adventure Borneo

Travel noTebook KUCHING, B ORNEO

GETTING T h ERE

Kuching is 1.30 hours by air from Singapore (Silk Air) or 1.40 hours from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia Airlines or Air Asia).

G

ETTING ARO u ND

Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive. Buses are cheap, efficient and modern. The Visitors Information Centre has timetable and fare information. Sampans cross the river for around 15 cents per person. The Sarawak River Cruise’s sunset cruise is recommended. For Bako, catch Bus No 1 to Kampung Bako and from there charter a boat. Local tour operators also offer trips to Bako. Purchase a map of the 16 walking trails on arrival.

wh ERE TO STAy

The newly refurbished Hilton Kuching is the place to stay, a landmark in its own right, on the Waterfront Esplanade in the centre of town. Rooms are newly refurbished, well appointed and with great views. Phone: + 60 82 248 200 Email: kuching@hilton.com / website: www.hilton.com wh ERE TO EAT

The modern and quirky Batik Boutique Hotel will suit those wanting an upbeat experience, www.batikboutiquehotel.com, while Berambih Lodge www.berambihlodge.com and the Tune Hotel www.tunehotels.com are good budget choices. Four hours by road and a short boat ride away, the Batang Ai Longhouse Resort, managed by Hilton is set in a pristine rainforest setting. www.hilton.com Bako National Park offers overnight accommodation.

Magna Carta, Main Bazaar for cafe food at Sydney prices; Food Courts and Hawker Centres for authentic no-frills dining. Recommended are spicy coconut milk-based Laksa, popiah, satay or any of the many noodle dishes. The Hilton is where Kuching’s movers and shakers meet, with a menu that ranges from authentic Malaysian cuisine to great club sandwiches.

M ORE INFORMATION

Borneo Adventure, 55 Main Bazaar, Kuching. Website: www.borneoadventure.com organizes highly regarded ecologically sustainable tours.

Sarawak Forestry has information on National Parks: www.sarawakforestry.com

Sarawak Tourism Website: www.sarawaktourism.com

Tourism Malaysia Website: www.tourism.gov.my

By PETRA O’NEILL

Afort with turrets is not what you might expect to see as you cruise gently downstream by sampan on the Sarawak River, but Fort Margherita built in 1879 by Charles Brooke the second White Rajah, is just one of the many charms you will find here.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Sarawak was under the control of the Sultan of Brunei. After the appointment of an unpopular governor, the locals revolted. In 1839 James Brooke arrived in Kuching, put down the rebellion and became Rajah. His nephew Charles, though not quite the adventurer he was, was an excellent administrator expanding his rule to encompass all of Sarawak. After the Japanese occupation during World War II, Sarawak came under British colonial rule until 1963 when independence was granted and it formed part of Malaysia.

Kuching is the capital city of Sarawak on the island of

Borneo, the third largest island in the world and one of the most delightful cities in South-East Asia. Kuching offers a glimpse of what other Asian cities were once like. Laidback, gracious and friendly with a population of 600,000, a walk along the streets will reveal dragon-festooned Chinese temples and shop houses, a 19th-century South Indian mosque and historic colonial architecture, the most atmospheric streets being Jalan Gambier, India and Carpenter. Restaurants and open-air hawker stalls sell a variety of Asian cuisines, including the multilayered rainbow-coloured egg sponge cakes known as kek lapis. There are many museums including the splendid Sarawak Museum with an exceptional ethnographic collection, the Textile Museum with hand-woven fabric made of gold or silver thread, an Islamic Museum and a cat museum; after all ‘Kuching’ means cat in Malay.

The road that runs along the river has long been known as the Main Bazaar. This is the best place to shop for traditional tribal handicrafts including blowpipes. A shopping highlight is the chaotic Sunday Market at Jalan Satok with open-air stalls, many run by tribespeople, selling an exotic array of fresh produce including okra, ginger, red chillies, jungle herbs, spices and bananas of all sizes and colours from yellow to dark red.

The appeal of Kuching however, lies outside the city according to Dr Philip Ting, Australian Honorary Consul in Kuching.

While half the population of Sarawak is Chinese or Malay, the other half are tribal including Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau and Orang Ulu with rich cultural traditions, handicrafts, handwoven textiles, beadwork and wood carvings. Many still live in longhouses, a communal habitation for an entire community who share an open plan living area. I visited Annah Rais home to Bidayuh that welcomes visitors.

You can go in search of the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia at Gunung Gading National Park when they’re in bloom, or visit the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre established to rescue orangutans from captivity, though given the centre’s vast size of 653 hectares, sightings are not I went in search of the endangered proboscis monkey at Bako National Park. Getting there is quite an adventure. After a 37km bus ride, I experienced an exhilarating boat ride. Bako National Park is 27 sq kms of seven complete ecosystems including beach and cliff vegetation, heath, mangrove, peat, forests and grasslands, representing the types of vegetation found in Borneo. Mangroves fringe the coastline and rocky headlands lead to secluded beaches. I trekked all day along trails trying, but failing to do all 16 walks, or sight a proboscis monkey, the male having a huge pendulous nose and a large pot-belly. I was sorry not to have stayed overnight as most visitors do.

Kuching is the capital city of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, the third largest island in the world and one of the most delightful cities in South-East Asia.

Main Picture: Promenade, Sarawak River.

Clockwise: Longhouse Cat, Bako boat ride, Cakes, Astana, Annah Rais Longhouse, Roadside fruit stall, Sampan.

In the 20 years since my first visit, many changes are evident. Kuching has evolved into a very pleasant city, well deserving of several days stay. On one of my strolls, I stopped for a shampoo and haircut at the Superior Unisex Salon. My stylist Lynn was Orang Ulu. I asked if she knew anything of the plants found in the rainforest that for over 2,000 years have been used by tribes-people for therapeutic and curative purposes. She shrugged her shoulders. Her children had a bright future she said, made possible by efficient transport, good education and healthcare. And the prime growth rainforests that filled me with such awe have long gone. To encounter the Borneo that is still untamed, you need to venture deep into the forest.

M at r i M onial S

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SEEKiNG BRiDES

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