Besut

One of the many fishing boats housed in Kuala Besut.

 A beautiful view of the sea.

Besut was my town and community for the duration of my Fulbright stint. Besut is located on the border of the Malaysian states of Terengganu and Kelantan. Moreover, it is about an hour and fifteen minute drive to the southern border of Thailand. Besut is influenced by the Kelantanese, and many people who live in Besut are originally from Kelantan. Terengganu and Kelantan are known as the most conservative states of Malaysia. Besut is known as the most conversative area of Terengganu. Living in Besut was interesting, because I did not only learn about Terengganu’s cultures and customs, but I learned about Kelantanese traditions as well.

The highway connecting Besut to Kuala Terengganu,
as well as Kota Bharu. Kuala Terengganu and Kota
Bharu were the nearest cities.

The district of Besut is home to Kuala Besut as well as Jerteh. My home was nestled right between these two places. Kuala Besut is the small fishing village on the South China Sea. It is home to fishing boats, small shops, narrow shops and the jumping-off point to Pulau Perhentian, which are the famous islands off the coast of Besut that attract many tourists every year. Jerteh was a small city located about fifteen miles inward from Kuala Besut. These two places were connected by a major road, which my home was located along. Jerteh was home to tight, busy roads and stalls full of clothing and food. In fact, by the time we left Besut, Jerteh was even home to a Pizza Hut! Michael, Christina and I found this particularly exciting!

Michael and I  were so excited to try-out
the new Pizza Hut in Jerteh!

Besut is about three hours from Kuala Terengganu and two hours from Kota Bharu, depending on who is driving! Although there were obviously no Targets, Walmarts or one-stop shops, over the course of the year, we familiarized with what the town did have to offer.

Nasi Kandar! Our favorite place to get roti canai.

We frequented Supermas for our baking goods, food and popcorn kernals (which we used very often for homemade popcorn). We quickly got to know the people at Caltex, which was our local gas station, and when we needed top-up (the money for our phones), we set off for the local mom and pop shop next to the local bakery with Nestle ice cream bars.

When we needed a ride somewhere and could not go by scooter, we called Amir, who drove a taxi and became quite familiar with our frequent calls and rides. When we were craving roti canai, we went to the local Nasi Kandar. Nasi Kandar became our second home, and the people there were immensely accommodating and nice to us. I was always eager to practice my Malay with them and try new phrases. In addition, they were so ecstatic to meet my family when they came to visit. Although we were very loyal to Nasi Kandar, we were also regulars at Gemilang. Gemilang was a large, outdoor restaurant with great service and a mean nasi ayam (rice and chicken). 

A restaurant in Kuala Besut that had a beautiful view of the
South China Sea.

Aside from restaurants and shops, Besut was home to night markets on any given night of the week, as well as D’Aora, which was an aerobics and Zumba place just for women. After a teacher invited me, I worked out there several times. I will never forget how surprised I was to discover that a) Besut had a place for Zumba AND b) how intense the classes and women in the classes were. It was a place where women could wear whatever they wanted and dance their butts off. In fact, after attending several classes, I invested in my own Zumba skirt decked out in sequins and jewels. Along with Zumba, Christina and I often went running on her school's running track. Although the track backed up to a somewhat busy road, we were able to run there without attracting too much attention. Those hour-long classes, as well as my runs at the track, almost made me forget that I was thousands of miles away from my home in America. 

A daily sighting on my ride home from school in my village

The images of Besut will forever stay in my mind. Whether it was strolling the local night market, riding in a taxi, wandering Kuala Besut, enjoying food in Jerteh, dancing at D’Aora, running at the track or walking down the street surrounded by cows and chickens while taking out the trash, those scenarios and places were part of my everyday life for ten months and will remain with me forever. 

My typical ride home from Supermas, our grocery store.

Nasi Kandar, when my family came to visit! It was a
great place to watch the 2012 Olympics as well, especially when
Malaysian Lee Chong Wei made it to the finals for badminton!

The beach at Bukit Keluang, located along the South China Sea and
about ten minutes from my house. Some fellow Fulbrighters and our Malaysian friend, Hafiz,
came to visit and we enjoyed some ultimate frisbee on the sandy shore!

The rice paddies of my village, Kampung Amir, in Besut.

The shore of the South China Sea in Besut. In Besut, people do not
swim at the beach, as people do in America. However, it is
beautiful to relax and look at, as well as wade in.

The running track that Christina and I used frequently.

Latan Belantan, Besut.
A jungle trek through a tight trail lead to a beautiful waterfall!

The waterfall at Latan Belantan, Besut.
It was quite a jungle trek, but it was completely worth it.
At the top, my friends and I took time to sit in peace and quiet,
and I even took the opportunity to roll my pants up into capris and feel
the fresh water on my feet!

A typical view from my ride home from school in Besut.

View from the shore in Besut. I often looked at this view and thought to myself,

"O my goodness... I'm literally on the other side of the world."