ITINERARY:
Day 1: Singapore - Kuching
Day 2: Sarawak Cultural Village - Semenggoh Wildlife Centre
Day 3: Kuching - Singapore
DAY 1 (15 May 2009, Friday)
On arrival in Kuching Airport on TR494, I managed to secure a full day trip with Hornbill Tours to Sarawak Cultural Village and Semenggoh Wildlife Centre for the next day for RM130.
Taxi to Hilton Kuching took about 20mins due to the peak hour traffic, and cost RM22 from the Airport Taxi coupon counter. On arrival at the Hilton Kuching, a pleasant complimentary upgrade to a Suite Room at the Executive Floor awaits.
Hilton Kuching from the waterfront
Suite Room on the Executive Floor
Complimentary chocolates
Excellent sunset view of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Complex and Kuching Town from my room
The budget Tune Hotel is just across the street from Hilton
There are plenty of budget guesthouses and domitaries in Chinatown. Among them is this Chinese Tea House.
I walked along the Kuching waterfront to get to the open air market and had a great seafood meal at one of the stalls.
Drunken prawns
The locals indulge in jungle fern known as the midin. It is much sought after for its crisp texture and great taste, and is usually fried with garlic or belacan.
DAY 2 (16 May 2009, Saturday)
The driver arrived before 0830hrs to get me on the minibus for a 45min ride to the Sarawak Cultural Village. The award winning Sarawak Cultural Village is tucked away on the foothills of Mount Santubong, 35km away from Kuching. You can see Sarawak's ethnic diversity at a glance as this living museum depicts the heritage of the major racial groups in Sarawak
Footbridge used to cross rivers
Many Borneo natives live in longhouses, in effect, a row of dwellingsand a village street under one roof. The Bidayuhs, a group comprising the Jagoi, Biatah, Bukar-Sadong, Selakau and Lara peoples of West Sarawak, built their houses in mountain fastnesses, tacked to a steep hillside like a gigantic staircase. This was partly for protection against marauding enemies, partly for access to pure, fresh water.
The Bidayuh Longhouse
The Iban Longhouse is a traditional longhouse is built of axe-hewn timber, tied with creeper fibre, roofed with leaf thatch. It is nearly always built by the bank of a navigable river, and the visitor approaches it from the boat jetty. Several doorways lead from the outer to the inner verandah under the roof.
An Iban preparing rice grains
Hand making handicrafts
Carving in chinese
The Orang Ulu are gentle and graceful people, as reflected in their songs, music and dances. Sit on the verandah of the Orang Ulu Longhouse nest with the friendly craft-ladies as they do their intricate beadwork whilst in the background, floats the melodiously haunting tune of the sape, their stringed musical instrument. Other sights of interest are the art of body tattooing, parang ilang, their fighting sword, klirieng, their burial pole.
The Melanau people traditionally lived near the sea within reach of pirates. As a means of protecting themselves, the Melanaus built massive tallhouses forty feet above the ground.
Malay houses are built on stilts and a visitor approaching from the front comes up a staircase.
The Chinese farm house is built at ground level. The floor is made of trodden earth, the walls of whitewashed sawn timber. The roof is thatched with leaf attap. The house is divided into two main parts; the family room which contains the kitchen, eating and living area as well as a storage area for valuables such as bicycles or agricultural machinery, and the bedroom.
Sarawak Cultural Village's award-winning dancers and musicians present their famous multi-cultural performances with spectacular costumes and elegant dance routines to provide an entertaining and enjoyable introduction to Sarawak's ethnic groups and their cultures. Charming Orang Ulu maidens folllowing the pattern of the hornbills or the rugged Iban warrior performing the ngajat, shield in hand. To the rhythm of deep gongs and rainforest instruments.
Tried the Sarawak Kolo Mee and Assam Laksa at one of the food centre during lunch.
After lunch, the driver took me to the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, with species of Orang Utans such as Mawas and Mayas on display. Visitors have to walk 200m into the jungle to get to a viewing area, about 50m from the feeding platform to see the keepers leave food on the feeding platform for the orang utans.
After a nice shower back at the hotel, I walked over to Top Spot Foodcourt for dinner, as suggested by the Lonely Planet Guidebook. Stall #25, Bukit Mata Seafood Centre, was highly recommended in the guidebook.
From Top Spot, I took a 30 minutes walk to the Sunday Market at Jalan Satok. The Sunday Market is like a huge hypermarket divided into many sections such as food, fruits, vegetables, fishes, potted plants, jungle produce, pets, bundle clothing, magazines and even toys. It comes alive beginning Saturday afternoon till the afternoon of the next day.
DAY 3 (17 May 2009, Sunday)
I got up early to walk around Kuching town in the morning, only to be greeting by a light drizzling rain. Had some yummy Kolo Mee and Laksa for breakfast in Chinatown.
The Tua Pek Kong Temple, next to the Hilton Kuching is the oldest Chinese temple in Kuching built in 1843. Various festivals are held here for example The Wang Kang Festival and Ghost Festival.
Hong San Temple
Chinatown
The Post Office
India Mosque Lane at Lorong Sempit is filled with life in the early morning.
Kuching City Mosque was built in 1968 with striking design, featuring a combination of Mid-western and Italian architecture.
Food offerings at the mosque
From the Kuching Waterfront, motorised Tambang ferry passengers back and forth across the river all day at 50 sen per trip.
On the other side of the river is the newly constructed Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Complex and Fort Margerita.
Completed in 1879, Fort Margherita resides at a strategic position at the riverside due to the historical reason that it was once a defensive structure to protect Kuching from possible attack.
That's how quickly the weekend past!
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FAST FACTS
Flight: S$110
Accomodation: S$43
Transport: S$6
Tours and entrance fees: S$59
Food & beverage: S$35
Shopping & miscellaneous: S$11
TOTAL EXPENDITURE: S$274
EXCHANGE RATES
S$1.00 = RM2.40
TRAVEL GUIDES / NEWS / MAGAZINES
Wiki Travel - Kuching
http://wikitravel.org/en/Kuching
Sarawak Cultural Village
http://www.scv.com.my/main.asp
Wiki Travel - Bako National Park
http://wikitravel.org/en/Bako_National_Park
Bako National Park
http://www.forestry.sarawak.gov.my/forweb/np/np/bako.htm
Virtual Tourist - Kuching
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Malaysia/State_of_Sarawak/Kuching-1282361/TravelGuide-Kuching.html
Kuching Car Rental Online
http://auto.catscity.com.my/kuching-car-rental-rates.html
MAPS
http://www.outer-court.com/kuching/kuching-map.html
http://travelmalaysiaguide.com/images/Maps/kuching-map.jpg
http://www.feng.unimas.my/encon2008/Images/Kuching%20Map.jpg
http://www.giantleaf.com/MAP/Kuching.htm
http://www.maplandia.com/malaysia/sarawak/kuching/
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