Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Kelantan is one of the states in Malaysia. It is in the north-east of Malaysia and bordering Thailand's southern states.
The capital is Kota Bharu. Progress and development are very slow as the state government is not rich. I always have the feeling of going back in time like when I was a boy and living in a place with old buildings, narrow streets and many villages.
My family made a trip to Kota Bharu, Kelantan on April1, 2010 for the Chinese all souls' day. We drove more than 5 hours from Penang. In order to save costs, we and my brothers in law decided not to stay in the hotel. One of my brothers in law who lives in Kota Bharu, just bought a 3storey shop house on the main street and asked us to stay on the upper floors. Due to miscommunication, we do not get to sleep in air-condition rooms as we expected.
Everyone has to sleep in the open hall and on the floor because there is only one air-conditioner. What an experience in community living.
When in Kota Bharu, Kelantan one must visit the market. The market and the building are very old. Now a new wing has been added. The unique feature is the stall operators/sellers are mainly women, and there are great variety of food, cooked and fresh and local delicacies.
Every Friday the main street will take on a festive mood. Tents are set up along the street. A few hours in the morning there will be religious talk & prayers for the muslims and the street will be pack with people. There are many stalls selling all sorts of food, drinks, etc.
Over development of a place is no good. However, underdevelopment can affect the financial status of majority of the people. Furthermore, without much job prospect, the qualified people will go to other states to look for work. This is the situation here.
