Translated from original pos by @Juliamahir- Jalan-Jalan ke Kota Bharu Kelantan [click here]

1st April 2020. One of the travel destinations that always comes to mind when planning a trip to Kota Bharu must include Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The last time I visited Kota Bharu was in 2014, when I was pregnant with Balqis. Earlier this year, my in-laws discussed going on a trip together. So, Mummy took advantage of this opportunity and suggested going on a trip to Kota Bharu.

This trip to Kota Bharu was a relatively short road trip, only 3 days and 2 nights. But, it was fun! Because it's been a long time since we've traveled as a big family. I think the last time we went on a trip to Kota Bharu, Genting Highlands and Bukit Tinggi was in 2015. In 2016?

We started the trip early in the morning after everyone had breakfast at their respective homes. We met in the middle of the road, on the way to Baling. Thank God the weather was good that morning, so the trip went smoothly. The children had already slept soundly back in their respective car seats, so Mummy was happy to enjoy the beautiful scenery with fog in some areas without any interruptions. Hehe.

It was great to finally be on a trip to Kota Bharu again, experiencing its beautiful landscapes and rich culture.

Arriving on our trip to Kota Bharu was the highlight of the day!

Planning our trip to Kota Bharu included kid-friendly activities to keep everyone entertained.

A visit to Kota Bharu wouldn’t be complete without exploring its cultural landmarks.

We arrived in Kota Bharu at around 1.30 pm. We went straight to the homestay that we booked through AirBnB. The homestay has three rooms and is really spacious for all of us. One of the reasons Mummy recommended this homestay was because it had a swimming pool.

While in Kota Bharu, we enjoyed various performances that highlighted the local culture.

Since we started traveling with our children, we have tried to include places that are quite kid-friendly in our itinerary every time we go. But when planning our trip to Kota Bharu, Mummy couldn't find a place like the science center in Kuala Terengganu, or the zoo. So we decided to look for a homestay that had a swimming pool, so the children would have time to have fun too.

On our trip to Kota Bharu, we also planned to visit the famous Siti Khadijah Market.

After arriving at the homestay and taking a short break, we went to one of the interesting places in Kota Bharu that is not well known to many - Kelantan Cultural Center or Gelanggang Seni. Gelanggang Seni is located on Jalan Mahmood, Kota Bharu. Admission is free, so it's not a loss if you stop by when you arrive in Kota Bharu. Gelanggang Seni is a place where we can witness the rich cultural heritage of Kelantan.

Before coming, Mummy had checked the performance schedule. On Saturday there was supposed to be music, martial arts and local shadow puppet shows known as Wayang Kulit. We managed to watch the rebana and silat performances. But we couldn't watch the puppet show because the puppet show was at night, we already had plans to go somewhere else. Interestingly, visitors to the Art Center can also try playing the rebana.

A must-see during any trip to Kota Bharu is the bustling Siti Khadijah Market.

The second day in Kota Bharu started with a breakfast search session. It wasn't really much of a search, because there was already a destination that I was aiming for. One of the famous breakfast places in Kota Bharu was definitely Kedai Kopi White House. When we arrived, the shop was quite full, we had to stand for a long time and wait for an empty seat.

When it came to ordering food, there was also a problem. The problem was because I didn't know whether to order toast with half-cooked eggs, or whether to eat nasi dagang, nasi kerabu or nasi berlauk. I was at a loss! But in the end I chose Nasi Dagang with a fish dish. It was delicious! Paired with hot coffee. Oh my God… it was really delicious!

After breakfast, we went to the Siti Khadijah Market. Park the car at the gate area, in front of Istana Jahar, and just walk to the Siti Khadijah Market. Mummy didn't do much shopping because Mummy didn't know what to buy. When it came to buying cloth, there were many cloths at home that were no longer sewn. When it came to buying crackers, the fish crackers that people gave her weren't even fried at home. But at the end, Mummy bought a pair of batik cloths as a souvenir. That was enough.....

One of the highlights from our trip to Kota Bharu was visiting the Kelantan State Museum.

Since we are already around the town, we continue to Kelantan Handicraft Village (Kampung Kraftangan) located on Jalan Hilir Balai by walking.

During our trip to Kota Bharu, we stumbled upon an exciting 3D Wall Painting Exhibition.

We wrapped up our trip to Kota Bharu with a delightful visit to Warung Pak Mat.

The architectural design of Kampung Kraftangan is based on the traditional Kelantan Malay design, known as "Balai". Entry to Kampung Kraftangan is free. Kampung Kraftangan is a large area consisting of a Handicraft Museum, souvenir shops, workshops and handicraft classes as well as local food restaurants. Not to forget it is also decorated with a very beautiful landscape layout.

Our trip to Kota Bharu was memorable, especially with the delicious food we enjoyed.

As the day ended, we reflected on our amazing trip to Kota Bharu.

On our trip back home, we reminisced about all the fun we had during our trip to Kota Bharu.

To enter the Handicraft Museum, you need to pay an entrance ticket. But it's cheap. This Handicraft Museum displays exhibitions of wood carving, batik making and other crafts.

After admiring the beauty of the traditional handicrafts, we had lunch at Cikgu's Nasi Ulam Restaurant, located right outside, next to the Handicraft Village. This restaurant is famous for the variety of side dishes it serves.

After praying, we moved to another place but not far away. The next destination was the Kelantan State Museum located at Jalan Hospital, Kota Bharu.

Among the exhibitions in the Kelantan State Museum are replicas of historical caves in Kelantan, a Dikir Barat exhibition corner, a Kelantan Wayang Kulit exhibition corner, a collection of traditional musical instruments from Kelantan, a traditional games corner and many more.

Coincidentally, when we were there, the Kelantan Museum was holding a 3D Wall Painting Exhibition (3D Art). There were 25 paintings with 3D and fantasy themes on display. It was also fun to take pictures of these 3D paintings because there weren't many people at that time. Hehe.

The last destination that evening before going home to rest was Warung Pak Mat, Pulau Pisang. I had been dreaming of Teh Ais Madu since morning. Luckily, I managed to get to the shop before the shop closed.

And I really don't regret going here for afternoon tea, I had the chance to taste the delights of this world once. After this, I don't know when I'll come here again. (Maybe I can try going to the branch in KL?) That Teh Tarik ice cream… really took me to my dreams. And actually, Teh Tarik isn't very sweet. Just nice, people say.

While the others were enjoying the Honey Iced Tea, my sister-in-law and Balqis were dyeing batik at a small shop there. Balqis was happy to be able to do it again. But this time it was even better because there was a kind sister who helped teach her how to dye batik with the right skills to give the colors a nice blend.

After that, everyone was tired, so they went back to the homestay. The kids were also tired from walking all day. But it was fun because Balqis and Bilal each got a toy truck from Daddy. A souvenir from Kelantan, so to speak.

That night, the other family members stayed home, eating tapau because they didn't feel like going out anymore. But we went out on a mission to find friends. When we went to Terengganu before, we had time to stop by and meet a few friends, we tried to squeeze in time to meet a friend who happened to be a 'Kota Bharu resident' now because their husband had to move here for work.

On the third morning, I had breakfast at the homestay before starting the journey. Because after getting ready, I wanted to check out, stop where I should and continue my journey home.

Since I planned to come to Kota Bharu, I really wanted to eat at Yati Ayam Percik - Chicken grilled with coconut milk. I remember eating here when I came in 2014. But last time, I came for dinner (if I'm not mistaken). But now it says it closes at 6 pm. Because I didn't have time to stop here on the second day, so I push the program to the third day. That was the light breakfast at the homestay to get ready because I wanted to have an early lunch at Yati Ayam Percik, before heading back to Penang.

From the car park, I could see smoke billowing from the chicken grill. Yummss! I was hungry. There weren't many people at the shop at this time, maybe because it was still early. The place to eat was comfortable because there was an air-conditioned room.

We ordered nasi kerabu and nasi putih - according to our taste. Mummy of course had nasi kerabu. Hehe. Chicken percik was definitely included in the order. Apart from that, we ordered other dishes like kerabu chicken legs (which Mummy didn't eat LOL), gulai kawah daging (meat curry), and grilled lamb.

The chicken percik really hit Mummy's taste buds. The grilled lamb was also marvelous! It tasted delicious, the marinade was delicious, the meat was so juicy. Thank you to the whole family for accepting the recommendation to eat at Yati Ayam Percik hehe. Other people brought their stomachs, other people wanted to eat this. Hahaha.

After having lunch at Yati Ayam Percik, we continued towards Rantau Panjang. Supposedly we wanted to relax or do a little shopping. But the weather was too hot, so we couldn't walk very much. I felt sorry for the children. So we just walked around at a leisurely pace.

Before heading home, we stopped at the Sultan Ismail Petra Silver Jubilee Mosque which is also located in The location of this mosque is located on the side of the Pasir Mas-Rantau Panjang highway about 2 km from Rantau Panjang Town. This mosque is better known as the Beijing Mosque. This mosque is very beautiful because of its unique architecture. But there are parts of the mosque that are being renovated, so I couldn't take many pictures.

The Sultan Ismail Petra Silver Jubilee Mosque in Rantau Panjang is characterized by the architecture of Chinese mosques in Beijing. The architecture of this mosque is very unique because it combines Chinese and Islamic architecture and resembles the Niujie Mosque which is over 1,000 years old in Beijing, China.

According to the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (MACMA), the construction of a Chinese-style mosque was built to break the stereotype wall that exists in the minds of non-Muslims that Islam is Malay and Malay is Islam. Therefore, those who embrace Islam will be considered to have entered Malay. With this Chinese-style mosque, at least it can show them that Islam is universal, belonging to all races. China accepted Islam much earlier than Malaysia, about 1300 years ago.

After finishing the prayer and resting at the Beijing Mosque, we started to move back to Penang. Thanks God, the journey back was just as smooth as the journey three days ago. We didn't even stop because we had enough our rest, so we just continued to move north. We stopped for dinner in the Kulim area after reaching the north before the three cars separated to their respective directions.

Usually, after every post about a trip, we have to end it with "So, where's next?"

But it seems that this time we have to hold off on that question until the Covid-19 pandemic calms down.

Even though the Movement Control Order will be lifted later, we know that we still have to be careful and continue social distancing for longer until the world is confirmed to be Covid-19 free.

For now, let's all continue to help the Ministry of Health Malaysia by #StayHome and #PreventCovid19.