Kuching
Kuching is the capital of Sarawak, Malaysia's largest state, and uniquely positioned along the Sarawak River. At the beginning of the 19th century, Sarawak was a Malay principality under the control of the Sultan of Brunei until 1839. James Brooke (an English adventurer) used his ship to put down a rebellion again the Brunei Governor and was given the principality of Sarawak as a reward. The Brooke family ruled Sarawak until the Japanese invasion in 1941.
There were many different little antique shops along the esplanade by the Sarawak River with unique beads, furniture and handmade baby carriers that the native women toted on their back. The original baby backpack! Lots of things to see and buy with prices that were stratospheric. However, it's always fun to look and learn.
Our hotel was the Hilton Kuching right on the waterfront within easy walking distance of everything which included hawker stalls selling satays with peanut sauce (one of my favorites), KFC and McDonald's. Malay food tasted similar to spicy Chinese, heavy on the noodles.
Kuching waterfront, a riverside esplanade, was situated right next to the main hotels and commercial heartland of the city, and offered pleasant walks.
The next day, we took had Kuching City Tour which included Chinatown, the Cat Statue (Kuching means "cat" in Malay), the Mosque and a one hour pontoon boat river cruise for to view the city from the river.
Tomorrow was a day trip to Bako National Park...
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