Exploring Kuching Malaysia

Kuching is one of the most exotic and beautiful places I’ve visited in my travels. The tropical weather requires considerable adjustment for those unaccustomed to heat and humidity, but a dip in the pool helps!

Daytrips

I’ve been exploring the surrounding areas but have had difficulty booking daytrips. There aren’t many tourists in Kuching right now, so unless you hire a private guide, most tours require a minimum of 6+ people – difficult to find. Of course you could pay six times the individual fee for a private guide.

I was able to book a trip to Sarawak Semenggoh Wildlife Centre later this week and will post about it. One daytrip that I won’t give up on is a cruise “crisscrossing the mouth of the Santubong River searching for the rare Irrawaddy (snubfin) Dolphin“. I’ll keep trying, and hopefully it will happen – fingers crossed!

Walking is my favorite way to experience places up close, but with the heat and rain, walks are short. During my Vietnam visit in 2022 – similar tropical climate – I took daytrips on the back of a motorcycle, but haven’t seen any similar offers in Kuching. Grab (Kuching uber) is fantastic, and I use them frequently. The drivers are courteous, and paying with their app is easy and safe.

Rainforest Music Festival

Last Saturday afternoon, I visited Sarawak Cultural Village for the Rainforest World Music Festival – about a 45-minute drive outside Kuching. Around 6:30 p.m. there was a massive tropical storm that caused havoc and drenched everything for hours. Soaking wet, luckily I found a ride back to Kuching. The taxi driver had to pull over, because rain was so heavy it was impossible to see! I considered returning on Sunday for the festival’s last day, but with more storms forecast, I decided against it. The festival seemed like a mini Woodstock in the making.

Tropical Storms

There have been frequent tropical storms with loud cracking thunder and lightning. You come to terms with the fact that at the end of a day in Kuching, you may be dripping wet with perspiration or soaked from a rainstorm. I’ve met a few Brits who retired here. Some own restaurants or small businesses. Although it’s beautiful, the weather would be too extreme for me. That said, part of traveling involves experiencing new and different cultures and climates – in my opinion, that’s always beneficial, even if it’s a bit uncomfortable sometimes.

Malaysian Politics

I haven’t gotten into Malaysian politics – the country is a federal representative democratic constitutional monarchy – huh? Yang Amat Berhormat is Malaysian Prime Minister.

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“The State of Sarawak is separated from Peninsular Malaysia by the South China Sea – a distance of 600 kilometres (373 miles). It’s directly joined to the State of Sabah to the northeast where the Sultanate of Brunei forms a double enclave. Inland, Sarawak borders with Kalimantan Indonesia.” sarawak.gov

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I’m told that Sabah and Sarawak are considered two of the most stable states in Malaysia, and that there are “longstanding tensions between East and Peninsular Malaysia“. Minimal online research discusses a potential Sarawak “succession,” but I don’t understand the situation. It seems complicated, requiring more research to comprehend.

Every country visited during this trip – Poland, Slovenia, Turkey, Serbia, Georgia, Malaysia – has had political issues in play, some more significant than others. Travel is extremely educational, but at times the brain struggles to grasp so much information – at least mine does… Humbling, it reminds you how much you don’t know about the world outside of your own comfort zone.

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“Since 2018, the ruling coalition in the Malaysian State of Sarawak, Gabugan Parti Sarawak (GPS), has been working towards the political goal of establishing an autonomous state inside the Malaysian Federation. This has raised concerns in the administrative capital, Putrajaya, that an autonomous Sarawak would result in some sort of independence from the Federation.” The Interpreter May 23, 2024 James Chin

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Restaurants and Miscellany

Although I often eat at restaurants primarily frequented by locals, I’ve also visited a few more “touristy” spots. James Brooke Bistro Café is an interesting place along the Kuching waterfront. I’ve had lunch there a few times. The décor and clientele – mostly tourists – are amusing. It’s named after Sir James Brooke, an English adventurer and former military officer of the East India Company. Brooke is known as the “Rajah of Sarawak“. I ordered a banana split. It was delicious, but nothing like the American version – which is hard to beat :o)…

There‘s at least one small gecko somewhere inside my apartment – yikes! It makes itself known at the worst possible times – like running across the ceiling just before bedtime! I’ve tried herding it toward an open window, but it resists!

Next Stops – Penang Island and South Africa

After Kuching, I’ll spend a few weeks on the Malaysian island of Penang, and then it’s back to Cape Town and South Africa’s Western Cape. I was a little hesitant returning to South Africa with rolling blackouts and political issues in play, with several political parties vying for power.

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“The ANC-led government built more than three million free houses for the poor between 1994 and 2019. South Africa’s literacy rate improved from 71% in 1991 to 95% in 2019. The ANC’s time in government has seen increasing levels of corruption, mismanagement, and ineptitude in the state – an unfortunate feature throughout the Mandela, Mbeki, Zuma, and now Ramaphosa administrations.” Nickolaus Bauer The African Report

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Surprisingly, for the first time in 30 years, the African National Congress (ANC) failed to win an election in South Africa. They were forced to join a coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA). There are already power squabbles among the ANC, DA, and “breakaway parties led by former President Jacob Zuma and former ANC Secretary-General, Ace Magashule“. Not to mention Julius Malema, Commander in Chief of the Economic Freedom Fighters [EFF].

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“The ANC lost its parliamentary majority in 29 May 2024 elections for the first time since it swept to power in 1994 at the end of apartheid. Its vote share collapsed from 57.5% in 2019 to 40.2%, as supporters defected to breakaway parties, amid chronic unemployment and worsening public services.” The Guardian

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People can form their own opinion about the situation – there’s plenty of info available. Since my three-year visa expired, I can only stay in South Africa for three months without playing exit and entry games – visiting Namibia or Botswana for a few days and then re-entering. I won’t do that, but truly miss South Africa. My last visit was in 2019, and I’m looking forward to returning. It’s such a beautiful country!