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Welcome to Cat City! Meow!
And so on to Kuching, the capital of the state of Sarawak, and also my final destination for this leg of my Southeast Asian adventure, before I head back home to Singapore for a few weeks' break. But not before a boat ride back from Kapit back to Sibu, and then onward again for another 4.5h.
Did I already mention it's called Kuching, because it's named after the Malay word for "cat"? Though some would dispute the name's origin. Whatever the case, Kuching itself is I think fairly described as a medium-large city, with sufficient attractions of its own (museums galore) to amuse any traveller for at least a few days. But the jewels in its crown really are the nearby National Parks and reserves, which showcase the Borneon flora and fauna at its finest. The most famous might arguably be the Bako National Park, which I took a bus to, bought the admission ticket, then decided not to enter, and got a refund! You see, after buying the ticket, you're supposed to take another 20 minute boat ride to the park proper. The boat ride costs MYR94 (about USD31) round-trip, and it technically
The Rafflesia
Yes, the world's largest flower, and probably also the smelliest. The odour is supposed to attract carrion flies which pollinate it. This rare flower blooms roughly for just a week each year. I happened to arrive at the right time, for once! can accomodate five people. But I was alone, and apparently it was no longer viable by the time I went, to wait for others to share. So my cheap instincts urged me to give it a miss!
Which was just as well. Instead, I headed to a further (but cheaper) park, at Gunung Gading near the town of Lundu about two hours away from Kuching. And this park is famous for showcasing the rare Rafflesia, a stinking parasitic flower that blooms for a week each year, that happens to be the biggest in the world, and which I'd read about as a kid. It is, after all, just named after the modern founder of my home country Singapore...
Which brought me to the end of my time here. With its long riverside promenade in the downtown area, the city coincidentally reminded me of the last time I was in Phnom Penh, which boasts a similar waterfront, and which was also the last stop of the earlier (first) leg of my adventure. And so the atmospheric setting of course gave me cause to reflect again over my last four and a half months on the road, and one year
One Year of Non-stop Abuse
Inside a dirty backpack. And it's still in one piece! in total.
I kinda remember thinking to myself a year ago, that maybe one year would be enough for Southeast Asia. And to some extent I guess it might be true, since despite having spent extended periods in Thailand (Bangkok in particular), I still managed to visit ten of the eleven Asean countries of the region (only Timor remains), almost all of which I spent at least three weeks exploring what I thought to be a significant chunk of the country. And yet, I don't feel like I'm done with the region yet. In particular, despite having covered most of Java, I still haven't seen a HUGE part of the 200 million population, 10,000 island archipelago that is Indonesia. So I hope to be able to do that, as well as to fill some of the holes that I'd missed in the other countries the first time round. And you'll be the first to hear all about it here! Until then, see you again in a few weeks!
Stayed at Chung Hin Hotel.
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