Except for a few curious glances from seemingly uninterested beach-goers, the recently concluded second edition of the Asian Water-cross Super Cup Terengganu at Batu Buruk Beach almost went by unnoticed.
Of course, the beach was crowded on Friday and Saturday, but it was clear that almost all of the visitors were more interested in the Armed Forces Exhibition, also held in the vicinity.
Local resident Awang J who stopped by for lunch at a nearby fast-food restaurant said he thought there were some rich kids playing around in the water on their jet-skis.
When told about the supposedly famous professional jet-skiers competing for a prestigious cup in a state-sponsored tournament, Awang said he would rather be at Pasar Payang watching people buy durians. Another sightseer Mahmud said jet-skiing was just not his cup of tea.
"Judging by the number of spectators watching the race, I take it not many people like the sport.
"But then again, we are now famous for hosting unpopular sports ," he said.
Some of the media people there were not having much fun either.
An elderly gentleman who claimed to be Bernama's representative said it was a lousy race but somebody had to cover it.
Azmi who writes for Sinar Harian said getting race results from the organisers was like pulling teeth out of a tiger's mouth.
"The rest are much wiser for not turning up at all," he added.
The best murtabak in Kuala Terengganu is at Restoran Selamat. At least, according to photographers Aswadi of NSTP and Arjasneh of Bernama.
"It's simply delicious and the curry is to die for," said Arjasneh who admitted he just had to go for an extra helping when met at the Jalan Sultan Omar eatery on Wednesday night.
Harian Metro writer Khairul who decided to join them for dinner was also full of praise for the dish.
"I've heard people talking about the murtabak here and now I can say, they are not wrong,"
"I'm impressed with the serving size too and not to mention, the RM2.50 price tag," said the self-proclaimed big eater.
Murtabak maker Awang was beaming with pride.
He said his murtabak was not doing all that well until a few months ago.
"It's all because of the customers who kept providing me with tips to improve the taste of my murtabak.
"I've been tinkering with the ingredients, adding fresh mints, coriander leaves and even a dash of rose syrup," he said.
In the end, Awang said, he managed to do it just right.
He must be right as regular customers Din and Napi could only say, "one more please."
Life at Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort and Spa is not the same again without the singing group Los Batakos.
The Indonesian quartet ended their stint at the home of the Monsoon Cup yesterday, leaving hollow feeling among many regular diners at the resort's Verandah Restaurant.
For almost six months, band members Harry Mountne, Winter Siregar, Vedro Sihombing and Naek Sinaga kept resort guests entertained with their unique brand of music and vocal prowess.
They were definitely part of the resort attractions, said regular visitor Esmadee Endut who admitted to have become a fan of the group.
"They may not be Los Lobos but they sure can sing 'La Bamba' and 'Beautiful Maria'," he said.