Almost 5 hours due NORTH EAST directly on the opposite side of Peninsular Malaysia lies the EAST COAST. Now, when we say East Coast in America, you think trips to the shore, the cape, beach houses, boardwalk, the Atlantic Ocean…well, you say East Coast here in Malaysia and what comes to mind is BUMIPUTRA. Bumiputra is a Malay term widely used throughout Malaysia to embrace the indigenous people of the country. The term can literally be translated as “son of the soil”. Back in the 70s, the government of Malaysia implemented a policy to favor bumiputras in order to create opportunities and reduce the socioeconomic disparity between the main ethnic groups in Malaysia: Malays, Chinese and Indians. So without getting too deep into the reasons and policies behind the term bumiputra, let’s just say, that because of some old legislation in place, the East Coast is very quiet and not as built up. So instead of skyscrapers and beach houses aplenty, the land sits to be enjoyed by locals on public beaches. Not that this is a bad thing…just a bit different. So when you are looking for a quick getaway to the East Coast of Malaysia and you start doing your research, it’s hard to find a resort, especially last minute on Hari Raya (a Muslim holiday) weekend. So with our fingers crossed calling various hotels on Wednesday evening, the night before Hari Raya, my husband and I were glad to find Tanjong Jara Resort located in between Kuala Terengganu in the North and Kuantan in the South. The Resort is built on a 17-hectare site facing the South China Sea. It’s literally a resort carved out of the rainforest in the middle of the jungle. As you step out of the jungle, with feet sinking into the white sands, the vast ocean lies ahead of you. I have never been anywhere quiet like it. Here’s the story of our next adventure…
Walking into the lobby, my husband I were greeted by a GONG noise as the valet attendant took a mallet and struck the gold hanging GONG. We looked at each other and said, “Is that for us?”
Little did we know this would have been the first of many strange looks we gave each other all weekend as we asked ourselves, “Who do they think we are?” We ate a late dinner and went to our room for the night.
The next morning we awoke, ready for the beach. We spent the day laying on the beach, relaxing and enjoying pur vacation. Later in the day we were tracked down by the manager who personally invited us to a reception later in the evening. How nice! Wow, we sure were getting treated like royalty on our little trip. I looked at my husband after the manager walked away and said, “Maybe they think we are movie stars or something?!” YEAH RIGHT! But we just couldn’t figure out why we kept receiving all this personalized attention…the GONG when we arrived, the manager took us personally to our room, we were contacted by phone to ensure our stay and room was up to our likes and expectations and now we were being invited to a reception. Maybe they are just nice here, but we couldn’t help but wonder…Who do they think WE are?!
So after a day on the beach and by the pool, we headed back to the room to change for our reception. Once we arrived, the manager saw us from afar, waved, left his conversation and approached us to see if we would like a drink. Next the manager’s entourage greeted us and we were presented with two champagnes (on the house!) as we walked through a small crowd of people towards the bar and were ushered to two seats at our “personally invited” reception. Shortly after being seated, one of the owners approached us, along with the front desk manager, as they asked about our stay and apologized to us that they weren’t able to provide us with a bigger room and better accommodation. They explained since our reservation was so late on the holiday weekend, they didn’t have much time to plan. My husband and I looked at each other and then said, “We love our room, it’s great!” After all, we did love our room and couldn’t imagine something better than our current accommodation. After this exchange, we were presented with an entire plate of appetizers, showcasing each one of the various delectable samples provided at the party. We sat and smiled as people waved and smiled back. Once again, we asked ourselves…Who do these people think we are?
After a nice evening of dinner and drinks, the manager approached my husband and I again during dessert and asked if we would meet him early tomorrow morning for a special ceremony. We looked at each other, then back again at the manager and said, “Sure, okay.” We finished our dessert, headed for the room and went off to sleep wondering what was in store for tomorrow morning. We had no idea what was about to happen…
The next morning we woke up and started our daily routine by heading to the restaurant for a nice breakfast. After we finished and were about to head out to the beach, the manager ran to our table and said, “You can’t leave yet, the people from the nearby village are approaching for your ceremony!” My husband and I started to get nervous. What ceremony? Were we being sacrificed? What was going on. Okay, now I am worried! There were so many thoughts going through our heads.
Then all of a sudden, we heard a drum beating in the nearby distance…oh gosh, here we go! It’s time!
To be continued next Thursday…
