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with turrets--:'"~:-- ~Grneo, the third largest island _ _ 1s-l1ot what vou 10 the wG l'ld and one of the most might expe;r to see deligh tfol cities in South - East as you cruise gently Asia. Kuching offers a glimpse · downstream by of what other .Asian cities were

Qn the Sarawak River, b ut - Fort Matgherim built in 1879 by ;. Charles -Smoke the second White Rajah, is just one of the many r- charms you wiU .find here.

At d,e beginning of the 19th <.:entury, Sarawak was under tl1e cohcrol of the Sn.lean of Brunei.

After the appointment of an unpopular governor, ilie locals revolted ln 1839 James Bro0ke arrived in Kuching, pur down the rebellion and became Rajah. His nephew Charles, though not quite the adventurer he wa~, was a n excellent administrator expanding his ru.le co encompass all of Sar;wak_ After d1e Japanese occupation during World W.ar 11, Sarawak came under British col oni.al rule until 1963 when independence was granted and it formed pact of Malaysia.

Kucbing is the ' capitalcicy of Sarawak on the is land of once like. Laidback, gracious and friendly with a population of 600,000, a walk along t he streets will reveal dragon- festooned Chinese temples and shop houses, a L9m-cenmry South Indian mosque and historiq colonial ar<;hitecture, che most atmospheric streets beingJalan Cr.tmbier, India and Carpenter.

Restaurants and open-ai r hawker stalls sell a variety of J\sian cuisines, including the mu.ltilayered rainbow-coloured egg sponge cakes known as keklapls.

There ace manymusettrns including the splendid Sarawak Musewn with an exceptional ethnographic collection, the Textile Museum with hand- woven fabric made of gold o r ~ilver thread, an lslamic Muse L1m and a ,cat m,1si;um; after all 'Kuching' means cat in Mallly.

The road chat runs a.Long the river has long be~n l;:n:Q_'fill as che Main Bazaar. l:ws.is tlre·best place to shop for tcadicional cribal hanclicrafcs indudingdalowpipes. A shopp ing highlight is the chaotic Sunday 1-fai:ket at Jalan Satok with open-air st'lils, many run by tribes~ people, selling an exptic array of fresh produce including okr.a, g inget, ted c hillies, jungle herbs, sp ices and bananas @f al.I s izes and colo rn:s from yellow to dark red.

The appeal of Kuchi.ng however, lies outside tl1e city acco rding to Dr Philip Ting, J\uscrali,:1n Honota.ry Consnlin Kuching

Whik l1alf the population of Sarawak. is Chii::!ese or Malay, the otl1et half are mba~ lban, Bidayiffi, i\1.elit~,.1 _ Orang Ulu wim rich c:P1tmal traditions, handicrafts, handwoven textiles, bead,;a!rk and WGod carvings. Many still live fo longbouses, a communal habitation for an entire community who share an open plan Jiving area. I visited Anmib Rais home to Bidaynh that welcomes v isitors

You can go in search of the world's largest flower, the R.afflesia at Gunung Gading National Park when, they're in b loom, ot vis it the Semenggoh Wildlife Cemre escablis.hed to rescue otai1gutan:s from mplivity, I.hough given tl1e centre's vast size of 65.3 hectares, sightings are not guaranteed.

I went in search of ch e endangered proboscis monkey at Bako ·ational Park. Getting d1ere is quite an adventure. After a 37km bus 1:ide, I experienced an exhilarating boat ride. Bako National Pa.i;k is 27 sq k.ms of seven comp lete ecosystems· including beach and cliff veget:ition, heath, rn angrove, peat, forests and grasslands, representing the types of vegetation found in Bomeo. Mangroves the coastline a.nd rocky headlands -lead to seduded beaches. 1 trekked all day along trails try ing, but failing to do all 16 wall,s, or sight a proboscis monkey, d1emale having a huge pendn.lous nose and a large pot- belly. 1 w~s sorry noc to have,stayed overnight as mqst visitors do In th e 20 years since my fust visit, many changes are evident. Kuching has evolved into a very pleasant ciry, well desen,ing of several clays stay. On one of my stro ll s, I st:Opped for a Jhampoo and hai rcut at the Superior Unisex Sal0n. 1ly stylrst Lyll11 was Orang Ulu. l asked if she knew anything of the pbtnts found in the rainfores t that for ovec 2,000 yeats have been used by tribes-people for d1erapeutic ahd curative purposes. She shrugged her shbtudcrs. Her childrtlll bad a bright future she $aid, made possible by efficient transport, good eduaation and heallhcace. 1\nd the prirne growth rainforests chat filled me with such a.we have kmg gone. To encoumer the Borneo chat is ~till unearned, ydu need to ventu(e deep into the forest.