagle to have sharp eyes (Saturdays) and a dragon to develop agility of the brain and refined movements (Sundays).
It includes a laughing exercise daily. “People don`t laugh enough. During the laughing session, you can laugh as much as you want. It loosens the muscles and is a great start to a new day,” he enthuses.
All this while, I thought that yoga was THE thing for me but Tanjong Jara has opened the windows to the practices of my forefathers.
Have I learned anything new about my heritage or revived memories of old forgotten ones? Definitely, but better than that, with each breath I let out, there goes every stressful thought: Traffic jams, plane roars... and unpaid bills!
Here, I am awashed with bliss and sleeping in contentment.
Where To Stay
The cottages and rooms are all intricately designed using Belian wood, timber and teak. Synonymous with the YTL brand, furnishing and personal care products are luxurious. The décor is mostly Malay, with generous use of local materials like mengkuang and carved wood. All rooms face the sea and landscaped gardens.
You have a choice of Anjung (single storey beach room), Serambi (ground floor room), Bumbung (first floor room) and the exclusive Anjung Suite (cottage on stilts over river near the beach).
Source: www.nst.com.my (26 September 2007)
