Pasar Besar Kedai Payang

Pasar Payang is a must-visit especially for the first-time visitors to this Sea turtle state (Negeri Penyu). Located just a few minutes walk north along the pier from the inter-city bus station and Located just by the Sungai Terengganu (Terengganu River).


Pasar Besar Kedai Payang (Payang ‘s Big Market Shop) or Pasar Payang in short (also known as Central Market) is the lifeline of KT. Located by the Terengganu River, it is one of the most popular tourist spots in KT, not only for shopping but also to have a taste of life in KT. It is also close to the Shabandar jetty, making it ideal for a short stop en route to the islands off the coast.
The Pasar Payang is housed in 2 storeys building consisting of a wet market and a shopping arcade, it offers visitors a variety of items to purchase - from grocery items such as such fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, "keropok lekor" etc to traditional products and souveniers like batik, brassware, brocade and songket. Visitors to this market will have a delightful experience shopping in local fares at reasonable prices. 



Pasar Payang serves as both a wet market as well as a trade centre for the local community. There is a festive air as you approach the entrance of the market, with makeshift stalls lining the path, displaying trinkets of all kinds. In their loudest voice, these peddlers will impress you with the alleged magical powers of the amulets, the potency of their traditional medicines, or the quality of their precious stones.
On the ground floor, trading stalls are covered with fresh fish, meats and vegetables of all colour, many manned by kindly-faced old ladies, ever smiling, inviting you to their wares.

The Malayan Medical Green or Ulam

This is where you'll find the familiar lettuce and tomatoes and the unfamiliar and sometimes out of the ordinary like the “Durian”The King of Fruit (indigenous prickly-skinned durian that emit a pungent scent. But delicious and if u over eat more that 4 or 5 durian .... i can guaranteed that your air-cond room will be like a boiler room.( See Wiki for Durian) . Instead of, here you'll find a whole range of traditional greens Call "Ulam" Ranging from– pegaga, ulam raja, petai (Very strong pungent smell) – normally eaten raw and and cooked with chilli and are seldom found at conventional urban grocers. Each of these vegetables are certified to possess medicinal properties, which can keep check almost every ailment there is. Peria is good for kidney ailments, pegaga for high blood pressure. You can get fresh produce of local delicacies such as the 'keropok lekor', made of grounded fish and flour, and 'serunding', the spicy flavoursome meat floss.

Two of the many Beautiful Batik and Songket Shop at the Market

Terengganu is also known for its thriving batik industry. Some of the best batik and songket in Malaysia is hand made in Terengganu and a vast choice of this traditional textile can be purchased on the first floor of the Pasar Payang. A wide range of colourful silk handkerchiefs, batik shirts, scarves and kaftans are on display for you to choose from. A wide array of souvenirs. Silk garments, rattan baskets, brassware items and farmers’ hats are also popular items on sale here. Be sure to bargain for the best price when you're buying.

The Local Trishaw that can be found at the Pasar Payang-the best way to see the city

If you are going Pasar Payang or Basar Warisan why dont you stop by at Sha Antik it one of the main shop that are visited by tourist and all the zealous antiquety collector
, since it one of the only two antique shop in whole Kuala Terengganu Distric.

PS:  
What you see now today is different than when this article was written 6  year ago but  still not much changes except to the surrounding area with new Development such as Bazar Warisan, Riverview Cruise and such as seen at this page

Picture Gallery of PASAR PAYANG watch THIS from flickr..

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Side Note  and some History......for extra reading.....Blah..blah

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Pasar Payang in Kuala Terengganu in the 1970s

The History of the Marketplace in

Terengganu

N.B or nota bene:

Arcording to the history ,the town Kuala Terengganu once had two big famous market; One of them is the “Pasar Tanjung” (Foreland Market) ,which is also known by the local as “Pasar Kedai Hilir” (Down River Market Shop) and the other one is called “Pasar Payang” (Payang is a traditional large fishing net which is suit and pull by the Perahu Payang). The marketplace was call Pasar Payang because of one of the Terengganu trademark;the famous traditional “Perahu Payang” which can only be found in Terengganu and was once the most popular boat use by the traditional fisherman.

"Well...actually, before the two big marketplace, there had already existed one large market; which was called Pasar Kampung Laut (Market of the Sea Village), situated near Kampung Bemban (which was once famous for its many colourful Bemban basket) and Kampung Nesan Empat or” Village of Four Headstone,” Kuala Terengganu "

N.B (Bemban plant “Donas arundastrum”--> {use google image} .its trunk are use in the traditional bemban basket – N.B: no body makes the bemban basket anymore and finding ones at Pasar Payang are pure luck!

Between the two market, Pasar Besar Tanjung had the most seller and peddler which run their business every day. During those time almost all the seller there are Malay and while the rest are Indian who sells large variety of spice, herbs and also some household item.

Like Pasar Payang they are many thing that are sold that its can be said that however small or big the thing needed and till whatever things that are wanted by customer can be found here. The Pasar are consisted of two large building on the western side of the road. Both of them are wall-lest, Where the highest building are the place where cow ,deer ,water buffalo and other meat are sold while the eastside building are specialise for fishmonger. While the ground area near the beach around the building were given to the peddler.

While on the south till north can be found a long role of shop where each space is 300 foot are café and shop selling textile, gold and silversmith and all thing incuding bizarre thing.

On the north west of the pasar.there are a vast “tanjung” (foreland) which near the corner of the “Sungai” (river) Kuala (water mouth) Terengganu. When the tide come in river will overflow to the bay flooding the peddler area. This place are are called Kampung Tanjung Pantai Teluk (Village of Foreland Beach Bay).

Kampung Tanjung Pantai Teluk was once known; for its cottage industry in the production of Atap Nipah , Gulung Daun Nipah, Pasar Sasak and Dinding Pelupuh.



N.B :
Atap Nipah
-roof made of Nipa fruticans leaf.

Gulung Daun Nipah “role Nipah leaf”
-use as traditional cigarette; where role Nipah leaf are unrolled and role again together with tobacco.

Pasar Sasak
- traditional nail which are made of wood.

Dinding Pelupuh
- bamboo that are hit until flatten by thick wood like a club to make wall in traditional house.


The river here was once the economy and the life line of many people. Once from morning till 3 o’clock in the afternoon, many “Perahu” and fisherman boat can be seen here “parking” by the beach or in the bay. The perahu are used by villager who live out of town to buy or bring and sell they product at Pasar Besar Tanjung. While fishermen boat came here to send they catch to the fish monger.

“Perahu”
- a wooden boat which is usually wide only 1-1.5 meter and length 3 - 7 meter.


Every day when the time strike exactly 5 o’clock in the afternoon the area around Pasar Besar Tanjung will be full with team of peddler and seller selling all kind of delicacy, food and 1001 thing can be found here.When the night come the area would look like a fiasta with many long line “Pelita” kerosene lamp can bee seen lining up from both side of the lane at Pasar Tanjung. Business are done till the peddler go home at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning.

Aproching the 60’s ,the Pasar Payang Kuala Terengganu were modify and enlarge. All the old buiding here were replace with new stone building (like in the picture).After finish rebuilding the Pasar Payang. Many peddler, seller and shop owner either from Pasar Tanjung or the old one moved to the new Pasar Payang.

The Fate of Pasar Tanjung
During the late 70’s,the ground of the Pasar Tanjung become quite and deserted after the government order all the seller to moved to Pasar Payang which were renamed Pasar Besar(big) Payang.like the malay proverb “setiap yang patah akan tumbuh,dan yang hilang akan berganti ”which mean Every that are broken wil grow,and those which is missing will be replace”....... The ground at the former Pasar Tanjung were clean up, and made in to a “taman” or garden and the building are replace with long role of shop and café selling food and drink. This area was later officiated and renamed “Taman Selera Tanjung” or popularly known as TST by the local. The names Taman Selera Tanjung are very amusing when translated in to English (Foreland’s Appetite Garden)

When I was a kid I used to frequent this place with my family after finish shopping at the super (The Store and sometime at Hock Kee Seng)

But TST didn’t last long, because I still remember seeing the erosion around the Garden which is cause by the wave at the river mouth. Resulted by that... a new buiding which is 4 storey high were build to replace the TST which fell succumbed to the wave and was officiated in the year 1990 by Yang Amat Berhormat (The Most Honourable), Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed who was then the fourth Great Prime Minister of Malaysia. The building were later renamed Kompleks Taman Selera Tanjung. The ground at the right side of the complex were made into a night market or Pasar Malam Tanjung , where from 5pm onward will be fill with many hawker until 12 or 1 am.

Like the history repeating it self. In 1998 The Kompleks Taman Selera Tanjung was sold and modified by the new owner into a Small Super called ASTAKA SHOOPING COMPLEX. Selling all kind of tin stuff and groceries that u normally see. Here inside Astaka u will find a fast food restaurant, cake shop, phone shop etc... ,this is one of the place u can stock up some cheap wine and cheap beer before your next trip to the island as alcohol are hard to find unless your are at a Chinese restaurant.


The Closing of Pasar Malam Tanjung and its blessing

At the year 1995, The Pasar Malam Tanjung were closed down to made way for a small bus express terminal and office (December 1995) and still remain with small cubicle ticketing office as it is today 2006 . This small terminal is the place where u will arrive if u take any bus express to Kuala Terengganu. Here u can find a buiding with 4 toilet!!? and other public amities like public phone .


After 10 year, this shabby building still sell bus ticket to all major city in Malaysia. Is quite a sore in the eyes and are pathetic and embarrassment to Terengganu State .It is quite pathetic seeing a 20M by 3M long wooden squire box with small 1m wide counter or 1 x 2m cubicle selling ticket to the other major city and some mega city like Kuala Lumpur ,Shah Alam and Johor Bharu and 3 metre wide roof .There only 18 small long chair which can accommodated only around 80 people ..while there are at lest 9 or 13, 40’s seater air conditioning bus express departing every hour to other major city in Malaysia which ...is.. my god what and accommodation they got!! still with all its crazyness was compensated with its precise time and scheduled for bus to arrive and depart. and a small super called The ASTAKA SHOPPING COMPLEX just about 8 metre from the terminal ticketing both. When its rain you can run to the small Super if you are not afraid to miss your bus.(this happen a lot to many non local who loiter to long at the ASTAKA that they miss they scheduled time :P )

How To Get Here

MAP to PASAR PAYANG

 

Conveniently located in the prime business area, Pasar Payang is within walking distance from Dataran Shahbandar, Istana Maziah, Bukit Puteri and Bazaar Warisan in Jalan Zultan Zainal Abidin, Kuala Terengganu.

From the MBKT Bus Terminal, walk along Paya Keladi Business Centre, turn left and Paya Payang is right ahead.

Where To Eat

1. Pasar Payang Food Court
2. Bazar Warisan Food Court
3. Shafinaz Nasi Padang Restaurant
4. Erwina Nasi Padang Restaurant

Fast Food Restaurant

1. KFC Paya Keladi Business Centre
2. Mc Donald’s Paya Bunga

N.B:
Just infront of the small terminal at the cross road, u can see a very popular but “STUPID” Chinese restaurant. Why Stupid you ask? because the owner are greedy and reckless for other people safety. They modified and enlarge they shop with 1.5 meter high pavement to put they extra table till its reach the bloody road. If you are riding a Proton Wira, you will need to up your car into the main road about almost 2 meter something, just to see whether you can corner into the main road as the table and the customer block your view. Which is very dangerous if the incoming car speed on and don’t know there are a road next to the @#$$%& restaurant.. What irritated me and most motorist is that is the little @#$%^& cute teddy customer who smile at you and than while you about to corner they will pour carbonated, juice and etc drinks and food on your car.. chou !@#$%^&&*..... I don’t recommend anyone eating there at all. 

(PS: The SHops pavement had been reconstructed 1 year ago by the Local Authorities after the article was post ^_^  to ground level with the roads)


Quest for Reader!!

Thing to find with google image

- Nipa fruticans - Atap Nipah - Gulung Daun Nipah - Pasar Sasak -Dinding Pelupuh.
- Perahu- Dr Mahathir- ASTAKA SHOOPING COMPLEX-Perahu Payang-

new paper article about Pasar Payang.

http://www.nst.com.my/Weekly/Travel/article/Shopping/
20050425130534/Article/index_html

Appreciating Past History at Pasar Payang