Kelantan, Kota Bharu Malaysia 马来西亚吉兰丹哥打巴鲁 9/2020 (3)

14-15/9/2020. The outbreak of Covid cases stopped me from going farther north to the next state, Kedah. So, I instead went eastward to Kota Bharu, the capital of the Kelantan state. I literally drove into a thick tropical forest, slicing through the mountain ranges. The roads were decent, though patchy at times. No commercial plantations, just virgin forest of many varieties. No sizeable cluster of residences, only isolated houses and a generous adornment of coconut and banana trees. My Wi-Fi and FM radio went dead on me for the most part. It took me seven hours. I was in my world, my nose pointing at the road ahead, totally surrounded by thick vegetation. I felt secluded but wild and alive. If you come this way, bring a car with a bit of oomph to negotiate the inclines and declines, to enjoy the thrill of charging up the hills and the exhilaration of swooping down the slopes.

I grew up in the neighboring state but have never been here in Kelantan. That tells you how small my world was. I checked into the hotel in the evening, then parted the curtains and looked out of the windows. Lo! I saw a land flowing with milk tea! This was the second time I saw a river totally orange-yellow. I was told by the locals it was likely a bonus from overlogging upstream.

Right away, I noticed the signboards here are first in Jawi, the old Malay script quite similar to Arabic; second and smaller, in the national language Malay; and last, English. The people of this state are by far Malays. The state is ruled by an Islamic party. There are some Chinese presence, but not as prominent as in many other towns. Kota Bharu, the capital, is surprisingly quite large, though relatively less developed than some cities in other states. You might have heard of the recent news of a sultan marrying a Russian beauty queen. Unfortunately, that fairy-tale quickly did not work out. The sultan is from this state. Now Kelantan should not sound too unfamiliar.

14-15/9/2020 接下来本来计划到吉打州， 但疫情高发无法北上， 只能往东走，到吉兰丹州首府哥打巴鲁。往东这路程花了七小时，我驾车像一刀切越过山脉，直奔雨林腹地，没种植园，都是原始热带密林，很少人烟，一路种类繁多草木，我挺享受这绿带。很原始，无线也变得无讯，收音机也收声了。又爬坡又下坡，四个轮一起工作的车最好，两只轮工作两只轮偷懒的在这山路可能会给其他车辆嘲笑。

说来奇怪，我就在这州隔壁长大，却从没来过。入住酒店后，把窗帘拨开，哇，怎么搞的， 堂堂大河，奶茶成河！跟江沙所见一样， 听当地人说，以前并非如此，已经几十年了，是上游砍伐造成。现今没必要烧柴烧饭取暖，留着青山干嘛，是吗？那这里打鱼的不是要浑水摸鱼吗？这里买鱼岂不是要吃沙鱼了？

这是一个非常马来的地方，执政党是回教党，这里各招牌路标先列古马来文，近似阿拉伯文笔，其次是马来国语，第三才是英语，跟马来西亚他州大不一样。 这里百姓多数是马来人，很多商店都是马来人经营，但也有华人早在这里立足，市内也看到不少汉字招牌，甚至有个强眼的“郑和坊”，不知是什么概念，听说郑和来自穆斯林家庭。哥打巴鲁这城市意外是有点规模，虽然相对稍落后。你可能听过近期新闻，一个苏丹最近娶了一位俄罗斯选美皇后，江山美人兼得。但好景不长，不幸短时间就离婚；那苏丹就是吉兰丹苏丹。好了，该对吉兰丹不陌生了。

16/9/2020. After Kota Bharu, I continued southward along the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. Kelantanese are so spoilt for beaches. I stopped at three of them: Cahaya Bulan, Irama, and Bisikan Bayu Beaches. There were no tall hotels or apartments, only coquettish coconut trees lining the roads, with the Malays villages that nestled in them. The drive was slow and easy on the two-way, sea-level roads, the salty sea breeze refreshing and invigorating. The city planners should have laid cycling tracks along the hundreds of kilometers of the uninterrupted coastline. Biking would have been such a fantastic way to enjoy the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia.

The sea was calm, the breeze gentle, and the sun heated up, urging everyone to go for a dip. I sat down under the coconut trees, ordered a young coconut, put on my sunglasses, and let nature’s juice refresh me. I then scooped out the flesh and savored every bit of the purest form of jelly one could ever have. This is the South China Sea. I hope I do not live to see submarines emerging on the horizon, and aircraft carriers stirring up the calm sea.

16/9/2020 今天离开哥打巴鲁，沿马来半岛东海岸南下。吉兰丹海岸线多的是海滩，我情不自禁逼近几个， 包括Cahaya Bulan, Irama and the Bisikan Bayu海滩。一路椰树亭亭玉立，阿娜多姿，赏心悦目。这里没高层酒店也没公寓楼，只有马来小村落，简朴的生活迹象，一切都接近原始。我欣然慢速前行，随性在海滩下车; 海使心胸豁然，海风和柔沙抚慰我一世的疲劳。

在椰树下，我坐下来，带上墨镜，像个少爷，点了粒嫩椰，一口一口清凉的椰水往已上火的大脑灌输，海风把汗水吹凉，在众多马来目光下，我感觉特酷。

这是南中国海，比太平洋还要平静，但近来这海域争议不断，如有一天潜水艇，航空母舰和渔船打成一片，中美风波，就美中不足了。