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My flight left Kuala Lumpar on time and landed in Kuching several hours later. I grabbed a taxi and headed to my accomodation, Singgahsana Lodge, but I was too early to get into my room. It was barely 10.00am and as check-in time was 1.00pm, I had a few hours to kill. So, I left my suitcase in their care and headed out into the streets again.
Once the capital of the White Rajahs of Sarawak, and now with a population of 600,000, Kuching is small enough to explore on foot. The name of the city, Kuching, is thought to derive from the Malay word kucing, meaning cat. There are certainly plenty of cat statues in the streets and cat themed tourist junk in the shops to support this theory. I walked the promenade along the river and browsed the tourist shops in the street opposite, to pass the time. I also needed to find an ATM machine as I was down to my last $10.
At 1.00pm I had the key to my room, I switched on the air-con and hit the bed for a nap. I went out again later as I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I
Around Kuching
Astana - the official residence of the Governor of Sarawak.ended up at James Brooke Restaurant & Bistro, just across the street overlooking the river, where I ate dinner washed down with a beer. Since leaving Vietnam my accomodation and meal costs have risen but I'm still eating just two meals a day - breakfast and an early dinner. I had another early night and will delve into Kuching's streets tomorrow.
Monday dawned bright, sunny and eventually, very hot! I had no real plans for the day and decided to make my way into the centre of town, browsing in shops along the way. I also visited the textile museum which housed a display authentic local textiles and costumes made by the ethnic communities of Sarawak. I found it interesting as I have an appreciation of the work that goes into making those items.
After leaving the museum I walked into the town centre and found myself at the bus hub. In front of me was a bus with Bako National Park as it's destination. I impulsively jumped on board (fare $1.20) as Bako was on my list of 'must visit places'. It was a local bus and stopped everywhere but I eventually got to the Bako National
Around Kuching
A busker on the waterfront. Park departure point. I bought an admittance ticket for 20 ringgets ($6.75) and then had to sort how I was going to get downriver and back, as the National Park entrance was a 20 minute speed boat ride away.
The return boat fare was almost 100 ringgets ($34) which can be split between the number of passengers, with a maximum of five. I shared a boat downriver with four others who were staying overnight, so weren't available for a share ride back. So, I had no option but to pay for a private boat back, the round trip costing me 56 ringgets or $19.
The reason for my visit was that I was hoping to see the rare proboscis monkeys which are found only in Borneo. Bako is the home to about 275 of these. They aren't in captivity and live freely in the rainforest, so there's no guarantee that you'll be lucky enough to see them.
The first thing I had to do was register my intention of walking one of the trails in the registration office. On my return I had to sign in again so authorities knew I had returned safely. I decided to
The Textile Museum
This old doll is dressed in beautiful antique clothing. walk Telok Paku trail which was only 700m long but was a two hour return trip. I didn't see the end of that trail as I turned back. It was hard going, I was walking in the midday heat and there was no sign of monkeys anywhere, not as much as a rustle in the treetops. Discouraged and drenched in sweat I headed back the way I come. I saw one monkey in the mangroves on the way back, a silvered langur, which had no interest in being friendly and wouldn't even look my way long enough for a decent photo.
So, I've missed seeing the proboscis monkey, but I enjoyed the outing anyway. I caught a speed boat back to the departure point and waited half an hour for the bus back to Kuching. I ate dinner that night from a kebab stand on the waterfront, and hit the pillow early.
I woke in the night to hear it pouring with rain which didn't surprise me after yesterday's heat. It was still raining at breakfast time and I wondered how I would spend my day. The rain cleared as the morning passed, so I booked myself into
Bako National Park
These men have been jellyfish fishing. The white item above the black container is a thrown jellyfish. They eat them here. an afternoon trip to Semenggoh Nature Reserve, hoping to see the orang-utans.
The Semenggoh Wildlife Centre was established in 1975 to care for wild animals which have either been found injured in the forest, orphaned, or were previously kept as illegal pets. The centre is situated within the boundaries of the Semenggoh Nature Reserve, approximately 24 km from Kuching. The orang- utans are an endangered species and live only in the rain forests of Malaysian Borneo, Indonesian Borneo and North Sumatra. They are one of the world’s largest primates, and are almost completely tree living. Orang-utan literally translates as 'person of the forest'.
When rescued orang-utan arrive at the Centre they are a given a medical check-up and placed in cages. The first stage of the rehabilitation process then begins. The young orang-utan have to be taught to survive in their habitat and every day the wardens take them to suitable places in the forest where they learn how to climb trees, swing on branches and forage for food. After two to four years they are able to fend for themselves and are released into the surrounding Forest Reserve.
Although these recently released orang-utan spend most of
Bako National Park
The cafe and registration office. their time in the surrounding forest, they do return to the centre where they are fed twice daily at a feeding station. This is where/when tourists are able to see them, from a viewing platform in the forest. Everyone had to be quiet and wait, whilst a warden called into the forest. Before long there was a rustle in the treetops and two orang-utans appeared. They were fascinating to watch as they swung from tree to tree and along ropes to reach the platform where the fruit was. They were soon joined by others, one a female with a baby clinging to her. They grabbed fruit and swung out along the ropes again, hanging in the air whilst eating and throwing their scraps to the forest floor. A once in a lifetime experience for me, to see these 'cousins' of ours living freely in the forest and swinging through the trees, as if they were stars in a Tarzan movie.
On Thursday afternoon I decided to join a wetlands tour. A few hours on the water should be very pleasant. There was only three people on this trip and the car picked me up for the 15 minute drive
Bako National Park
The mangrove trees look a little spooky. to a local Malay village located within the Kuching Wetlands National Park. After boarding our speed boat we cruised along the mangrove river towards the South China Sea.
We kept a keen lookout for the elusive Irrawaddy dolphin, a flat faced creature that frequented the brackish mangrove waters. Unfortunately we saw none. The tide was high which meant no mud flats for crocodiles to laze on so we saw none of them either. We never got the opportunity to 'croc spot' with torches after dark as black storm clouds had gathered, the wind had picked up and we all knew it was going to pour. We did see proboscis monkeys, but only from a distance. They were in the mangroves and we were in the boat and I couldn't get a decent photo as they were too far away. So, when it started to rain we turned and headed back to the wharf early. No point in staying out and getting soaked.
The tour was a washout and basically a waste of money. But, no one is responsible for the weather and there are never guarantees, on these type of trips, that you will actually see the wildlife
Bako National Park
The silvered langur monkey which didn't want his photo taken. you're looking for. We got back to Kuching to find most of the city experiencing blackouts due to the storm. Another early, and very dark, night.
I've not done a lot with my days whilst in Kuching. I've been content to wander around town, browse in the shops, and visit nearby attractions. The Art Gallery, the Chinese History Museum, India Street and walks along the waterfront are as far as I've felt like venturing. There's a hammock on the rooftop where I've spent many hours reading, my room for afternoon naps, shops and restaurants around the corner for meals and essentials.
The reason I've spent so much time here is because of the Rainforest World Music Festival which is held over three days and nights from the 28-30th June. This three day musical event is held at the Sarawak Cultural Village, 45 minutes from Kuching, in a magical rainforest setting with mountains towering in the background.
The festival has always set out to entertain and challenge the audiences and it’s probably fair to say not all the music is for all the people. However, you have to admire the high calibre of musicians who come here to
Around Kuching
One of the ugly painted concrete cat statues gracing Kuching. perform from all over the world. The festival also supports the continuation of the music and culture of Sarawak’s various ethnic communities. This year’s festival will see eight local groups, mostly from Sarawak, perform alongside the international acts.
I had originally planned to buy a three day ticket but decided day tickets were a better option. They could be purchased at the gate and cost $40. Shuttle buses left every hour between Kuching and the venue ($10 return) so I headed out to the Cultural Village on Friday afternoon, the first day of the festival. I was through the front gate in no time after purchasing my ticket. The queue for the collection of e-tickets was long, so much for saving time by buying online! This was my first visit to the Cultural Village so I had a wander through the traditional houses first. They were lots of stalls selling craft and jewellery to browse around as well.
Around 5.00pm I heard drumming and tracked it down to a workshop being held. I joined dozens of others on the floor and listened to the primal beat of more than a dozen different drums in unison. It was a
Around Kuching
My accomodation, not exactly a lodge, but comfortable enough. brilliant start to a good night, the drummers being performers who were joined by a couple of guys from the crowd, and they put on a damn good show.
Predictably, it started to rain. This event always gets rain but thankfully it wasn't too heavy, though it did drizzle on and off, all night. I enjoyed the music, though starting the festival off with an old guy on a wooden flute didn't make sense to me. I left at 11.30pm, wanting to get a shuttle back to Kuching before the crowds. Even though the festival was on for another two nights I didn't go again. It rained heavily the next two nights, I'm told. I spent the weekend relaxing and doing nothing much at all. On Monday morning I head to Singapore, my last stop before home.
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