The Cats City

Earlier, we were offered a free two-night stay at a hotel in Kuching upon our attendance of an investment talk by a Sarawak company. With the free stay, we decided to plan a short trip to Kuching. We have also decided to extend the stay by one more day just in case there would be more places to see or more people we need to meet up with. In the end, I discovered the two nights stay is more than sufficient unless you are planning for out-of-town trekking or to climb Mount Santubong.

I last visited Kuching way back in 1979 or 1980. After a lapse of almost forty years ago, I have no recollection of what this town is really liked. Other than that the town is sited on a flatter terrain and spread over a much larger area compared to KK, I could not think of any other thing.

We stayed at Grand Margherita (former Holiday Inn) from 5th to 8th November. This hotel is strategically located at Kuching Waterfront. The famous cats statue is just across the street outside the hotel main entrance. The well-patronized Chong Choon Cafe is a mere five minutes walk from the hotel.

The first photo taken is at the Cats Statue.

Cats Statue by night.

At Chong Choon Cafe, we tried the Kuching Laksa,
said to one of the best and the Popiah.

We walked to the Carpenter Street (equivalent to Gaya Street of KK) a few times. But honestly, its vibrancy is in no way comparable to Gaya Street of KK. 

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We found this little road side store set up on a pedestrian walkway in between a busy road and the wall of a row of old shop building near Carpenter Street. This is something that we no longer see in KK but still found in many places in West Malaysia. This store which sells Cendol instantly reminded me of the Teochew Chendul (Read here) we had in Penang. In the end, I was more nostalgic about the traditional Cendol. I consider the Cendol Sago sold at this store to be a few stars behind compared to the Chendol in Penang as far as I am concerned!

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The most famous landmark in Kuching, the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is visible from the hotel and within walking distance. To visit this landmark, we had to walk across Sarawak River via the "Crooked Pedestrian Bridge", which the local people like to call it. Our hotel is at the southern bank of Sarawak River within Kuching South City while the Legislative Building is at the northern bank within the Kuching North City. 

We hailed a boatman of a little boat who spent half an hour taking us around the vicinity of the Crooked Bridge. He too had this to say: "Someone you know who made a lot of money out of this bridge" after I said that the bridge must have been an expensive project. I knew he was referring to Sarawak former CM, Taib Mahmud.

Personally, I think the Crooked Bridge is a good project. The lighted-up bridge at night attract a lot of visitors. But I believe most are drawn to see the musical fountain built near the northern end of the bridge in front of the Legislative Building. 

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A friend in Kuching recommended us to dine at Lepau - a restaurant that serves Orang Ulu and Dayak food. This turned out to be a new culinary experience.

 

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Influenced by the TV's series "Jason's Market Trail", we also spent a morning at the huge Stutong Community Market. This two storey wet market is really huge. One can literally find anything  that you can think of - seafood, meats, vegetables, fruits, dried goods, clothing etc. Huge food court is found at the upper floor.

 

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Caught a glimpse of Mt. Santubong on the
way to Sarawak Cultural Village.

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We spent half a day at the Sarawak Cultural Village - a good place to understand the dwelling houses, handicrafts and culture of the indigenous people.

The climax of the tour is the cultural show at the auditorium

The visit to the Cultural Village ended with a lunch at the restaurant adjacent to the auditorium. That was another round of cuisine of the Ulu Orang and the Dayak - which they theme "Taste & Flavours of the Rainforest".