Kota bharu In Pictures - Part 3

Kota Bharu In Pictures Part 3 is a continuation of the previous 2 posts on the same subject. If I can keep this post to a reasonably short length, it will be the concluding part, otherwise a sequel will ensue. We are taking todays ride in a car as the distance covered will be longer. I apologize for the picture quality in terms of composition due to some shots being taken from the car window or even through the car windscreen as it ain't as easy to park compared to when I was doing it on the bike. The baby was strapped in the baby seat behind too so I cant leave the car much. Some of the pictures were taken on my earlier bike trip.

For those who are not familiar with Kota Bharu please do the followings:
1. Click on the URL below to see a map of Kota Bharu at the bottom of the page. Please enlarge the map, focussing on Kota Bharu until you can locate the first junction to Kota Bharu from the direction of Sultan Yahya Bridge. The junction to the right will take us to Kampong Sireh, straight on into Jalan Hamzah and to the left is Jalan Sultanah Zainab. When the traffic light turns green we are taking the left turn into Jalan Sultanah Zainab. Follow the direction as I ride on. Please open Life As I See It in another browser window to read this post and refer to this map from time to time to see where I am leading you. Enjoy the rideabout.
http://realtravel.com/kota_bharu-malaysia-destmap-d51813-50.html

You can't miss the imposing glass building on the left. It is Bangunan Sapura. Tan Sri Shamsuddin of Sapura Holdings must have built this building as a monument of his love to his wife Puan Sri Sapura. A blogger wanisan later informed me that the couple moved to Kota Bharu after being transferred to Kota Bharu soon after their marriage in Kampong Baru (then in the state of Selangor). Kota Bharu must have endeared to them so much to accord a monument of such proportion.

Across the road you may have missed this diminutive bulding now with a signboard of KB Permai. The building was previously an even smaller wooden building that houses the crafstman doing intricate work on silverwares. They must made good and are able to build a better place complete with showrooms and proper workplace for the workers. The next time you come to KB check out this place and many other places for your silverwares.

The next building can't be missed too as its ornate gates and fencing will make your eyes look at the building inside. Its the Istana Kota Lama. I guess it is used as guest house to VVIP's the like of a visiting royalty from another state. Istana Teliput was once a VVIP guest house too. Unfortunately it was torn down and in its place the new Istana Mahkota was built when Tengku Mahkota married the princess from Patani Thailand.

After the traffic light at the juntion to Jalan Gajah Mati, you can see the Dynasty Hotel. Its a popular 2 or 3 star hotel in KB.
Jalan Sultanah Zainab becomes a one way street at this point so we have to turn left into Jalan Che Su. The imposing sight of a towering building next to the multi storey car park will greet you. This is Plaza Menang Intan is a condominium tower block and commercial center. It is yet to be opened.

It now dwarfs the Menara PKINK that houses the Jabatan Pembanguna Persekutuan Kelantan which Datuk Mustapha Mohamad is Chairman. Datul Pa as he is locally know is ofcourse The Minister of High Education.

This was the landmark skyline from accross the river before but it is dwarfed by many taller buildings nearby.

Turning right into Jalan Post Office Lama we could see a new building nearing completion. Remember the Rex cinema by the Kelantan River?. It was still standing when Riverview Hotel was opened but now this building replaces the cinema. Next to it is Riverview Hotel. The tall building next to Riverview Hotel as in the picture is none other than the yet to be opened Pelangi Mall tower block.

So now you know how to get to Pelangi Mall when it is opened soon.

At the junction of Jalan Tok Hakim you can see the old Lee Rubber Building. Lee Rubber had a hand in the development of the agriculture in Kelantan both in rubber production and processing it into SMR and RSS rubbers.

To our right slightly into Jalan Tok Hakim is Wisma Dato Nachi which houses TA Securities (formerly Lee & Kee Securities) where many millionaires were made and some later became bankrupts or at least were made to suffer the servitude of huge debts which may not be repaid if they were to be born again even for another three times.

Going to the end of Jalan Che Su, we would pass infront of the entrance to Pelangi Mall before reaching Jalan Tengku Besar near Padang Merdeka. Hey there is a new hotel in town. It is Ridel Hotel. It must have a quiet opening as I didn't hear about it. Who would want to tell me anyway?

The hotel is connected to Pelangi Mall via a walkway so guests dont have to go down to the ground floor to get to Pelangi Mall. How convenient.

Due to curiousity, I walked over to the edge of the river. Ahhh it has the river view. Guests in the room fronting the river will be happy to enjoy the sight of the forever yellowish water of the Kelantan River where the 'etak' once flourished.

A view of Ridel Hotel from across the river.(Picture courtesy of En. Mazlan of Ridel Hotel)

Looking down the bank I saw the sight of this floating restaurant. I guess the Kelantanese around this area love the tipsy feeling of being on water when drinking their tea or coffee. This restaurant acts as the jetty for people to cross the river by boats. The colour of the water in the river used to be the color of water but now has taken the hue of 'teh susu'.

Across the river is Palekbang where dodol, serunding daging and serunding ayam are made. Take a boat trip across and you are at the doorsteps of the serunding makers place.

Moving on we saw the Tambatan Di Raja now more famed for its flood reference point than its being a royal jetty because the royalties dont ride boats anymore. Further more Kelantan don't have to send its 'Bunga Emas' to Siam (Thailand) by sea anymore. Ahh those are history.

Moving away from the jetty I went towards Dataran Kota Bharu. Looking left I saw the War Museum and took mental note to write about it one day. It was used as a bank was once known as Bank Kerapu for the obvious reason that it was once a bank and the walls have the rough textures. Padang Merdeka infront of it is also known as Padang Bank.

Beside it is a Beautiful wooden building with intricate carving with distinctly malay motives on the fascia board. It is the Islamic Museum but unlike the war museum, it was closed. I guess this museum was a victim of the last flood.

Right ahead across Jalan Sultanah Zainab you can see the arch with the distinctive Quran on a rihal.


The huge wooden gates below is the entrance to Istana Balai Besar. This palace is still used for all official ceremonies such as the investiture ceremonies or the yearly title awards.

Below is Istana Jahar which is another museum. Taking into account Muzium Islam all in all Kota Bharu has 4 museums. Quite a number for me to write on.

Everybody must have heard of the White House, the one in Washington DC of course. This one is in Kota Bharu. Before it was rebuilt it was made of wood and painted white. That gives the kopitiam its name. The name is retained. Business starts only in the evening.

If you don't believe me it is called the White House, look at the sign below.

If you asked the regulars to this kopitiam what is so great about the kopitiam, they would swear that the kopi O and half boiled eggs served here is the best in town if not the world. When I tried it, it tasted just the same as the one prepared by my wife at home.

The Odeon Cinema must be nostalgic for those couples who in their younger days must have taken their girlfriends for dates. The cinema was located on the other side of Jalan Sultanah along a road that is called what else but Jalan Odeon. The building was converted into an office block and now is called Bangunan UMNO Negeri Kelantan.

Walking by Jalan Istana located between Istana Balai Besar and Istana Jahar, I cant help noticing the intricate carving above the door of the side entrance.

The Royal Guest House is on the left as we walk along Jalan Istana towards Kampung Kraftangan.

Jalan Hilir Kota on our right is now closed to traffic and is a pedestrian mall with the entrance to Kg Kraftangan from it. Kampong Kraftangan can also be accessed via Jalan Tengku Seri Akar.

Walking towards Jalan Tengku Seri Akar, I cant help noticing this giant tasbeh made of wood hanging on the wall to a building in Kampong Kraftangan. It is definitely more than 6 feet high.

At the junction of Jalan Tengku Seri Akar I saw this billboard indicating the building of a new bazaar by the name of Bazaar Tenku Anis.

Most of these areas used to be occupied by old wooden houses which was an eyesore. It is definitely time for them to be developed.

The view of Muhammod Mosque with the Pelangi Mall and Ridel Hotel is simply great from this point.

Walking along Jalan Seri Akar towards Jalan Belakang Kota, I saw the office of Majlis Tindakan Pelancongan Kelantan with The Tourism Development Corporation office on the ground floor below it and they are located within the Kampong Kraftangan complex. Very convenient location compared to their former office along Jalan Dusun Muda.

Directly infront of this complex is a bus stop. If you see such red colored bus moving around town, take a ride on it and it will lead you to Kampung Kraftangan.

Pushing the pram with my daughter Balqiss in it, I came to Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah. I won't bore you with the picture of the center inside the pasar where it has been so much photographed. Let us see the new extension from the Pantai Timur Shopping complex side instead.

Note this section of the pasar as it is where the food section is on the upper floor. Be here during lunch hour and you will find all kinds of authentic Kelantanese kuihs and dishes to go with your lunch. Treat your family to lunch here and have the best fried crabs or large fresh water prawns (udang galah), it won't cost you and arm and a leg.

Trodding on around the circular Pasar Siti Khadijah brought me to Laman Siti Khadijah where there are food stalls selling freshly cooked food.

Beside it stands the Pasar Buluh Kubu. Dont worry if you are out of money as some shops do accept credit cards. No credit cards? Don't worry too, the Ar Rahn islamic pawnshop is just across the road. Only gold are accepted though.

From Bazaar Buluh Kubu we have to take abit of walking to go to Bazaar MPKB right smack in the middle of town. If you know how to bargain you can get many things cheaply here. Be prepared for stuffiness and if there is a big crowd as it is usually is during a long holiday, movement can be quite restricted as the walkways between the shoplot are on the small side. So if you have a big body, dont mind too much if people tend to squeeze by you. Hopefully they dont smell too much.

The buildings within the old town center are typical buildings of old. They should be rahabilitated and preserved as these are the buildings that give Kota Bharu its image and character. Build new buildings but build them elsewhere away from the town center. The building below is along Jalan Ismail. They definitely need sprucing up and painted over with a new coat of paint.

The row of shop houses below is along Jalan Temenggong.
Medo Photo Studio is like the Royal Photographer. I remember seeing the photograph of the Deputy Prime Minister displayed in the shop. Next to it is Restoran Kota Bharu. Only while taking the photograph that I realized that the Kota Bharu Hotel was upstairs. I doubt that it is still a hotel, not even a guesthouse I guess.
If your father had been using a car a long time ago, this was where he got his spare parts. When my wife's grandmother need medical treatment, she would always ask to be taken to this clinic going by the name of The Bates Dispensary. The clinic is still operating but I wonder if Dr. Bates is still seeing his patients there. I think Dr. Bates is a former British citizen who settled in Kelantan a long time ago. Will somebody from Kota Bharu enlighten me?

My grand daughter is crying. I will have to take her home. I will have to continue the rideabout in Part 4 and hopefully that will be the finale.

When Balqiss is comfortable, this is how she will look.

I will be putting all of my pictures in my public gallery when my friend Akmal of Wiseup88 comes back for Chinese New Year. So worry not if you can't see much details from the current pictures. You will be able to see them better in the public gallery.

Kota Bharu in Pictures - Part 2

This is a continuation of my previous rideabout around Kota Bharu on my 70 cc Honda Cub, a very reliable machine that never failed me except for those occassions when I forgot to fill her up with petrol because the fuel gauge always indicate half full even when it is empty. Not a problem really as petrol is avaialable by the bottles at most grocery or even coffee shops in Kelantan. A short push or sometimes a call to a friend can settle this small problem.

This second part is dedicated to jt or Jaqueline Tegjeu of Jaqui's Curve and zaitgha who once lived in the Police Barracks of Kota Bharu not realizing that both could have been neighbours and even had some friendly fights among them in their younger days. This Part 2 has many mentions about places relevant to both jt and zaitgha.

Before we begin our rideabout in Kota Bharu please do the followings:

1. In another browser window please open the map of Kota Bharu from this URL

http://realtravel.com/kota_bharu-malaysia-destmap-d51813-50.html

2. Having done that please enlarge the map, focussing on Kota Bharu until you can locate the junction to route D106 from route 131. We are heading towards Kampong Cherang on the way to Kota Bharu town center. I have just had lunch at one of the stalls at the junction of Jalan Yaakobiah and with a full stomach we ready to roll now.

There is not really much to say about this ride back to the town center except that if you have left the town as long as jt or zaitgha did, you will be surprised at the many changes to the landscape. The town of Kota Bharu seemed to have expanded all the way to Cherang which we have just passed by. Many new shops and housing areas has developed all the way to the town. When we reached Jalan Long Yunus, we could see the many used car dealers dealing in all sort of brands including the high end Mercedez or Toyotas. Hey some Kelantanese have high taste too. We took the left turn into Jalan Long Yunus when the traffic light turned green and at the next traffic light at the Jalan Bayam Intersection, we turned right into Jalan Bayam. Are you still with me? We are on route D106 now. Didn't I tell you to open the map in the other browser window? When we reach the junction at Jalan Dusun Muda and you could see the 13 storey Bangunan Jabatan Persekutuan (Federal Department Building), then you are on the right track.

Hotel Sutera Inn on your right is another property of Mofaz. Bangunan Persekutuan on the left of the picture and Sutera Inn on the right.

Bangunan Persekutuan or Federal Building is a 13 storey building and thus it is also known as Bangunan 13 Tingkat. It houses the many Federal Governments offices such as Immigration, Auditor General, Registration Department, Youth and Sports among others.
Next to it is The Police Contingent Kelantan Head Office. Quite an imposing sight with the letter 200 Tahun on it. Are they celebrating a 200th annivessary or something?

The Kelantan Police Contingent Head Office

To our left is the old Jalan Bayam Flat. Lets not bother about this old building which is getting to be an eyesore. High time this block of flat be demolished and rebuilt with a better flat befitting its location.

Perdana Specialist Hospital

Neighboring the dilapidated Jalan bayam Flat is the Perdana Specialist Hospital owned by KPJ Healthcare.

This private hospital is convenient as while the patient stays in it's well furnished wards, the relatives can saty in Perdana Hotel close by. Anyway the food served at the wards are from the kitchen of Perdana Hotel. My daughter Azini gave birth to Nur Aqila Balqiss at this hospital some six months ago. Lots of thanks to her father's employer which picked up the RM6,000 tabs as charges for her delivery. It is that expensive to deliver a child nowadays.
Next to Perdana Specialist Hospital is another construction project going on. It goes by the name of Kelantan Trade Center.

Kelantan Trade Center

This Trade Center has a two main tower blocks. One block is almost completed. The condominiums in these blocks will be leased back to the developer to be turned to a Condotel to make up the extra rooms for Perdana Hotel which will then be able to cater to the more rooms rquired by Perdana Hotel to make it viable for bigger conventions. If you have purchased a condo unit there, you are in for a good return to your investment. You will finally own the condo for free!
Before we turn left into Jalan Mahmood to see how Perdana Hotel looks like, lets glance to our right to see the new Medan Usahawan near the Stadium Sultan Muhamad IV. It replaces the old untidy extended stalls that was the feature of the food stalls in the earlier days when U Lee used to visit Kota Bharu and stayed at Perdana Hotel or Zaitgha's and jt's frequent visit from her police quarters not far from here.

The view from one end of Medan Usahawan

Medan Usahawan from the stadium side.

Beside food stalls, there shops selling various items such as camping and outdoor gears.

Beside it stands Stadium Sultan Muhamad IV, a stadium that has seen better days but due to its proximity to the town center, the stadium Corporation is able to collect monthly rentals from the shops around the stadium built under the seat stands of the stadium. This is definitely a better contribution than the gate receipt from football games when Kelantan isn't faring very well in football on the national arena. The crowd prefers to watch English Premier Leauges rather than their own weak state team.

Stadium Sultan Muhamad IV

The front of the stadium with some form of stage constructed infornt of it. The stage is seperated from the stadium building by a road.

Now lets ride on to the junction where Jalan Bayam meets Jalan Mahmood. There is no more right turn here as it used to be so only a left turn is possible. A short ride will take us to the front of Perdana Hotel. I guess the name of the Hotel is familar by know and 23 years ago, a high flying corporate figure by the pseudoname of U Lee used to stay when dealing with VVIPs for million ringgit projects.
Perdana Hotel Kota Bharu

Perdana Hotel was the premier Hotel then before Renaisannce open up at the Kota Seri Mutiara Komplex in Jalan Yahya Petra. Perdana Hotel was the only hotel with a bowling alley and tennis courts on the roof of one of its building. Lots of champagne flowed at its bar and lounge before the current state government took over the state and with it, the ownership of Perdana Hotel via the Kelantan SEDC, the owner of the hotel.
Backtracking along Jalan Mahmood will take us to the same junction again. As u can see from the interactive map accessible from the above URL, Jalan Bayam seemed to be connected directly to Jalan Sultan Ibrahim. The truth is, it is not. At the junction the left turn takes us turn into the area where Gelanggang Seni, The State Libray, Dewan Jibilee Perak and Padang Perdana is located. The road ends immediately after The State Library as the fence that borders the Police Quarters prevent the road from joining Jalan Sultan Ibrahim. The Dewan Jubilee Perak was built on the site of where 2 tennis courts used to exist. The Dewan Jubilee which was once gutted by a fire sometime ago has now been repaired.

What is interesting here is the Gelanggan Seni which is very popular among tourists but little is known about it among locals. Cultural shows are performed to tourists on every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. Dance and Wayang Kulit performances are performed indoor in the dewan on Wednesday evenings. The centre is now closed for renovations till February. Please check with TIC Kelantan for exact date of opening.

Gelanggang Seni Hall

This is where the State Government has given exceptions to female performers to perform in public and to tourists only. If you are out of state you can consider yourself as tourists too. Currently the stage in the Dewan is undergoing massive refurbishment and you can expect to see a far better stage than it was before.
Outside the hall, other cultural performances such as top spinning, rebana ubi, kertok, silat and gasing pangkah are performed in wall less shelters. A small cafe is also available. Though the public toilet has undergone renovations with tiled floors and walls, its maintainence is still below par. The caretakers were quite uncomfortable after seeing me taking pictures of the pretty unappetizing toilets which is considered OK by their standard.

A small cafe near to Gelanggang Seni
Outdoor performance area under renovation.

The State Public Library

Dewan Jubilee Perak.

The Dewan Jubilee was built on a former tennis court and a newer and better courts were built on the other side of the field which is named Padang Perdana. This field is located infront of Dewan Jubilee Perak. This is a favourite site for expositions.

View from the top of Padang Perdana with the astro turf hockey pitch. The roof of the medan selera is in the foreground. The Telecom Tower protrudes into the skyline. (Picture courtesy of Raykinzoku)

Going back towards Jalan Mahmood, we'll take a left turn towards Jalan Hospital. The Hockey pitch is on our left and the Sultan Muhamad lV is now on the right. At the traffic light we turn right into Jalan Hospital. They have built a brand new Pusat Kesihatan Besar Kota Bharu beside the nurses training center. Carrying on further we entered the Hospital Besar Kota Bharu compound proper. The old wards with it myriads of covered walkways are still there on our left, taking so much expensive
ground being built of single storey buildings. Fortunately the new blocks of wards and emergency wards on the right are built upward. If the former health minister was not caught in compromising position on tape, he would have built new blocks of wards to replace the old ones. I believe he and the previous health minister had done alot for KB Hospital.

Kota Bharu Main Health Clinic

The entrance to the old wards at Kota Bharu GH.

The new emergency ward. The new block of wards are just behind it.

The presence of KB Hospital and The Teaching Hospital of University Sains Malaysia has a provided a pool of specialist doctors for the many private hospitals such as Hospital Pakar Perdana and Kota Bharu Medical Center to fall on beside their own pool of doctors. So if you want to go for medical tourism, Kota Bharu is the place to go with the comparatively lower cost hotels for the accompanying relatives to stay in while the patients recuperate in the wards. Kota Bharu Medical Center
Kota Bharu Medical Center, another private hospital along Jalan Yahya Petra which I missed mentioning in my earlier rideabout. I must have gone too fast on my 70 cc Honda Cub.
Let us backtrack towards the Jalan Mahmood Junction. Crossing Jalan Mahmood we come into the end of Jalan hospital on route D106. On the left is the hockey pitch, while Jabatan Ukur dan Pemetaan Kelantan is next to it. If you need the latest map you can always buy a copy here. I need a copy of the latest map of Kelantan as well as of Malaysia myself. Some 12 years ago a large map of Kelantan costs RM5.00, a small sum for such an informative map. The topo maps are restricted though.

Jabatan Ukur Dan Pemetaan
On the other side of the road is Sekolah Kebangsaan Padang Garong. Anyway that was what the name was when jt studied there. Now they have renamed all schools in the vicinity of Kota Bharu as either Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Ismail or Sekolah Kebangsaan Zainab followed by a number 1,2 or 3 making it easier for everybody in Kota Bharu to send their children to a premier school as the above two names of royalties signify. There are too many appilcants to such a few places available in the original school. Very brilliant solution to a problem. Before I return to the landmarks on the left side of the road along Jalan Hospital, let me briefly tell you what other interesting landmarks that lies across the road next to Sekolah Kebangsaan Padang Garong. Next is the Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri Kelantan. Nothing interesting to us but the next one is. Why? Its Bangunan Majlis Perbandaran Kota Bharu thats why. Thats where you pay your compounds for parking violations like when you dont top up your parking meters. Like not putting any coins in the meter thinking its a holiday and the parking attendants don't work on Sundays. Hey Kelantan works on Sundays but holidays on a Friday. Its called the corridor of Mecca you know. If the compound is RM30 which is the standard fare, just walkup a flight of steps and ask for the Secretary to allow you some discount and you pay only RM10.00. What if your car is clamped? I have yet to experience that so I can't tell you at the moment.

The road next to Majlis Perbandaran Kota Bharu known as Jalan Doktor. This road is important not because of there are many clinics there. Infact I cant remember seeing any at all by it's side. It is important as it leads you to the town bus stands. A few budget hotels are around there too.

The old bus stand in town is really a cramped up spot. Relocating it to a bigger site should be a priority.

Beside the town bus stand which used to be the pasar malam, construction is going on at a frenzied pace to build Kota Bharu Trade Center. Wow another trade center after Kelantan Trade Center? Yes. The Giant Supermarket is slated to be the anchor tenant. Another supermarket after the Store which is already there.

Construction of Kota Bharu trade Centre in progress

How about buying a shoplot here?
Giant is the anchor tenant.
The Store is the closest neighbour. Will it survive after Giant is opened?

The next road after Jalan Doktor is Jalan Dewan Pas. Every Friday morning this road will be closed to all normal traffic.

Jalan Dewan PAS on a Friday morning.

The reason is there is a PAS ceramah at The Dewan PAS on every Friday morning. All the roads around it are closed. It is supposed to be a religious sermon but more often than not some speakers deviate into a political ceramah. On the day of my visit Tok Guru Nik Aziz was the main speaker. Something of note he mentioned was the State Governments policy of encouraging Kelantan youths to learn new languages beside English. The current emphasis is on learning Mandarin. Wow! What a foresight from his leadership. To backup his point he mentioned that the State has already sponsored students to do so.
Tok Guru giving his sermons on the slightly raised platform.
The view from the muslimat side.
Let us go back to the other side of the road where we left off at The Jabatan Ukur dan Pemetaan.

A short road ends at KGCC. What on earth does that stands for? Some years ago it was known as RKC. The former is Kelantan Golf and Country Club while the latter stands for Royal Kelantan Club. Something must have happened to necessitate the name change. I don't know why yet.

Kelantan Golf and Country Club

Beside it is a lane leading to a famous club, The Royal Kelantan Club. Join the club if you want to rub shoulders with who is who in Kelantan. My ex boss once treated me to lunch at this club as he was a member. The Club has a golf course near Maktab Perguruan Pengkalan Chepa not very far from where Shah of cakapaje used to live when he was young.

We have nothing to do at the Club house as I am not a member. At the road exit into Jalan Hospital is the Court House. A classmate of mine was a Judge here once. Lucky thing I never had the opportunity to appear befor his Lordship there. He is rumoured to be next in line to be the Chief Justice. Another classmate confided in me that he has reliable informations that my friend is too straight forward and does not play ball with the Executives so he won't be considered. With the current imbroglio over the appointment of CJs who knows he might get there earlier? My honest opinion is that this bruhaha over the Lingump tape is just a show to humiliate an ex PM.

The New Court Complex

Next to the court house is the Pejabat Jajahan Kota Bharu

Kelantan Muzeum. Since Tuan Haji Alimin Omar is the Director of Muzeums now, I will get to photograph the artifacts available inside for my posting on Kelantam Muzeums which I am going to do as soon as I get this current postings on Kota Bharu In Pictures is done.

Kelantan Museum.

Looking across the Bulatan Jam Besar (The Clocktower Roundabout) I could see the once popular Prince Hotel, where the only night club was located. Rumours had it that this night club was patronised by royalties when Kelantan was a fun and easy going place. The Islamic Party that governed the state after that tightened all bylaws that allow such places to operate and curtailing public consumption of liqour. There used to be a dance teacher who held classes for budding ball room dancers.

Prince Hotel was located in the building in the center. It is no more a hotel. Prior to its closure it was a budget hotel and the dance floor was converted to a guest house.
To the left of the above buildings across the road from it at the entrance to Jalan Gajah Mati, is Wisma Yakin. On the ground floor some travel agencies were operating from it. The reason? MAS town office was located in one of the shop lots on the ground floor. Due to stiff competition from Low Cost Carrier AirAsia, MAS had to cut cost to be competitive and close it's town office the same way AirAsia did to its Town Office in Jalan Dusun Muda. Selling tickets online and by phone is definitely cheaper. Tickets are also available at the ticketing office at the airport in Pengkalan Chepa.

Only the signboard remains at the former Town Office of MAS at Wisma Yakin, Jalan Gajah Mati.
Moving onward along Jalan Sultan Ibrahim towards Wakaf Siku, you cant miss the glaring colours of Kelantan Tourist Information Center. Though there were many people inside the office, nobody bothered to greet me as I came in. I proceeded to collect as many pamphlets and brochures that I found relevant and called out the name of one of the guides that was I used to deal with when I was managing a travel company somewhere in Kota Bharu. He reciprocated with a reply acknowledging my thanks for letting me have the pamphlets and brochures. A different treatment would have been accorded to a foreign guests I guess, otherwise people will have a bad impression of the frontliners of our so called Tourist Information Office.

Nobody will miss this Tourist information Office if they were to pass by it as it is located quite near to the roundabout and Muzium Kelantan.

On the door of the TIC buildings I saw this greetings in various languages.

The word welcome in several languages. Very thoughtful, hopefully they will really make their guest feel really welcomed.

On the opposite side of the road is Palm Manor. This was the former residence of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

Palm Manor

On the opposite side of the road I saw this Bank with an escalator at the front. It is the only bank in town with such a facilities. The escalator is only upward bound so you still have to walk down the stairs. I wonder if they have a lift for the disabled customes to do their banking here. The bank was so forward looking that they must have anticipated a very big flood to happen one day due to global warming. At this height they think they could remain unaffected for many years to come.

The only bank with an escalator in town.

The old police barracks are still intact. This was where zaitgha and jt grew up when they were small. If I have the authority I would have relocated the policestation elsewhere and use these barracks as chalets to cater for tourist to stay. With some renovations, this would definitely be great for the former occupants of the barracks or their children to come back and relive their lives with their children. How about you zaitgha and jt?

Fearing that I maybe charged for spying I took this picture through the fences.

View from across the fence

The Kota Bharu Police District office is still here too.

The Kota Bharu District Police Station is still operating from the old site.

The post office is still standing

Further down the road nearer to wakaf siku I saw this building.

This was formerly known as Hotel Irama.

One is a hotel and the other is a guesthouse. Pick your choice. The topmost floor is a swiftlet hotel. Birds seem to pay higher rental than human just by producing salivas to build up their nest.

Everyone is familiar with Court Mammoth. Here you can buy things on hire purchase and pay them by the weeks.

Across the road infront of Court mammoth is a convenience store that has taken Kelantan by storm. The popular Seven Eleven is here in several places in Kota Bharu.

Upon reaching the traffic light at Wakaf Siku, I turned right into Jalan Hamzah. On my left there is a cemetery with crosses on the grave yards. Its a Christian Cemetery. There must be quite a number of Christians in Kota Bharu too.

The Christian Cemetery in Jalan Hamzah.
jt, this picture answers your question on whether it still exist. The house that you used to stay in could be somewhere across the road. Since KB Mall occupies a big plot across the road, it cant be there anymore.

There must be alot of demand for nurses. As such Masterskill has opened up a spankingly new branch which is yet to open in Kota Bharu.

A private Nursing training center.

Further on from the cemetry, I saw this hindu temple sitting together next to a church. Sorry I can't identify to which faith the church belongs too as there is another church along Jalan Kuala Krai barely 2 kilometers away.

The Hindu temple and a church sitting next to each other in Jalan Hamzah directly opposite to KB Mall.

Finally I reach the traffic light at the junction to Jalan Kampong Sireh and Jalan Sultanah Zainab. Straight ahead is Jambatan Sultan Yahya Petra. I have completed a loop of my rideabout and I still have alot of ground to cover for Kota Bharu. We will continue the rideabout on another day. I am going home to my wife and grand children now. See you on another day.