Kuching City of Cats to Penang Island

Well I must say I enjoyed my time so much in Kuching and there is so much to do there too. The people of Borneo on a whole must be the friendliest people on earth. Everyone says hello - if people said hello to one another back home we would think they were loopy or something. The Sarawak River runs through the town and the Waterfront on its banks is a most pleasant way to end off the day cooling down along its banks. We went to visit the Cultural Village which was a pleasant ride out of town past the suburbs which are amazing. Building everywhere old and new side by side which is also the way in Asia. New suburbs are being built in a few styles obviously according to what people can afford. Terraced houses seem to be very popular and then there are semi-detached also popular but a good bit bigger and therefore more expensive and then of course you see some amazing houses which they call bungalows here.
The village is extemely well set out around a lake with the jungle behind as a backdrop. Its a working one so you will enter a longhouse see how the people live with live demonstrations of weaving, cooking little local snacks and cakes, making musical insturments and tools. There is also a performance in the main auditorium of tribal dancing and showing of their skills with the blow pipe - used for hunting in the forest now used to frighten audiences as they shoot baloons above your head!! As Terry and i are never going to spend the night deep in the heart of the Borneo Jungle trekking for days to find lost tribes this was the closest thing we could get to it without the insects and creepy crawlies that go with territory (phew just as well as i dont do those things very well)
Besides the Museum (which was fantastic) and the Week-end Market we went to Bako National Park for a short walk. I thought the 1.9 kilometre one would be good but Terry in his wisdom (well he has been there before) chose the 800 metre one which i thought would be a doddle but hey i was wrong and i am big enough to admit it. It took us at least 3 quaters of an hour to do the trail one way sweating from every pore i might add. This walk was awesome and tough enough for me to get the jungle experience. The only dissapointment was that we did not get to see any probiscus monkeys. the couple in front of us got a glimpse of one which we had heard crashing through the trees but it was not our day. I saw the biggest ants ever and they were frightening i can tell ya and aggressive - would not like one of those near me.

That evening we flew out for Penang and arrived in a downpour (Terrys fault I must say as he had just been bragging that he had never flown in all his time on Air Asia and it had rained as you see Air Asia bless them is the cheap flight and they dont do the walkways you actually have to walk on the tarmac to the plane and until this very flight it was free seating so you would be charging down the tarmac trying to get the best seats on the plane!!) and very late at night. Our hotel turned out to be great and so is Penang. I love it here. The shop houses are fantastic and there are temples of every religion around every corner. Chinese, Thai, buddist of all persuasions, churches and even a Jewish Cemetary which i found out about too late and so have not gone to visit it. But hey you have to leave something for nextime!!! We had a briliant day on Thursday - we caught the bus and went to Penang Hill and took the vernicular to the top. This is an amazing ride in two stages of just over 400 metres each. Can you imagine the cable?? The views from the top were stunning. We had tea in the old Belleview Hotel on the Verandah with vipers (not kidding) sleeping in the jade green vine above our heads. I saw them with my own eyes and read the note that said please dont disturb them they are sleeping!! Just as well Pazzie wasnt there as he would have them awake and crawling all over him!!! I could not believe it when my phone rang and my mum and dad said hello!! what a spot to get a call and the line was so clear they could have been standing next to me.
The next day we took a bus to the Butterfly Farm which was awesome too. Such a great display with waterfalls, information videos, and a few other exhibits like scorpions, tarantulas, and lizards of many varieties as well. We waited and hour for our connecting bus which did not come so we took a taxi up through the mountains to the next village past durian farms, waterfalls and a dam. This was not the exact tourist route so thats why the busses were scarce but we managed to get the whole way around the island which is 70 kilometres for 25RM each (thats R75.00) not bad for a whole day out. We walked through little India on our way home and got blasted by loud music, insence and aromas of curry mixed in.
Our night time place a few times has been the Red Food Court next to our hotel where there is live music from 9.30 until late which has kept us thoroughly amused. The first night there was dancing - the old folks were at it like a dance hall we were enthralled and last night an old timer got up and mimed all the songs (many of which were american country and western numbers which i did not know) but he was such a personality we loved it. As Terry says this was his gig man and sure as hell beats staying at home in front of the telly. The chinese are so full of life its wonderful.
So our time ends here today and we are off to Pankor Island tomorrow making our way back to KL only a week left for me now which is very sad as of course i am loving this.

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