We wanted a quiet day or two before we get back to the frenzy and hectic life of KL and what better place for it than to adjourn to Tg Jara Resort in Dungun. Billed as the resort which is 'Unmistakably Malay' the villas are built in the grandeur and style of the Malay istana (Malay royal palaces) and to the credit of its architect this resort was awarded the Aga Khan Award in Achitecture in 1998.
We were here at about the same time last year when Raena returned home for her summer vacation and knew we would not be disappointed by this place. The resort has been maintained well and has in fact undergone a refurbishment and redesign of its interior. There is now a second bed in the suite (in addition to its original king-sized bed ) which can easily fit a child or even an average Asian adult.
The restaurants maintained the same standard of service as we had experienced last year and we were happy to order our favourite dishes in advance for which, Ana, the Chief Waiteress/Restaurant Captain made sure that she bought them fresh when she went to the Dungun market early every morning.
waiting for dinner to be served at the di-Atas Sungei Restaurant
We relished the deep-fried garoupa, sambal prawns with petai, grilled sotong, scallops on hot-plate in oyster soyce and local greens sauteed in prawn sambal. And there was endless choice of local and western food for breakfast in addition to freshly-squeezed juices and fresh slices of tropical fruits. You lunch ala carte at the Nelayan, the poolside restaurant facing the sea.
sambal udang petai, scallops,grilled sotong...
Tg Jara is a picture of tranquility and serenity. It is a place for a quiet break,a place to be at peace with nature in a truly tropical and 'Malay' surroundings. The Spa Village offerred several packages of traditional Malay massage and baths to rejuvenate your body. As I stretched myself on the garden lounge facing the sea under swaying palms and casuarina trees, after a few laps in the somewhat rough and violent sea ( a storm was predicted for the next day), my peaceful nap was only broken once in mid-morning, when a procession of rambling kompangs (drums) paraded around the resort singing praises for the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
a procession of 'kompang' drummers singing praises for the Prophet
And what a fitting place it was for us to celebrate Dollah's (Ben Haron) fifty-sixth birthday at the Tg Jara Resort..
makdokter jogged 8km before breakfast on Ben's birthday
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