2011 - East Malaysia - Kuching, Sarawak

Kuching, Sarawak, East Malaysia (1st to 4th December 2012)
Kuching - the capital of Sarawak is one of the most delightful cities in Southeast Asia. It has retained its 19th-century indentity in parts.
The people of Kuching are among the friendliest and most tolerant people in the world.

Cat Monument - the symbol of Kuching City:

Semenggoh Nature Reserve:

Annah Rais Bidayuh Longhouse:

Padawan Pitcher Plant and Wild Orchid Garden:

Sarawak Pottery Factory:

The Spring Shopping Mall:

Boulevard Shopping Mall:

Kolo Mee - a notable local dish:

Mount Santubong:

Sarawak Cultural Village:

(at Santubong Peninsula near Damai Beach, 35 km from Kuching)

Damai Bay and Hornbill Statue:

Kuching North City Hall:

(which houses the Cat Museum)

Cat Museum:

Kek Lapis Store:

Outside the Kek Lapis Store:

Orchid Garden:

Fort Margherita:

(a charming tower that now functions as the Police Museum)

(with view of part of the Main Bazaar; there are quaint cafes, restaurants, antique shops and art galleries housed in 19th Century Chinese shophouses)

Dewan Undangan Negeri of Sarawak:

(The New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building)

(The latest icon of Sarawak, view from Sarawak River

- a palatial architectural mammoth whose design was inspired by the traditional straw hats worn by the indigenous Melanau tribe)

Astana:

(view from Sarawak River, a grand colonial mansion with sprawling gardens)

The riverbank has been rejuvenated as the Waterfront and is recognized as one of Asia's finest public spaces and urban regeneration projects. It features tree-lined gardens, an esplanade, solar-powered lights, historic plaques, performance spaces, sculptures and musical fountains. 

Malay Kampung:

Pink Mosque:

Brooke Dockyard:

Old City of Kuching:

Dewan Undangan Negeri of Sarawak:

(Inaugurated in 2009)

Natural History Museum:

(above its entrance is a model of the Rajah Brooke's Birdwing butterfly (Trogonoptera brookiana, a scarce and handsome species with a wing span of up to 17 cm)

Museum of Ethnology:

Outside the museums:

Four Points by Sheraton:

Multicultural Sarawak:

It is the most culturally diverse state in Malaysia. Iban (29%), Chinese (25%), Malay (22%), Bidayuh (8%), Melanau (6%); other Dayak groups (5%)

Virtually all Malaysa and about half of the Melanau are Muslims

The vast majority of other Dayaks and many Chinese belong to various Christian denominations.

Eat:

Top Spot Food Court (Jln Padungan): a perennial favourite  among locals and visitors, a lively , neon-lit courtyard and its half-a-dozen seafooderies sits in the roof of a concrete parking garage. Try giant lobster, abalone, banana prawns, grilled white pomfret, chilli crab, butter prawn, steamed garoupa, oyster pancake.

Look for Ling Loong Seafood (store 6)

Open-Air Market (Jln Khoo Hun Yeang): the best hawker centre in town; try laksa, Chinese-style mee sapi (beef noodle soup), red kolo mee (noodles with sweet barbecue sauce), tomato kway teow (rice-noodle dish) and shaved ice desserts.

Yang Choon Tai Hawker Centre (Jln Carpenter): there are some brilliant food stalls, run by members of the Teochew Chinese community, directly opposite Hiang Thian Siang Temple. Try kolo mee (flash-boiled egg noodles) with seafood and cha siew (BBQ pork), rice porridge with pork and laksa.

Shop:

Satok Weekend Market: Kuching's biggest and liveliest market (noon-10pm Sat, 6am-1pm Sunday)

Excursions from Kuching:

Niah Caves - at Niah National Park in Miri, it is one of the birth places of human civilization, and the mammoth caves have prehistoric paintings and exhibits of primitive tools used by the inhabitants to harvest bird nests. There are also jungle trails exploring, Iban longhouses visiting and mountain climbing.

Gunung Mulu National Park - Sarawak's premier national park, home to 20,000 animal and 3,500 plant species. Located here is the largest limestone cave system in the world. For novice cave explorer, consider Deer Cave or Clearwater Cave (the longest cave in Southeast Asia). Seasoned explorers go for Black Rock Cave and Sarawak Chamber (the world's largest underground chamber). There is also hiking to the pinnacles of Gunung Api or Gunung Mulu.

Interest facts:

the Rhinoceros Hornbill is the State bird of Sarawak, where it is called Kenyalang.

Borneo:
See Also:
http://swytravel.blogspot.sg/2011/11/2011-brunei.html
http://swytravel.blogspot.sg/2010/01/2010-kota-kinabalu-sabah.html
Straits Times Travel Article on 8/4/2014:

Straits Times Travel Article on 21/8/2012:

2011 - Brunei

Brunei (21st to 24th November 2011)
The tiny oil-rich independent sultanate of Brunei Darussalam occupies just 5,765 km2 (less than 1 per cent of Borneo's landmass). However, due to the discovery of oil in 1906, its per capita income is one of the highest in the world.
Once a British colony, it is now an Islamic state whose 400,000 citizens are ruled by the Sultan. Geographically, it consists of 2 unconnected parts which are surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

It may be a super-rich oil state, but it has little nouveau-riche ostentation. It is quiet and relaxed, with picturesque water villages, two opulent mosques, some great food stalls, and a vibe as polite and unassuming as its people.

Jame Asr' Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
- one of Asia's most magnificent mosque with its intricately ornamented minarets and shimmering golden domes

- built in 1992 to celebrate the 25th year of the current sultan's reign, Brunei's largest mosque and its 4 terrzzo-tiled minarets are a fantastic sight. As the sultan is his dynasty's 29th ruler, the complex is adorned with 29 golden domes big & small.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque
- built in 1958, it is one of the most impressive mosque in Southeast Asia with Italian marble floors, Shanghai granite walls, chandaliers and stained glass windows from Britain and lavish carpets imported from Saudi Arabia and Belgium. Its glistering gold dome is made up of 3.3 million pieces of Venetian mosaic covering 520 sqm.

- named after the 28th sultan of Brunei (the late father of the current sultan), it is surrounded by an artificial lagoon. The 44 m minaret makes it the tallest building in central BSB.

Istana Nural Iman (Royal Palace)
('palace of the light of the faith')
- the biggest residential palace in the world, the official resident of His Majesty The Sultan of Negara Brunei Darussalam, Hassanal Bolkiah. Consisting of estimated 2200 rooms, a mosque, and a spectacular 3km underground passage way with air-conditioned facilities plus a horse stable, and is also able to hold up to two thousand guests. The palace is located on riverside sprawl on the hills on the banks of the Brunei River directly south of the Brunei's Capital, Bandar Seri Bagawan, no more than a few miles outside the city center.

Fun fact: the best way to measure the grandeur of any residential structure is by counting the bathrooms. Istana Nurul Iman has 257 !

It is more than 4 times the size of the Palace of Versailles and 3 times larger than Buckingham Palace.

Kampung Ayer (The Venice of the East)
- on Brunei River; the biggest Malay Water Village in the world. An ingenius community with houses, clinics, schools and a mosque on the stilts.

home to about 20,000 people, Kampung Ayer consists of 28 contiguous stilt villages, built along the banks of Sungai Brunei. A century ago, almost half of Brunei's population lived here.

When the Venetian scholar Antonio Pigafetta, who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his last voyage, visited Kampung Ayer in 1521, he dubbed it 'Venice of the East'.

Founded at least a thousand years ago, it is considered the largest stilt settlement in the world.

 Royal Regalia Museum
- built in 1992 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of His Majesty's The Sultan of Brunei accession of the throne in 1967. The museum houses a collection of royal paraphernalia and also an exhibition on the Constitution of the nation.

Brunei Museum
- has some excellent examples of Islamic art, a history of the oil and gas industry in Brunei, and an ancient ceramic collection from a shipwreck which sank 500 years ago. Other highlights include some wonderful illuminated manuscripts of the Koran, tiny Korans the size of a matchbox, and gold jewellery.

Yayasan Shopping Complex
- Brunei's largest and leading shopping mall which has a variety of clothings, electronics and up to date products from all over the world.

Morning Market

Mercu Dirgahayu 60

– This one of the newest monuments in Brunei that was built in commemoration of the country’s late Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan’s 60th birthday. The monument brings such an attraction especially at night as the lights bring luminance to its unique design.

The site is a photographer lens-friendly and lovely place to go in the evening. The Mercu Dirgahayu 60 is a sight to behold during the day, but the night brings out its magnificent beauty.

Ulu Temburong National Park
- one of the best rainforest in the world in terms of the vast diversity and natural beauty.
- one of the best-preserved tract of primary rainforest in all of Borneo covers much of Brunei's 1288 sq-km Temburong district (population 10,000).
- the national park is accessible only by boat: take a speedboat ride from BSB out to Bangar, the district capital, roar down Sungai Brunei, slap through the nipah-lined waterways and then tilt and weave through mangroves into the mouth of Sungei Temburong.
- the park's main attraction is a delicate aluminium walkway, that takes one through the jungle canopy upto 60m above the forest floor.

Sungei Apan Waterfall:

Brunei national flower: River Simpor

Unique Habitats of Borneo:

Five major forest types can be distinguished:

1) Dipterocarp Forests

refers to the two-winged seeds that allow efficient dispersal by wind

about 500 species grow in Borneo

they flourish below 900 m where soils are not regularly flooded

such a forest features tall trees and is layered with an understorey, a mid-layer, the canopy and emergents 

2) Mangrove and Nipa Coastal Forest

grow in the zone between the land and the sea

specialized plants adapt to the saline conditions with the most common type being mangroves

mangroves are replaced by nipa palms as the water becomes less saline

Macaques and the Proboscis Monkeys live here and feed on the sweet nipa palm buds

3) Freshwater Swamp Forest

Upriver, this type of forest is further divided into riverine and peat forest

Riverine forest is found near rivers and is nutrient-rich from regular deposits of alluvial silt; plants grow profusely which results in high wildlife densities; Riverine forest near Sabah's Lower Kinabatangan River are home to Orang-utans, Bornean Pygmy elephants, Proboscis Monkeys and many species of birds, amphibians and reptiles.

Peat swamp forest is less fertile due to the acidity of the soil. It is particularly common in the province of South Kalimantan and in parts of Sarawak.

4) Heath Forest

contains acidic, sandy soil and plants growing here have adapted to the low levels of nutrients

this forest is know as kerangas, and it is found from coasts to highlands

an example is in Sarawak's Bako National Park

Heath forest is dominated by densely packed trees with small leaves that grow into a low, even canopy.

Carnivorous pitcher plants are common here

5) Montane Forest

temperature drops and above 900 m, stunted myrtle, laurel and oak species form the montane forest

tree species are typically shorter, and mosses and lichens thrive in the misty conditions

Rhododendrons, ferns, orchids and epiphytes are also typical

and example is Sabah's Mount Kinabalu

Other Interesting Places:

Jerudong Park Playground:

- a B$1 billion amusement park, a Prince Jefri project which opend in 1994

-

Empire Hotel and Country Club:

- a 523-room extravaganza commissioned by Prince as lodging for guests of the royal family. It is now an upscale resort.

Interesting fact: Seria is Brunei's second largest town and a centre for the offshore oil industry. Look for the Billionth Barrel Monument (to commemorate the day when the billionth barrel of oil was drawn from the Brunei oilfields).

Where to eat:

- Aminah Arif (Rahman Building): this place is synonymous with ambuyat, Brunei's signature dish.

(Ambuyat - gummy, gluey and glutinous: made from the pith of the sago tree, ground to a powder and mixed with water into a gelatinous goo. Us a special pair of chopsticks that's attached at the top, scoop up a bite-sized quantity and dunk it into a flavourful sauce. Shrimp and chilli mixes are the most popular. After the ambuyat is sufficiently drenched, place it in the mouth and swallow without chewing, just let it glide down the throat.

- Tamu Kianggeh (Jln Sungai Kianggeh): the food stalls here serves Brunei's cheapest meals, including nasi katok (plain rice, a piece of fried or curried chicken and sambal) and nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk and served with chicken, egg and cucumber).

- Taman Selera (Jln Tasek Lama and Jln Stoney): an old-fashioned hawker centre, set in a shady park, diners eat excellent, cheap Malaysian dishes such as satay, fried chicken, seafood, rice and noodle dishes. Situated 1 km north of the waterfront, across from the Terrace Hotel.

- Pasar Malam Gadong (Jln Pasar Gadong): Brunei's most popular and beloved night market with authentic Brunei-style snacks and dishes.

Borneo:

see also:

http://swytravel.blogspot.sg/2011/12/2011-kuching-sarawak.html

http://swytravel.blogspot.sg/2010/01/2010-kota-kinabalu-sabah.html