Just a local tourist in Kemaman, Trengganu, Malaysia.

Thursday 8th Nov. 2007, being a public holiday, I decided to take a trip to Kemaman, a not so big town just across the border of Pahang, north, in Trengganu, also close to the sea on the east coast. Every time I go to that town (and I go there often in the course of my work, past and present), I have always been impressed with how clean the town is, and hedges on the road dividers so well trimmed. What the secret? The Town Council workers work very hard to maintain that condition. Morning and evening one sees them working; I have actually seen them working before, and today I also saw them even at about 3 pm under the hot sun. And how is the town kept clean. FINE!, that is why, the notice board says so.


Kemaman is an old town but rejuvenated by the finding of oil and gas off its coast and by the PETRONAS oil and gas plants in another town just north of it. The economic spill over has created wealth in Kemaman. And one can see the old and the new in the town, the coffee house (Kopitiam), the Bank, and a car park full of cars among the old buildings with old tiled roofs, old fashioned and new fashioned windows, and a board showing that a lady must cover her head. It’s a town of contrast.


And a curry house. This curry house serves very tasty and succulent curry dishes. The owner looks Chinese, but he is actually a Muslim, with a Chinese mother and a Malay father.


And at the Kemaman River mouth is where all the fresh fish is landed. Saw a lone lobster among all the fish.



And local folks, mostly fishermen just came back from the sea, killing time playing draughts.



And shells for sale.



It’s a peaceful little location with development just about coming.