Think Pahang and a few things spring to mind. No, literally. Think Pahang, and only a few things will spring to mind.

The truth is, apart from the two Highlands (which sadly get mistaken time and again as Perak’s or Selangor’s) and the usual same-old-same-old in Kuantan, getting under the skin of Pahang for a holiday can prove quite a challenge for the average traveller. It’s no cosmopolitan hub, it’s not at the cusp of blossoming change – it doesn’t even have that noble, rustic allure of a timeworn shantytown to go full #cottagecore- at times, it almost feels like the sole purpose of Pahang’s existence is to stand as the archetypal prodigal child of Malaysia. The one where, in a room full of twelve other siblings each jostling hard to get a piece of your attention, stands out as the quiet, elusive one who couldn’t care less about yours.

And such perhaps, is the charm of Pahang. It is passive, and it is non-descript, and it demands absolutely none of your attention and energy; thriving purposefully on its carefully cultivated reputation of being a place where there is ‘nowhere to go’ and ‘nothing to see’. After all, how else can the third-largest state of a nation housing a 130-million-year-old RainForest (the oldest in the world) and the largest multi-tiered waterfall in the land- situated slapbang in the middle of the country- protect its sanctity and reserve it only for the ones who deserve it most, i.e. the ones who stopped long enough to cast it a second look?

It can’t. And so Pahang continues to live in the shadows of its sister cities, intentionally designed to be overlooked as domestic and international travellers flock toward the glitzier glamour of Johor, Malacca, and KL; oblivious of the full majesty of a lightly treaded, heavily unexplored landscape, situated not far off and just a little ways to their right. And it will continue to be, a state that is unknown – and almost, unknowable – to the world. Endless jungles teeming with life—too dense and vast to explore and categorize; and a robust ecosystem built to outmanoeuvre the ever-lingering threat of overtourism, remaining an open secret meant only for those who know, and those who want to know.

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3 Apps That Will Make Your Life Easier Here: MyRapid Pulse (if you’re keen to explore Kuantan by bus [P.S. This app also works in KL and Penang!]); Lunch Kaki if you’re travelling solo and are looking to meet new people while having meals (think Bumble); and also, I previously recommended Grab as Malaysia’s answer to Uber… but just in case you’re the kind of person who needs more than 1 of the same app to compare fares, try MyCar (which is also quite the ride-hailing force to contend with).

Here, Most People Flock Straight To: Kuantan… or Cameron Highlands & Genting Highlands.

My First Impression of Pahang In Five Words: Restful, Gentle, Quiet, Self-Assured, Calm

A Pahang Itinerary In Five Words: Beaches, Turtles, Waterfalls, Hill Stations (i.e. Cameron & Genting Highlands).

I Woke Up With: Hyatt Regency, Kuantan.

The First Thing I Did After Checking In Was: Sleep. Funny story. I reached Kuantan at the unearthly godforsaken hour of 5am – and initially, I’d plan to maximise my day by leaving my bags at Concierge, whiling away a couple of hours at the lobby, and then heading out to explore the city as soon as dawn cracked – but my will cracked faster and 10 minutes into my ‘plan’, I found myself paying for a full day’s room rate just to be able to check in at 5 so that I could sleep.

(Best decision ever. I woke up at 11 fully rejuvenated and raring to go.)

The Best Way to Move Around In Kuantan Is By: Grab. I know, I’m a terrible influence – but ride hailing is so ridiculously inexpensive in Kuantan it’s become an option too efficicent to ignore. For approximates, it’s pretty common for 10-15min ride fares to start from as low as USD2-3, and a 45-min ride to the Waterfalls in the boonies worked out to be less than USD10. It’s so inexpensive you actually start to feel guilty after a while. I tipped every single ride I took just to alleviate myself of this guilt.

There are public buses – but unless you have a month to saunter around the city, I’d say skip the ‘authentic travelling’ burlesque. You can take a bus a couple of times to get your vibes; for the rest of your time there, just give in to ride-sharing. The trade-offs are huge – and they are in your favour.

This Experience Is A Must: Do nothing. And that is really the one thing I appreciated most about Pahang. This state is so seemingly untouched by tourism (often overlooked for its bigger and more convenient sister cities, KL and JB); that most do not even consider Kuantan as a real travel destination. As a result, there is no definitive itinerary or bucket list or ‘things to do’ that you will feel pressured to have to abide by when you’re here. If you want to eat, you eat. If you want to shop, you shop. If you want to spend the entire day at the beach doing nothing, then spend the entire day at the beach doing nothing.

That said, I wouldn’t go so far as to call Pahang ‘slow-paced’; rather, it is that nothing is ever in your face and no matter what you choose to do, you will find yourself in harmony with the state’s thinly populated surroundings. And that, is the magic of Pahang that you’ll have to experience to understand.

If I Had 24 Hours In Pahang, I Would: Ask for 24 hours more. This is serious #slowliving capital and I can’t imagine a list of things you can actually zipline your way through in less than a day.

I suppose if you really do only have 24 hours here, then just make a list of food places to visit and see where that takes you. You can probably squeeze in a half-day beach vacay at Teluk Cempedak or even Cherating – but other than that, you probably won’t get much else meaningful done.

If I Can Only Eat One Thing Here, It’s: Seafood. Many of the best seafood restaurants in Kuantan and Cherating are located by the beach; expect the servings to be fresh and the ambience highly atmospheric. There’s also always a wide spread – you choose your catch, and then you tell them how you want it cooked. Ikan Bakar (charcoal-grilled fish) is a crowd favourite, and anything ‘Salted Egg’ or ‘Butter’ are safe bets too.

For A True Taste of Local Food, Also Try: Nasi Kukus. There are 3 states in Malaysia that will claim this as their own state dish, and Pahang is one of them. (The other two are Kelantan and Terrenganu.)

Simply put, Nasi Kukus is steamed rice lathered with an over-generous amount of curry and served with a portion of protein (typically fried chicken, but it can also be beef, squid, mutton, fish, anything, really); and while it might sound remarkably oversimplified, a real foodie will immediately recognize that the simpler the dish, the more scrutiny falls on every single speck of ingredient that goes into creating it. Everything makes the world of a difference when it comes to determining what a good plate of Nasi Kukus should taste like; and for a non-intimidating initiation into the world of Nasi Kukus, seek out Nasi Kukus My Mama, a Nasi Kukus fast food chain in Pahang (yes, that’s how serious Pahang takes Nasi Kukus) More daring adventurers can take on Nasi Kukus Mama Murah & Marvellous; or Dapur Mama – Original Nasi Kukus.

The Kuantan Locals Don’t Want You to Know About: the Curry Laksa at Restoran Hoi Yin, located at Jalan Teluk Cempedak… and yet, everyone knows. Pencil this in as a first-thing-in-the-morning plan if you’ve got it on your list: the eatery opens at 8 in the morning, gets super crowded by 10, and closes by 2.30 in the afternoon – although, it is not uncommon for them to be sold out way before then.

One Thing You Should Never Do In Pahang Is: Skip it. It’s sad, but even the locals do. Few antidotes are as effective at washing away urban fatigue than Pahang; and I highly recommend not skipping it – especially if you’re a city dweller.

One Thing I Did But Could Have Skipped Was: Visit wayyyyy too many cafes. My advice is to just pick three that you really can’t miss, and then wistfully wonder about the rest that you will skip. My personally recommended picks are Rona & Lena Cafes by Kayuwoods (they’re both soooo good I can’t choose), and Tjantek.

One Thing I Skipped But Wish I Did Was: The turtles. I was literally there. Right. Smack. In. The. Middle. of. Freaking. Turtle. Season.

In Kuantan, this means that you take a one-hour ride to the beach in Cherating in hopes of witnessing the rare marvellous beauty of tiny baby turtles hatching from eggs and crawling back into the ocean. Unfortunately, it was only after I reached Kuantan that I found out these special tours operate at night (one of those things that makes sense only after you find out) – and well, you know I need at least a month’s worth of mental preparation before I can work myself up to do anything at night. So I skipped it.

And now I will live to regret it. Possibly until the day that I die.

The Best Photos Opportunities Can Be Found: Somewhere natural. Two-thirds of Pahang is covered by dense rainforest, with an additional 210km of its Southeastern borders gracing the South China Sea; and between the greens and the blues (and all the hill stations in between), Pahang seems to be made for photos – once you move out of the city centre to explore its great outdoors. There is even a smattering of smaller islands if you’ve got the energy to hop (the most notable one being Tioman Island); but even if you don’t, mainland Pahang boasts some pretty formidable beaches that don’t skimp on the details.

For A Glimpse of Daily Life, I Recommend: Just opening your eyes as you move around. No one’s putting on a show for the tourists in this state; which is its entire selling point if you ask me.

I’m Not A Hipster, But: Visit a cafe. That seems to be the fail-proof plan whenever you find yourself in a part of Malaysia you can’t quite get a hipster feel of. They’re all over Kuantan, but the Jalan Besar area more or less serves as the gravitational centre for these hipster cafes; there, you’ll find the likes of Tjantek, Muka, Kantin, Kuantan Pickers, as well as both Lena Cafe & Rona Cafe by Kayuwoods (among many others).

Stretch That $10 In My Pocket: Avoid cafes, malls, and ride-hailing; and that $10 will know how to stretch itself here. There isn’t much else to spend on in Pahang and everything is pretty much free to visit – even when there’re ticket fares, the costs are so low you’ll have much of that $10 well in tact even after you go.

For A More Bucolic Setting: Take a trip to Cameron or Genting Highlands (but you probably already did).

On the off chance that this is the first time you’re hearing about these highlands, they’re basically hill stations best known for their cold temperatures and almost-otherworldly idyllic vibes. Cameron’s famous for their strawberry farms, tea plantations, and a very diverse flora and fauna biodiversity; while Genting has totally sold out and given in to the likes of casinos, theme parks, and premium shopping outlets. (Well, it’s bucolic in another sense.)

They’re good for one of those two-to-three-nights kind of stays and can be surprisingly replenishing for the soul – although, if you’re really pressed for time and don’t require the full experience, even a day trip up for the awesome fresh air will suffice.

The Dumbest Myth I’ve Ever Heard About Pahang Is: That it is a state of Orang Asli* (Aborigines). I’m not even going to talk about how problematic this connotation is, but I will say this – there is nothing ‘rural’ about Pahang; and there is nothing ‘backward’ about the Orang Asli of today. It’s just a tidy little place that doesn’t give a shit about carving out an identity just to impress us – and yet somehow, it still does anyway. The lack of a whirlwind of activity gives rise to this myth of course; but therein lies the beauty of Pahang. It is the aimless wandering and being sidetracked by everything and nothing at the same time that makes it the perfect pastoral antithesis to the grime and drudgery of city life. It is not ‘rural’, and it is not ‘backward’. It’s just perfectly at ease with the rest of the world overlooking its existence – but of course, this puts the rest of the world at unease somehow.

*True to how the indigenous people are typically perceived in their own country across the world, the Orang Asli in Malaysia are, too, often stereotyped as (among many other things) lazy, unintelligent, poor, and primitive in their way of living. The reality in Malaysia today, however, is that the Orang Asli are so well integrated in the mainstream community that oftentimes you can’t even tell them apart from the Malays- but of course, as the saying goes, a myth can make its way halfway round the world while the truth is still putting its shoes on.

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Enjoy Pahang. I know I did.