8 March Kuching
On a partly cloudy morning, I headed over to the post office to mail seven
postcards a pair of USB drives with back-up photos. Then I headed to the top
sight, the well-presented collection at Sibu Heritage Centre (open Tues.-Sun 9
a.m.-5 p.m.; free). Exhibits illustrate how this wild frontier region of the
Brunei Sultanate came under the rule of the White Rajah Empire beginning with
James Brooke in 1853. Photos and crafts show the life of settlers, which
included the Melanaus and Malays from coastal areas, Ibans and other minority
groups from the interior, and at least seven ethnic Chinese groups. I then
wandered through the massive Sibu Central Market, said to be the largest in
Malaysia, and continued to the Express Ferry Terminal, where I bought a boat
ticket (RM55) to Kuching. Over at Tua Pek Kong Temple, workers were taking down
red lanterns and other decorations for Chinese New Year. Inside the main hall,
people paid respects to a seated figure of an old man and smaller figures of
gods off to the sides. Upstairs I found a shrine to Kwan Yin, then I continued
up and up to the seventh floor at the top of the pagoda (Ask for the key in the
main hall.) and stepped outside for panoramas of the city and river, both busy
with commerce.
Back at the hotel, I quickly packed up, picked up food to go at the downstairs
restaurant, then hopped into a Grab taxi for the ride to the Express Ferry
Terminal. I probably could have walked in the time the taxi negotiated traffic
and a meandering route, but I sure enjoyed soaking up the air-conditioning! I
had to enter name and passport number before boarding the two-level fast ferry,
then again onboard. We roared off promptly at the 11:30 a.m. departure time and
headed down the river, passing the slow barges and freighters. Mangroves lined
most of the shore, with little settlements and sawmill operations here and
there. We picked more passengers in the large town of Sarikei, then stopped
again at Tanjung Manis before heading out toward the open sea. Fortunately the
waters had only small waves, so not too much rolling. Lastly the boat turned up
the Sarawak River to Kutching Passenger Terminal, about 6 kilometers east of the
city center. My Airbnb host kindly met me at the terminal and took me to her
centrally located apartment. I was the only guest today, and got my choice of
the three guestrooms, going for the one with a window. Bathroom is down the
hall, but I get use of the kitchen and patio. Plus this was the first place I’ve
stayed with good wi-fi in a long time! The city’s name is very similar to the
Malay word for ‘cat,’ so that furry friend has become its mascot, and we passed
a couple cat monuments on the way in.
With a beautiful sunny late afternoon, I went for a stroll on Jalan Padungan in
New Chinatown, through some of the buildings date back to the 1920s. I stopped
for a snack of a red bean bun and pineapple pastry at one of the many little
food shops here. Next I wandered along the waterfront, which has a pleasant
walkway. Working boats don’t come this far upriver, so only tourist boats ran on
this section. With all the snacking, I didn’t feel like a big meal, so had just
had tomato soup, spinach pakora, and a mango lassi at Lyn’s Thandoori
Restaurant, a North Indian place.
9 March Kuching
Morning clouds gave way to a sunny and breezy afternoon and evening. My host
fixed a very good breakfast of a veggie omelet and small loaf of fresh-baked
bread. Although I could have walked west across town to a group of museums, I
got a Grab taxi. The old Sarawak State Museum, famous for its ethnology
collection, had closed in preparation for moving to a yet unfinished building
across the road. Nearby Sarawak Art Museum was open, but its name referred to
the building, not the contents! What I found were good exhibits on archaeology,
including exhibits from Niah Cave, history of Sarawak, and presentations on the
jungle-dwelling indigenous groups—including skulls from head-hunting days. Next
door I stuck my head in Sarawak Natural History Museum, but its collection isn’t
open to the public.
I walked around to the Islamic Museum, but it was closed for Friday prayer time.
Next, I tried the Textile Museum, in a fine old building tucked in beside a big
shopping center, and found not just beautiful textiles, but also lots of
colorful beadwork, basketry, and examples of bark clothing made by indigenous
peoples.
Down on the waterfront I came to the strange new Darul Hana Bridge, a daring
pedestrian crossing with a curving path and radically tilted suspension towers.
It had a fine view of the golden-roofed Sarawak State Assembly and the
Astana—the 1869 home of the ‘White Rajah’ Charles Brooke and now residence of
the Governor of Sarawak—both on the north shore. Neither of these is open to the
public, but I continued walking north a little past them to see the Orchid
Garden, full of beautiful and showy blooms.
Back on the south shore, I had a look at the 1879 Square Tower, late 1800s Old
Courthouse Complex, and a simple 1924 memorial to Charles Brooke. Lastly I
followed the riverfront path back toward my place, stopping on the way at Lyn’s
Thandoori Restaurant for a palak paneer dinner with Persian rice flavored with
orange and almonds.
10 March Kuching
For breakfast my host whipped up banana bread and a scone. Stormy skies
dominated the day, though only a few light showers fell in the morning. It’s not
surprising to find rain here because Kuching has an average annual precipitation
of 4.093 meters (13.4 feet)! Variation in average temperatures throughout the
year is just 1.6 °C because the city is so close to the equator, 1.6° north.
Getting a Grab taxi seemed a good idea, and I got one to the Islamic Museum,
which staff were just beginning to open. Exhibit rooms wrapped around two
courtyards and displayed arts, crafts, astrolabes, architectural models, and
weapons of the Islamic world. A central room told the history of Islam in
Sarawak and Malaysia.
I walked to the nearby gold-domed Masjid Bandaraya Kuching (State Mosque),
surrounded by graveyards, but didn’t go inside because of construction work.
Then I turned east past little shops of Jalan India and Old Chinatown, passing
several Chinese temples, to the Chinese History Museum. Exhibits told about the
Chinese ethnic groups who came here and about Chinese music, festivals, and
crafts.
An old man in a little covered boat ferried me across Sungai Sarawak to the
Malay village Kampung Boyan on the north shore, where I made my way up a little
hill to Fort Margherita, built by the White Rajah, Charles Brooke, in 1879 and
named after his wife. Just the presence of the fort ended the threat of pirate
attacks. Now it has very good exhibits on the White Rajahs, an English family
who made peace among all the ethnic groups in Sarawak and ruled for 100 years
from 1841 until the Japanese took over in World War 2. After the war the British
government took over, against the wishes of the family and many locals, then
Sarawak became part of Malaysia, again with considerable local objection. After
taking in the collection’s three floors, I climbed onto the roof for views from
this formerly strategic spot. More at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rajahs
Another small boat took me from the Malay kampong back to the south shore, and I
ended the day with a malai kofta dinner at Lyn’s Thandoori Restaurant, then a
slice of butterscotch-pecan cake at Secret Recipe.
11 March Kuching
I got up early to catch the first bus to Bako National Park, and was surprised
that my host headed into the kitchen to make a stack of pancakes—real fluffy
ones, not the thin crepes one usually finds in Asia. The day dawned with blue
skies overhead, though billowing clouds lurked on the horizon. A bunch of
natural areas surround Kuching and can be done as day trips. Bako seemed the
most interesting as it’s a hilly peninsula famed for wildlife and plant
communities. I caught the first bus at a little past 7 a.m. for a ride northeast
to a pier on Sungai Bako. Here I bought the park entrance ticket (RM20) and
roundtrip boat ticket (RM40), then got into a little covered boat powered by an
outboard motor. We left the riverside fishing village behind and rode past
mangroves to the South China Sea. Shallow waters caused waves to break even far
off shore, and the waves gave us a very rough ride, though the boatman tried to
maneuver around them. Water came over the bow, soaking my shoes. The boat landed
on a long beach in front of park headquarters, and we splashed ashore, grateful
to be alive.
I walked to the north end of the beach where it meets a small river, then
climbed atop a boardwalk. A pair of wild boar slowly moseyed along the sands,
largely ignoring me as I snapped several photos. A boat pulled into the river
and dropped its passengers off at a dock, which seemed a lot nicer than landing
on the beach. I crossed the river bridge and began a hike on the
5.8-kilometer-loop Lintang Trail, which turned out to be a great choice for a
day hike. A little ways down it I detoured off on a trail to Teluk Paku, a small
beach. Although signed as just 800 meters away, the tangles of roots that made
up much of the trail along with many ups and downs made the distance seem much
farther. On the way I met a couple of hikers who had been watching proboscis
monkeys clamber through the trees. They’re difficult to spot in the dense
vegetation—and I caught a glimpse of just one—but I heard their distinct calls
that sound like crying. A tinkling sound also came out of a tree above, but
luckily the monkey ‘precipitation’ missed me. Teluk Paku had a rugged beauty.
Dark clouds roamed above and haze hovered over the sea, but only traces of rain
fell. Humidity felt uncomfortably close to 100%.
Back on the Lintang Trail, I climbed steadily to a bare sandstone area, then
continued on a rare easy section through a stunted kerangas forest. A welcome
breeze came through. The poor sandy soil here can only support small trees, but
epiphytes and pitcher plants enjoy the sunny conditions. Other hikers I met
split off to more distant destinations, but I stayed on the Lintang Trail. Lots
of small streams flowed across the sandstone plateau and formed pools of dark
tannin-stained water. A short detour led up to a viewpoint atop Bukit Tambi, 164
meters high according to the gps, though I could just peer through the trees to
the sea and cloud-wreathed Santubong Peninsula beyond. Besides the common
pitcher plants that grow on tree-climbing vines, there’s a species that lacks a
rain-cover leaf and is so heavy that the pitchers rest on the ground.
The next two side trails turned out to be closed—Ulu Serait and Serait—so it’s
worth checking with park staff about trail conditions! Although the weather
forecast called for heavy afternoon showers, the day became mostly sunny. At the
park’s café, I picked up a can of jasmine tea and a large bottle of water to
rehydrate. The last boat back was said to leave at 3 p.m., which gave just
enough time for a climb up Tanjung Sapi Trail to a viewpoint high above the
beach. A large crowd had gathered near park headquarters for the 3 p.m. boats,
but staff became super disorganized, first leading us south toward Telok Delima
beach, then north to the river. Only three small boats arrived at the river, so
the rest of us were told to go to Telok Delima. It was a very pleasant walk, so
I didn’t mind, but departure had slipped 80 minutes.
My shoes never did dry out, so I just splashed into the water and climbed into a
boat. Big waves still rolled across the sea, but now with the wind at our backs,
the boatman could more easily swing around them. So the ride felt much smoother,
though with a lot of salt spray. Back at the Sungai Bako pier I found the bus
waiting, but the driver made a long and annoying stop on the way to wait for a
woman who brought him groceries. The bus dropped everyone off at Kuching’s
waterfront, and I strolled along it, then turned inland to Lyn’s Thandoori
Restaurant for another palak paneer dinner.
12 March Kuching
Clouds dominated the day with bits of rain. This was an easy day after finishing
the main sights of Kuching and the adventurous day in Bako National Park. But
there was one more place I wished to visit, the Tun Jugah Foundation (http://tunjugahfoundation.org.my/
4th floor Tun Jugah Tower; Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4:30 p.m.; free), named
after the Iban leader and politician Tun Jugah Ak Barieng (1903-81). In one room
weavers work at looms—both long looms to tie off bundles of threads with plastic
bands to make a pattern after dying, and backstrap looms to weave complex
patterns. Galleries display weavings, old Chinese ceramics, and old beads.
Afterward I had a very tasty and cheap lunch at the vegetarian restaurant Zhun
San Yen (Jalan Chan Chin Ann; open Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sat. 9 a.m.-3
p.m.); it has a lunch-time buffet with a clever system of weighing the plates,
so one can take as many entrees as desired and choose the portions. My host has
an artist friend and we met him at a gallery he was just setting up. He
specializes in paintings on bark, with hornbills and flowers his favorite
subjects. He and I then went to The Museum Cafe & Shop (across the street from
the Chinese History Museum) to see many of his works; it’s an attractive place
to hang out and also sells jewelry, crafts and postcards. In the evening,
predictably, I headed over to Lyn’s Thandoori Restaurant, this time for a
vegetable Hyderabadi (mixed veg. with spinach sauce) and a flavorful pullao.
On to Malaysia: Penang and Langkawi
Back to beginning of Southeast Asia Backpacking Jan.-April 2018