CITY GUIDE

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BIRTH DATE - 

• 1839

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POPULATION - 

• 570,407

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AKA - 

• Cat City

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MEANING - 

• Kuching (Cat in Malay), or

• Kuchin / Cochin (Port in India), or

• Kuching (Old Well in Mandarin), or

• Sungai (River) Kuching, or

• Mata Kucing (Local fruit) 

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RIVER - 

• Sarawak River

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HISTORY - 

• In 1836 the area of Kuching came under the control of the Sultan of Brunei and to quell the local revolts he sent in a young adviser with the British East India Company to restore order. His name was James Brooke and he did such a good job the Sultan rewarded him with the title of Rajah of this land in 1841.

• Thus began a bizarre rule by three generations of the Brooke family for over 100 years. They were known as the "White Rajahs".

• One of the first things he did was to ban head hunting and piracy. Putting down these vices led to him carving out a fiefdom larger than that of Brunei.

• He was recognized by both England and the US as a sovereign state in 1854.

• His nephew Charles Johnson took over when he died and also took the surname of Brooke. He expanded the size of the empire, built infrastructure and was known as a benevolent dictator. 

• When he died his son Charles Vyner Brooke became Rajah number 3. After WW1 Sarawak saw an oil and rubber boom. The private lives of the ruling family manipulated by Vyner's wife Sylvia were so hedonistic that it eroded their credibility and helped to bring a premature end to the dynasty.

• The Japanese took over in WW2 and after they were defeated the Rajah decided to abdicate and cede Sarawak to Britain for 200,000 pounds.

• During the war the Dayaks returned to a little head hunting. They would send their prettiest daughters down to bathe. 1,500 Japanese soldiers lost their heads watching the show.

• Brooke rule ended on July 1 1946.

• They gained independence in 1963 and joined the Federation of Malaysia.

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BEST TIME TO GO - 

• April to October are the driest months, although Kuching has 247 wet days a year

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TOP 10 - In No Order

1. Kuching Waterfront

2. Darul Hana Bridge

3. Astana

4. Chinatown

5. Semenggoh Wildlife Centre (Orangutans)

6. Sarawak Cultural Village

7. State Legislative Assembly Building (I thought it was an UFO as it rose above the horizon as I approached the city the first time during a particularly heavy downpour)

8. Kuching Floating Mosque

9. Visit A Bidayuh Village Or Longhouse

10. Fort Margherita

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FUN FACT - 

• The "Queen of the Headhunters", last Ranee of the White Rajah's Sylvia Brett was so debauched and depraved she helped bring down the Brooke dynasty. Much to her own chagrin.

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AIRPORT TRANSFER - Kuching International Airport (KCH) 10km

• Taxi fares are fixed - get a coupon,

• also vans and executive cars

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SAFETY - 

• Generally very safe.

• Usual precautions with bag snatchers and dark alleys at night.

• August and September are affected by the burning seasons in Indonesia. Locally it is called "the haze" and results in poor air quality for a few days until the weather blows it away.

• Problematic for asthma sufferers.

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FOOD - 

• Food here is cheap and good quality.

• Kuching is famous for Sarawak Laksa - one of the most popular laksa varieties. And there are several famous places worth checking out. Some you can wait an hour for and others require you to get there early or you'll miss out.

• There is a big open air seafood place on the roof at Top Spot Food Court.

• My favourite Kopitam franchise is Old Town White Coffee and I could eat every meal in Malaysia at one of their branches. You will find them in many Malaysian airports and Kuching has one at the airport and one at "The Hills". 

• 333 Charcoal Fried Kway Teow has 8 varieties of CKT.

• Kolo Mee is a noodle dish topped with BBQ meat.

• Tomato Noodle is another local specialty.

• Midin is wild ferns found only in the jungles of Sarawak, They can be fried with chilli, onions and dried prawns.

• Fried Oyster Omelet, 

• Kueh Lapis or Sarawak layer cake is a very colourful multi layered cake.

• Also try the indigenous cuisine with dishes like Manuk Pansoh chicken, veg and herbs cooked in bamboo. 

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NIGHTLIFE - 

• You could start with a sunset river cruise.

• There are plenty of restaurants and places to get a drink along the waterfront.

• Carpenter St and Wayang St have a collection of bars. Closing time is 1 am and 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays. There are Happy Hours, live bands, karaoke and clubs.

• For an atmospheric night out head to the Siniawan Night Market 25 km SW of town.

• On weekends the town turns into a big night market with food stalls, chinese lanterns, 19th century wooden shop houses and tables, chairs and table cloths. It's a great place to try some of the local foods, have a drink and catch up on some people watching.

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SIDE TRIP - 

• Iban Longhouse trip

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COSTS - 

• Accommodation can be a little expensive to get something nice.

• Most other costs are quite reasonable.

• Admission to the Sarawak Culture Village is a bit hefty but worth it.

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GETTING AROUND - 

• Walking along the riverside is very pleasant,

• there are buses and taxis,

• Surrey bikes (4 wheel 2,4,6 people on board) are available for rental on Main Bazaar Rd,

• River taxis zip back and forwards across the river for a small fee and there is

• a pedestrian bridge over the river as well

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MUST DO - 

• Have a Sarawak Laksa

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SHOPPING - 

• Sunday Market (Saturday afternoon to Sunday noon), Buy some Sarawak Pepper, 

• Siniawan Night Market on weekends 25km out of town,

• Jalan Main Bazaar (lots of small shops selling souvenirs, handicrafts etc), there is weaving , bead work, batik, fabrics, clothing, produce such as pepper and Tuak - rice wine, book shops, art work and plenty more.

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