Kuching City

Day Three

Made an enquiry with the resort reception the day before on types of transportation leaving for Kuching city, and was told that the transport would either be coach bus or taxi. Decided to take the taxi at MYR 60 (quoted by the resort reception) because the coach bus will only leave at 9 am which gave us lesser time to check-in our hotel and explore the Sunday market (closes at around 12 noon).

Therefore boarded our hired taxi soon after breakfast and reached our hotel at 0915 hrs after 40-mins journey. Was surprised that taxi driver charged us only MYR 55.

Hilton Kuching hotel

Checked in to Hilton Kuching hotel for the 2 subsequent nights (left photo below). The cost per room per night was MYR 149.50. If included 10% service charge and 5% government tax, then total would be MYR 171.93 per room per night without breakfast. The swimming pool (right photo below) was so inviting and also wanted to go for a dip but usually don't have the time.



The room was spacious and clean just like any standard hotels (photos below).



The hotel location was good which is just besides the waterfront.


View of Kuching waterfront from the hotel (photo below).

Sunday Market

Took a taxi from the hotel lobby to Sunday Market which cost MYR 12. Located at Jalan Satok, the market is like a hypermarket without air-conditioning. Stalls operate from Saturday afternoon till Sunday afternoon. It is divided into many sections but generally into 'wet-markets' and 'dry' sections.

For the wet-markets section, pastries (Kuih), biscuits, fruits & vegetables and even live fishes are sold (photos below).

For the dry section, souvenirs, clothing, magazines, toys and even pets are sold (photos below).



What caught my attention were the maroon peanuts just unearthed from the ground (left photo below) and BBQ fishes clipped by bamboo sticks (right photo below) . I even tried some peanuts which had a very raw taste. The peanuts were selling at MYR 3 per one kg but didn't buy any as I don't know how to process them.



Kolok Mee

Definitely a must-try dish in Kuching. We tried it in a Muslim store (left photo below) while walking towards Sarawak museum. Cost was MYR 3.50 and it tasted good (right photo below). However the attitude of the seller was very unfriendly; probably we didn't order any drinks.



Sarawak Museum

Sarawak museum (left photo below) was originally built in 1891 to permanently house and display local native arts & crafts, and collections of local animals as some were collected by the famous naturalist Alfred Wallace (same era as Charles Darwin). The ground floor of the museum now houses the mounted displays of Sarawak fauna specimen (right photo below), while the museum west wing houses Shell exhibition - petroleum industries of Sarawak. The second floor displays the collection of Borneo ethnography, prehistoric artifacts and historical documents.

Opening time is 0900 to 1630 hrs daily (closed on first day of major festivals) and admission is free.



Opposite the original museum building (old wing) is the new wing of Sarawak museum (also known as Dewan Tun Abdul Razak). The second floor displays some of the recent archaeological findings and history of Sarawak. The museum shop at the ground floor has some good varieties of souvenirs. Opening time is the same as the old building and admission is free.

Saw a ice-cream cart (left photo below) once I walked out from the museum. These cone ice-creams reminded me of my primary school days where I used to buy from a motorbike cart. Each ice-cream cost only MYR 1.00 but the ice-cream scoop was rather pathetic (right photo below).



Textile Museum

This museum (left photo below), built in 1907, is a 3-storey building whose architecture resembles a mixture of late English Renaissance and English colonial design. It has four galleries featuring raw materials, weaving, textiles motifs & accessories, and bridal wear. The displays within this museum were fascinating which showcased the textiles of indigenous people.

Opening time is 0900 to 1630 hrs daily (closed on first day of major festivals) and admission is free.

Visitor's Information Centre

Located beside the waterfront, this visitor centre (right photo below) used to be a Court House built in 1874 for the purpose of bringing all government offices and venue for all state ceremonies. The white colonial-baroque Clock Tower (on the right side of photo) was added in 1883 while the Charles Brooke Memorial was added in 1924 (on the left side). This visitor centre is now run by Sarawak Tourism Board and has a good stock of leaflets, brochures and other promotional materials.



India Street Pedestrian Mall

The India Street derives its name from the fact that it used to be a street occupied by Indian shops (photos below). Previously it was called Kling Street in the 1850s, but the Third White Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Vyner Brooke changed its name to India Street in 1928. In 1992, the street was closed to vehicular traffic and converted into a pedestrian mall. This is the place to shop for spices, clothing, textiles, souvenirs and even tailor-made clothes.



Lunch at KFC restaurant

Had our lunch adjacent to India Street in a KFC restaurant (left photo below). What impressed me was the management in this KFC outlet uses speech-impaired (mute) person to serve customers. There is no problem in communicating my order and delivery speed is the same as any other fast food restaurant. I was also fascinated that the food still served in plates (right photo below), which was what KFC used to serve during the 80s in Singapore. My 2-piece meal set and iced lemon tea cost MYR 10.30.



Cat Museum

Negotiated with a taxi driver for both ways at MYR 40 from India Street to Cat Museum and back to hotel, including one hour waiting at the museum. This museum is located at the lobby of Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) (left photo below). Interestingly the museum entrance is decorated as the mouth of a cat (right photo below).



This museum is definitely not to be missed if you are a cat-lover. There are four main galleries having more than 2,000 cat artifacts and memorabilia from all over the world. Among them was the famous Japanese "mouth-less" cat 'Hello Kitty' and the robotic cat 'Doraemon'. I even saw an exact pair of porcelain cats that I bought years ago but now I'm no longer able to find them. Following are the snapshots of some of its collections (photos below).

Opening hours from 0900 to 1700 hrs and admission is free. However there is a charge at MYR 4 to any digital camera used inside this museum (photo below).


Kuching Waterfront

No visit to Kuching city would be completed without a stroll along this modern esplanade. Several facilities and buildings were added to the Waterfront, including a restored Chinese pavilion, an observation tower, a tea terrace and the spectacular musical fountains, as well as a number of modern sculptures.

There was this eye-catching Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) complex across the river (left photo below). It is a 114-meters high building for future Sarawak's state legislative assembly sittings. Bronze sculptures in the form of crocodile provided a good photo background (right photo below). Astana (palace) could be seen at the other bank of the river. It is now the official resident for the Head of State of Sarawak. This palace was built during the Brooke's rule in 1870.



History could also be learned from the metal plates along the waterfront walkway (left photo below); for example Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia on 16 Sept 1963. Offices and warehouse of the Sarawak Steamship Company used to occupy this building built in 1930 but now it is the home of Kuching Waterfront Bazaar (right photo below), with dozens of stalls selling a wide range of handicrafts and souvenirs.



Hartz Chicken Buffet

Had dinner at Hartz Chicken Buffet (left photo below) located at the basement of Sarawak Plaza. Each adult just need to pay MYR 17.70. The food variety was comparable with the price paid, and taste was average but personally felt that the roasted chicken was rather salty (right photo below).




Day Four

Bako National Park

After some Sarawak Kuih Lapis and coffee inside the hotel room, we headed down to the lobby at 0830 hrs for the tour agency to bring us to Bako National Park. Booked this tour one day ahead with a tour agency located at the ground floor of Hilton hotel. Managed to negotiate to a price of MYR 150 per person. The mini coach bus took about 30-mins to reach the Kampung Bako jetty (left photo below). Fishing village could be seen at the opposite bank from the jetty (right photo below).



Was surprised to see a warning sign of crocodiles (left photo below) at the jetty. The tour guide told us that recently a village boy was beaten to death by a crocodile and it still has not been caught. This added some excitement to our boat ride. The boat took about 20-mins to reach the Bako National Park jetty (right photo below).



The guide briefed us on the mangrove habitat (left photo below) as we walked along the lifted walkways. The coastline of the park is indented with beautiful rock formations, steep cliff and sandy bays that provide a picture-perfect scenery (right photo below).



Trekking was the next activity where we got to see more flora and fauna of Bako National Park. This was where I saw how Tongkat Ali and Kacip Fatimah plants looked like. It is interesting that some treks along the trail were formed by mainly by the tree roots (photos below).



Only managed to see some wildlife along the trail including Proboscis Monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), Bearded Pigs (Sus barbatus), an Asian Water Monitor (Varanus salvator), a viper snake and a spider.

A family of Proboscis Monkeys found near the lodge house (photos below).





Two bearded pigs (left photo below) foraging near the lodge house and a monitor lizard (right photo below) trying to escape from our attention.





A viper snake (left photo below) resting on a tree branch and a spider (right photo below) with a size of 4-inches waiting for its prey.

Shopping Malls at Kuching waterfront

Ended our Bako tour in the late afternoon and reached the hotel at about 1600 hrs. Decided to spend our time inside those shopping malls near our hotel. Went to Riverside Shopping Complex (opposite Sarawak Plaza) and was delighted to find ice-cream selling for only MYR 0.99 at the Giant Supermarket (located at the complex basement). Bought a yam wafer (left photo below) just to get some "cheap-thrill" satisfaction.

We then had our dinner at SugarBun restaurant where I ordered a plate of Kano Chicken rice with Satay sauce at MYR 7.50 and a cup of hot tea at MYR 2.20 (right photo below). Taste of the satay sauce was good at this fast-food restaurant.
Continued our shopping trail in other two malls, Tun Jugah (left photo below) and Sarawak Plaza (right photo below), after dinner. There was nothing unique about the shops inside these malls, except for those particular ones having sales. Bought an Adidas cotton shirt for only MYR 29.95 after a 50% discount.




Day Five

Had our breakfast at McDonalds and I ordered a Big Breakfast set for MYR 9.95. Didn't take any photo of my meal since there's no difference as those served in Singapore.

Tua Pek Kong Temple

Went to visit this ornately decorated temple (photos below) opposite the waterfront. This temple is the oldest Chinese temple in Kuching and believed to be built during 1843, although historical records showed its existence only in 1876.



Chinese History Museum

Built in 1912, this building (left photo below) used to be a courthouse for Sarawak's Chinese community. In 1993, it was converted to a Chinese History museum which traces the history of Chinese community in Sarawak. Exhibits include the early trade routes, initial migration from various regions of Southern China, traditional trading activities etc (right photo below).



Opening time is 0900 to 1630 hrs daily (closed on first day of major festivals) and admission is free.

Main Bazaar

Located opposite the waterfront, it is the oldest street at the heart of old Kuching. Some of the best architecture examples of Chinese shop-houses could be found along this street. Main Bazaar has become a popular place to buy traditional souvenirs, handicrafts and antiques. This was where I bought my magnet figurines in one of the souvenir shops.

Many stores were setup outside the shops along the corridor selling Sarawak Kuih Lapis (left photo below). These cakes are so colorful that you will be tempted to buy one especially after trying out some of the samples. There was even watermelon flavor in this watermelon Kuih Lapis (right photo below). Was really impressed by the creativity of Sarawak people to invent such cakes.



Jalan Carpenter

Jalan Carpenter is parallel to Main Bazaar and has a similar selection of small traders and coffee shops as those of Main Bazaar. Its entry point is marked by a Chinese-inspired red archway (left photo below). We tried a bowl of Kolok Mee (right photo below) from a Chinese stall at one of the coffee shops. This Kolok mee cost MYR 3.50 and tasted average and noodle was rather dry with little gravy.



Jalan Padungan

Had lunch at this Hong Kong Noodle House (香港面粥家) located along Jalan Padungan and opposite bing! coffee (left photo below). Ordered a plate of bean curd at MYR 10 (right photo below), half of roasted duck at MYR 17.50 (left bottom photo) and Yam basket at MYR 15 (right bottom photo). Each bowl of rice cost MYR 1 and all prices indicated are inclusive of taxes and service charge. Taste was good for the reasonable price paid and my favorite was the fried bean curd.

Kuching International Airport

After some wash-up at the hotel, we took a taxi from the hotel to the airport at MYR 22. This airport has many shops and restaurants (photos below). Do note that only Marrybrown and a coffee outlet are located inside the transit area. However, there are more choices of restaurants at the arrival and departure halls.



Had my dinner at Marrybrown (left photo below) where I ordered a Nasi Satay for MYR 9.65 with a soft-drink included (right photo below). Was disappointed with the food I chose because the fried rice was rather hard and the satay was cold.



Took flight AK 6673 back and reached Singapore at around 2030 hrs. That's how my 5-days short trip ended.