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."
