Malaysian convoy visits Krabi

30 May 2011

A convoy of Malaysian vehicles travelled up from Trang to Chumpon over the weekend. En route the four-wheel-drive vehicles, with heritage aficionados aboard, passed through Krabi town and stopped over at a village in Takua Pa District, north of Krabi.

Zaid Mohammed Mohd Rais, the expedition leader, said the Nurulhuda Mosque in Takua Pa showed distinct signs of Malay influence. He said the 150-year-old structure had been renovated, but still resembled similar older ones in Malaysia.

The convoy, collectively known as the Jejak Warisan Jawi Expedition, also visited an adjacent school where they donated cash and provisions. Mr Rais said that as the school had 4 teachers and 100 Pratom pupils, religious education seemed to be alive and well in the district.

After leaving Takua Pa, the convoy headed up the Andaman Sea coast to Ranong, opposite Victoria Point in Myanmar, and then across the Thai peninsula to Chumpon on the Gulf of Thailand coast.

Yesterday the group set off from Chumpon and was hoping to reach Aranyapratet on Thailand’s eastern border, where it will cross into Cambodia at Poipet. Navigators had estimated that the journey would take them more than 14 hours.

The Jejak Warisan Jawi trip is scheduled to last 25 days and members hope to cover 10,000kms on an odyssey that will also see them visit Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar in a search for Malay history and culture. The Malaysian Information and Culture Ministry is supporting the trip.

Tags: Malaysian convoy Krabi