Rantau Panjang Shopping Tour

Everyone knows that Southeast Asia is a relatively cheap shopping destination as is. But throw in the wonder of duty-free between two state borders and you’ve got something truly magical on your hands. You get Rantau Panjang.

Neatly located on the Malaysian-Thai border in Kelantan, this quaint town is known for its busy shopping street. Here, you can find virtually anything Malaysian and Thai. Toys, jewelry, snacks, spices, pickled fruits, sandals, batik, electronics, fresh produce—you name it and they’ve got it! Best of luck trying to walk through the entire town without spending a single cent.

Breakfast at Kopitiam Kita
Kopitiam Kita, which translates to “Our Coffee Shop”, is a place where you can find numerous types of pre-packed rice being sold. They have all the famous types of food choices from all over Kelantan. Sink your teeth into a piping hot nasi ayam dagang with flavoursome curry poured over rice. Savour the well-known roti titab here, a delicious French toast bread with half-boiled egg on top of it with dollops of kaya. What’s fun to know is that they serve their hot milo in the traditional cup and saucer! With an assortment of mixed rice and local delicacies, there’s bound to be something for everyone in Kopitiam Kita.

Istana Dodol (Wan Sabariah Dodol Lemal)
A green palace built full of its own uniqueness as a result from selling the humble dodol and serunding (meat floss), the Istana Dodol is well-known in Kelantan for its variety of dodol and meat floss. Dodol, a sweet toffee-like sugar palm-based confection is a local favorite and is popular in Southeast Asia. Go behind the scenes and see how these foods are made and the amount of care put into them by its owners. The building itself feels like a castle from an old time, and you’re free to take pictures while exploring inside as well as sampling some treats and buying them.

Rantau Panjang Free Duty Zone
Rantau Panjang, an exotic duty-free shopping destination is worth visiting for shopping-addicts of all kinds. In some ways, being in Rantau Panjang makes you feel as if you’re in Thailand already. You’ll see a lot of cars, motorcycles, and cute scooters around with Siamese license plates on it. While it may not be as big as the Langkawi duty-free shopping area, but for those who are looking for household items, this is definitely the place. Kitchen utensils, clothes, fresh fruits, automobile accessories and women accessories are among the merchandise sold here where you can get a lot of good deals by bargaining with the retailers.

Stop at Beijing Mosque (Masjid Jubli Perak Sultan Ismail Petra)
Also known as Sultan Ismail Petra Silver Jubilee Mosque, the Beijing Mosque is the first Chinese-style mosque in the country, has a unique design that combines Chinese and Islamic architecture similar to the more than 1,000-year-old Niujie mosque in Beijing. What’s interesting to note too are the Indian and Uzbekistan features that are also incorporated in its interiors, which are quite a marvel to observe inside the Beijing Mosque. It’s a lovely gem amidst the city for you to walk around and observe the Quran verses inside its walls.

Heading to Pengkalan Kubor Free Duty Zone
Pengkalan Kubor in Tumpat Kelantan is another place shopping for local products made ​​in Thailand and quite famous among visitors. Known as Tax Free or Duty Free Zone Pengkalan Kubor. There are various goods made from Thailand also sold in Pengkalan Kubor including the football jersey, comforter, pots and pans, other kitchen items and so on. Apart from clothing and kitchenware, a wide range of foods are available at Pengkalan Kubor Duty Free Zone. Drop by some stalls to buy some cashew nuts and tamarinds for a bit of snacking along the way.

Shopping at Meat Floss Factory (Serunding Kampung Laut)
Serunding (meat floss) is made using beef or chicken and a combination of spices cooked until dry. The Serunding Kampung Laut Factory has an interesting process of making the meat floss-like. It takes a long time and requires specialized technical skills, additionally, you’ll find out the serunding can last up to 8 months if prepared properly. There are various types of serunding such as serunding chicken, meat and fish. Fun fact, during the month of fasting and Eid, serunding is one of the popular and easy to find food. This serunding menu can be used as a food supplement and can be eaten with rice, glutinous rice, lemang, bread and so on. It will complement the flavor for the dish. Buy one or two bags of serunding to take home with you and enjoy.