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Published: January 11th 2015
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Kuching
Cat statue in city of Kuching Arriving in Kuching on Sunday we were very surprised at the lovely town that we found, ditching our belongings we walked around the town and found the people very welcoming and friendly. Kuching is a large town with the Sarawak river running through it, we walked along the river which had beautiful gardens and grassed areas. Young and old people were sat relaxing and stalls which sold drinks and ice creams, while across from the park a road and busy restaurants and shops selling spices, and tourist shops selling timber cats and tribal art. Cats you say! well Kuching means Cat. so every cat is Kuching is quite special not a scraggy Moggie to be found' they are all well fed and healthy and clean even for street cats.
In the evening we walked around the restaurants to find a array of different eateries, restaurants and street cafes. We are quite particular on what we eat, if we are eating street food. But the food on the street looked delicious, we eat pigs trotters with rice and vegetables which was delicious the spicy sauce Yum. On Monday we travelled to the Sarawakan Orangutang sanctuary, on arrival the Rangers told us not
Kuching
Traditional boats on the Sarawak River Kuching to be disappointed because they had not see a orangutang in days. Because of the weather and the fact that they have plenty food in the jungle in the wet season. I was a bit low because this is one of the reasons that I wanted to come to Borneo, but as Glen had pointed out if we don't see any today we have another opportunity when we travel to north Borneo to Saba. In any case I was quite sad we were stood around in the rain, when all of a sudden out of the thick jungle walk mum and her 2 year old. Just like they came out onto the road and up into the trees, we spent 1 hour just watching them playing and them watching us it was mesmerising, such wonderful animals they looked into your soul.In the evening we ate street food again I ate Laksa this was the best Laksa I have ever eaten On Tuesday day we travelled on a local bus to visit a cultural village. It was so interesting, we looked into traditional Longhouses. We were shown by the villagers how day to day life is, from hunting and gathering and
Kuching
Spice shop traditional crafts and art weaving cloth etc. You can stay in one of these longhouses if you wish. The natives used to head hunt back in the day but fortunate for us it's a custom not practiced any more . We were show the blow pipe, for killing whatever the one with the poisonous dart. We walked around the town on Wednesday visiting Museums and art gallery's visiting the Margarita Fort and the Cat Museum, ferried across the Sarawak river in a old timber boat.we had such a lazy day but lovely all the same. Thursday was our last day in Kuching we took a bus and a boat and traveled to Bako National Park, we had planned to walk three treks of the park. Not knowing really what to expect, although we had met a local man who said what ever you do go in thongs We had thought it odd, because we knew that we would be walking a least 20km that day. He told us the track is easy and quite flat. All the westerners had hiking boots on and rigged out every one was looking at us thinking Yeh bloody Australians there were trekker that were
Kuching
Parliament house staying for the day and some for a week depending on the difficulty of the treks. Our first trek was the Paka trail which took 2 hours return, well that was all fun and games we saw proboscis monkeys. The jungle was awesome, up and down sheer drops, unbelievable and down on to a beautiful beach. The next walk was Pandan Becil trail, 3 hours climbing high onto a hill top up timber ladders holding on to vines climbing over large tree roots it was hard to believe us in our thongs but it was working. Our feet were more able to bend around the roots and climbing the ladders was easier. And on the last trek Lintang trail 3 and half hours. Which I think was pure hell by this time we had stopped looking at nature and started to watch what we were walking on sand filled gully that were covered in water clay. With mud with tree roots mangled around the surface of the jungles ground. I am trying to give you all a picture of two 55 year olds thinking we were on survivour. On and on it went through water and jungle. It just didn't
Kuching
Butter, is also sold at the spice shop stop, we kept laughing and thinking what the hell. What was TJ, the local man talking about, flat, not on this trek, but he was right about the thongs.In the whole day we had met about 12 Trekkers, some Dutch people who laughed at our thongs on the first 2 trails. On the Lintang trail we saw only 2 couples who were really struggling because of the wet and the footwear that they had worn was sodden and muddy. They told us that it was really wet up ahead and they too remarked on the thongs and said they should have worn there's .In the last few hours of that walk I fell from a huge rock and slid down on my arse into mud and water. Unhurt, but after a big cry, I toughened up and continued. I don't know how I found it but I found a reserve of energy and continued.As we journeyed home on the boat and the bus back to town, just laughing at our days adventure we wondered if we would do it again and yes would be the answer. Sure we were dirty and wet and tired but the most rewarding day for
us and the fact that we did it. We went to the jungles of Borneo and walked through a remarkable piece of national park. Even though we were totally tired. On getting back to our home we enjoyed a couple of beers and a nice hot bowl of Laksa then a hot shower and fell into a comatose sleep, we had survived. Friday we spent 15 hours on the bus from Kuching to Miri 15 hours you say, yes we could have flown, but we wouldn't have seen the country side. Most travellers choose this option as they use Miri just as a stop over. We know why MIri is just a town nothing more. Nothing to see, we arrived in around 11.30 in the evening and just crashed. In the morning we scouted out the town and had enough, so did as any good Aussies do, we found a bar and had a few drinks. Early Saturday morning we left MIri and headed for Brunei. Only 2 and half hours, so we arrived nice and early. We checked into our home and went for our usual walk around town. Not a lot open as its a Sunday. It's so
Kuching
Off they go back into the jungle not what I expected, but who knows what we will find tomorrow and that's another blog chat to you all next week...........if you can stand the suspense. Just remember guys you can contact us, just hello. Love Suzanne and Glen
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