Kuching, Sarawak, 1-5 April 2016

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veKuching, Sarawak 1-5 April 2016



We spent one night in Kuching on 30 March before driving to the Iban village on 31/3. We arrived by plane and almost immediately we hopped into 2 vans and went out to see the Semerggoh Orangutan Centre. As soon as we arrived, we saw over 6 Orangutans of all different ages and both male and female. Their antics are fascinating to watch. As their DNA is 97%!t(MISSING)he same as ours, their some of their behaviours are the same.



Kuching, officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarakak, Malaysia. The city is situated on the Sarawak River at the southwest tip of the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo with a population about 325,000.



Kuching was the third capital of Sarawak in 1827 during the administration of the Bruneian Empire. In 1841, Kuching become the capital of Sarawak after Sarawak was ceded to James Brooke for helping the Bruneian empire in crushing a rebellion. The town continued to receive attention and development during the rule of Charles Brooke such as the construction of sanitation system, hospital, prison, fort, and a bazaar. In 1941, the Brooke administration had a Centenary Celebration in Kuching. During WW2, Kuching was occupied by Japanese forces from 1942 to 1945. The Japanese government set up a Batu Lintang camp near Kuching to hold prisoners of war and civilian internees. After the war, the town survived intact. However, the last Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Nyner Brooke decided to cede Sarawak as part of British Crown Colony in 1946. Kuching remained as capital during the Crown Colony period. After the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Kuching retained its status as state capital and was granted city status in 1988. Since then, the Kuching city is divided into two administrative regions managed by two separate local authorities.



Kuching is a major food destination for tourists and the main gateway for travellers visiting Sarawak and Borneo. It is more modern that all other cities we have visited in Borneo. In previous blogs I have said tourists don’t come to Borneo for the food. However, that was before we arrived in Kuching. There were many excellent restaurants – Top Spot, Brookes Cafe, Black Bean, Borneo Rednecks. Our favourite dish became Sarawak Laksa – with a cold beer of course. We saw very little wine in Borneo.



Some of the major places we saw or visited were:



The new State Assembly building which is only opened for special celebrations. The building which was opened in 2009, is fully equipped with high-tech information and communication technology. This new DUN complex, perched on the promontory on the bank of the Sarawak River between the Astana and Fort Margherita, has been described as one of the most beautiful buildings in Southeast Asia. The best view of the complex is from the Kuching Waterfront.


It is also a depiction of the state’s struggles and achievements over the years after gaining independence through the formation of Malaysia and as a multi-racial society. Reinforced by nine gigantic pillars and numerous arches, the building reflects the sovereignty of the people’s power as well as the support of all the races in the state.



The Astana - It is the official residence of the Governor of Sarawak. The name is a variation of istana', meaning 'palace'. It was built in 1870 by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke, as a wedding gift to his wife, Margaret. The palace is not normally open to the public, although the landscaped gardens are, which we reached by a sampan boat ride (1 ringgit) across the Sarawak River.



Kuching, like most towns in Sarawak, has connections to other urban centres and settlements by water transportation. Between the banks of Sarawak River, near the city centre, many 'tambang' (traditional roofed wooden sampan) can be seen carrying passengers from one riverbank to another.



Fort Margherita was another spot we visited. This old fort built in 1879 by Charles Brooke. The fort is an important landmark and monument in Sarawak's history which goes back to the Brooke Dynasty. It was built in the style of an English castle, and was designed to protect Kuching from attack by pirates. It served as a Police Museum from 1971 before being handed over to the Sarawak state government.



The three-storey tower block's battlement includes a watchpoint on top, a courtyard surrounded by a high wall with sharp glass shards inlaid for protection, and set into the wall itself are wooden windows from where the cannons were fired. Executions of prisoners were carried out in this courtyard, right up to the Japanese occupation during WW2.



The Cat Museum – We had to go and see this unusual museum!!! The idea of building a cat museum was mooted by Sarawak chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and his wife Laila Taib. There are four galleries containing over 4,000 artefacts including paintings and memorials related to cats. The history of cats in societies throughout the world was well covered in the displays.





Sarawak Ethnology Museum included information on the local animals and birds as well as the local tribes. It was a real mixture of displays as the Sarawak State and Natural History museums were closed for renovation.
One of our days in Kuching we walked to the Reservior Park which was quite pretty and pleasant. Then we went to the southern city Civic Centre and Planetarium, both of which were closed for renovations!!!!! The Planetarium was the first planetarium to be constructed in Malaysia.



The city has become one of the major industrial and commercial centres in East Malaysia. There are many banks and light industry. The city is a little sprawled out of either side of the Sarawak River.



Our farewell dinner with the GAdventure group was at the Top Spot Restaurant. We had a lovely selection of fresh fish and chicken dishes and very cheap. The 1^st time we went to Top Spot I even had a durian ice-cream which wasn’t too bad. After dinner we went back to our hotel and had a farewell drink on the rooftop bar. We exchanged facebook postings and contact details and said goodbye. Our guide EJ had been fantastic – passionate about his country, went above and beyond the ‘call of duty’ for us, and was very knowledgeable.



On our last day in Kuching, we took it easy. From 3.00pm there was a really heavy tropical down-pour. The sky was really dark so there was no sunset for our last evening. We had been so lucky with the weather as we always seem to be. Before it rained, we walked along China & India Streets (again) as well as up Greenhill and the Waterfront. We had seen all the sites of Kuching we had read about.



I had a fantastic massage in the afternoon (one of the best I have had), even though I got a bit wet walking to the massage place. For the last night we went to the James Brooke Restaurant for a wonderful dory fish meal, a couple of gin and tonics, on a coolish damp evening. It was the best meal we had in Borneo so was a magnificent culmination to a fantastic, varied 4 weeks in Borneo.



Orang-utans, Proboscis monkeys, the Mt Kunabalu climb, Hornbills, Kingfishers, massive cave network, Kuching food, cultural appreciation opportunities, incredibly friendly locals, and some wonderful travel companions whom we will keep in touch with, were the highlights of our 4 weeks.



On Tuesday 5 April, we caught an 8.00am shuttle from our hotel, hopped into the plane at 11.20am (50 minutes late) with MAS to Singapore then Emirates to Brisbane arriving at 1.30am. We were very satisfied that we have a greater appreciation of this developing island of Borneo or as it is known as, eastern Malaysia. We were excited about coming home.

Thanks to everyone who have read my blogs on Borneo.

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