A ‘Rumah Bujang’
that has been restored to its former glory at the Terrapuri Heritage
Village in Kampung Mangkok, Setiu.
SETIU: It is only going to
open its doors to guests next year, but the Terrapuri Heritage Village in
Kampung Mongkok is already featured in a video for conserving the state's
heritage.
Eric Cruz, creative director
of Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo, the team behind Honda's Drive Every Drop video,
said eco-sustainability was one of the themes behind the video.
Noting that the idea of preserving culture and sustainable tourism was
important, he said Terrapuri was keeping alive stories of people who used
to live there.
The 31/2 minute video, hosted by Allan Wu of Amazing Race Asia fame, is
part of the campaign which sees a road trip through three countries --
Malaysia, India and Australia.
The aim of the campaign is to build awareness on how Honda creates
fuel-efficient vehicles.
Terrapuri, a
soon-to-be-completed high-end resort, combines Terengganu's unique
architectural heritage with the latest modern conveniences and is said to
be the first of its kind in the state.
The resort is a 19-year labour of love by tour operator Alex Lee, managing
director of Ping Anchorage, who spent close to RM2 million buying 28
traditional Terengganu Malay houses, such as the Rumah Bujang and Rumah
Berserambi Terengganu.
Some are being restored, and while others are being reconstructed using
building materials said to be more than 200 years old, that Lee has
salvaged.
The layout of the resort was inspired by the 19th century palace of Sultan
Mansur II and its surrounding buildings. There will be villas as well as a
restaurant, spa and gallery displaying Terengganu artifacts and crafts.
The resort, which is poised to open in April, is located near a painted
terrapin sanctuary as well as a mangrove swamp which is home to fire
flies.
For Lee, the Honda video was not only good mileage for the tourism
industry here but is also a motivation for him to restore more houses or
embark on similar projects.
"With the amount of development the state is going through. it's vital to
conserve whatever heritage we have as it is our selling point from a
tourism perspective."
