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EXPLORING KUCHING
Kuching the capital of Sarawak (population 600,000) is a mixture of old and new - wooden houses on stilts in the Kampung on the north bank of the River Sarawak and high rise offices, malls, hotels and big houses on the south bank. There are new super air conditioned designer malls and small shops, street stores and markets.
We visit the museum which gives an overview of Sarawak’s natural history and cultural development. It is interesting to see stuffed specimens of all the creatures I had seen on the rainforest adventure. Sadly artefacts from the Niah Caves are in store due to museum restoration work. I contact a former curator of the museum, and go along to a ‘Friends of the Sarawak Museum’, event about Tom Harrisson who set up the original museum. He collected many traditional items and explored the Niah Caves for artefacts. His finds include the 40,000 year old human skull. Lots of interesting people - mainly expats- but also a generous supply of tasty sandwiches, egg custards and proper coffee without condensed milk!
Ruth and I wander the streets of old Chinatown. Lots of fabric shops. Beautiful silver thread embroidered cloth and
beaded work. I take photographs to send to my friend Val at home. I buy a new dressing gown – or is it a nightie. I’m not sure. Lots of antique looking shops and craft shops alongside the river. It is very difficult at first to tell real antiques and handicrafts and bead work from imported junk fresh from China. However after visits to several shops where they are all selling identical items it becomes easier to pick out those selling the more interesting items.
A visit to the textile museum is intriguing. Several wedding gowns with beautiful bead work and gold and silver thread embroidery. Wonderful intricate weaving samples of traditional meaningful designs worked in silk or cotton thread using natural dyes. These are used for festivals and ceremonies. Samples of old batik designs and Chinese embroidery. Sadly for Ruth it was Saturday and the staff came and put the lights off and threw us out half an hour before closing time. Luckily I could return to finish looking later.
The river front is lovely and a small boat takes us across to the Kampung (traditional village) for 1Ringett 20p which is interesting to explore. Many of
the wooden houses on stilts are well appointed and it is often a preferred way of living to the more urban areas back across the river. We see 2 women moving soil on a building site, and various bakeries making kek lapis a traditional layer cake of many colours. The local fish stall has fans whirring at high speed to keep the fish cool and filleted fish is laid out to dry in the sun – just like the washing. Sadly no coffee anywhere.
It is Ruth’s turn to see an orang utan. We take a taxi to the Semenggoh Nature Reserve orang utan rehabilitation centre and arrive early in time to see young orang utans swinging along a high rope to the feeding station. Seconds later the old man -34years old – just saunters across the road in front of us. He resembles a walking brown furry hearthrug! He was found as an orphan and bottlefed and then taught to live in the rainforest reserve. Later we see mum and baby. Mum bangs a coconut against a tree trunk until it smashes and then she feeds pieces of nut to her baby.
A chance to learn more
about cultural Sarawak we visit the Cultural village on the Santubong peninsula. The shuttlebus driver recommends a homestay. It is wonderful staying with a 3 generation Muslim family. The house is interesting. Lots of mirrors with Arabic script. Seating around the edge of the room a bit like in Morocco. The son, a teacher of Islamic studies, speaks to us about his school. He drives us to a super seafood restaurant and collects us later in the evening. In the morning the breakfast of soup, a savoury rice dish, eggs, fruit and coffee is tasty and we enjoy meeting the daughter and lovely little granddaughter. I think I may try doing ‘homestays’ instead of B&B.
The shuttle bus driver collects us after breakfast and takes us to the cultural centre to see a range of traditional longhouses typical of local tribes. The site is well managed and well maintained unlike other tourist facilities! Wandering round the traditional houses is interesting. They are hosted by local skilled tribal people who are demonstrating traditional bead work, weaving, baking, musical instrument making from gourds and bamboo and birdsnest soup making. The lady making buns cooks them in a shallow pan on charcoal.
She pops on a lid and then covers the lid with hot ashes to create an oven like environment inside the pan.
I have always been intrigued by sago. I know it is not a grain – but now, thanks to the Melanau people of Sarawak, who preferred sago to rice, I know it comes from the bark of a sago palm which grows on the coastal swamps. The trunk accumulates starch and the pith is grated to a fine mash. This is soaked then trodden through a mat to leach out the sago starch. The sediment is spread out on mats to dry. This can then rolled around in a big shallow fabric tray where it gradually forms tiny balls or it can be ground into a flour and used to make biscuits and cakes.
We are entertained to a tribal music, dance and song performance. Also a demonstration of bursting balloons at a distance with a blow pipe. All very professional but I am a bit taken aback at being chosen to dance on the stage with the troup. I will see if Ruth’s photos come out.
It is time for Ruth to leave. We
eat a tasty Indian meal and Ruth flies from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu where she spends a few days in the flat before flying home. I opt to stay here in Kuching. The Singghasana Lodge is very comfortable and has wifi so I can catch up on my blog. It is very central and there is still a lot to see in this amazing city.
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