Posted: 30 May 2014 05:49 AM PDT

1. Re: Self Drive from Kuching to Kalimantan

a)Self drive using own car OK

b)Rental car for border crossing will be a problem cos most rental will not allow car for border crossing.

c)Rental car + driver from rental company car should had no problem.

You need to comply with the Indonesian side for adequate coverage>>human,pedestrian,animal etc etc

Cat rescue group Love Kuching will make you want to hold all the ...

Posted: 19 May 2014 02:38 PM PDT

The author is executive assistant at Love Kuching Project.

"The cat owns the house. We only pay the mortgage."

The sign on the door seems to be the only telltale sign that the flat inside is full of cats. Though seemingly plain and nondescript, the flat in Ubi is home to Love Kuching Project, a cat rescue group and foster home.

Strangely, it is Scotty, the Love Kuching dog, that greets visitors at the door.

You might be asking: "Kuching means cat what. Why got dog?"

Elaine Chiam, founder and president of Love Kuching Project, said: "(We wanted) to introduce foster cats to dogs so their adoptability could be increased."

She also said: "Andy (my partner) and I always wanted a dog."

Its presence might appear as one of the many quirks about this cat foster home, but Scotty the dog helps the cats get used to other species of animals, so that dog owners can also adopt the cats from Love Kuching.

Chiam and her partner, Andy Koh, keep three cats: Sayang, Sealy and Scooter.

There are 12 cats altogether.

Sayang

Sayang is the boss cat and is often seen supervising over things.

Scooter

Scooter is the fierce disciplinarian.

Sealy

Sealy is the silly bolster cat.

Besides the three cats belonging to the owners, the foster space also houses cats that are waiting to be adopted.

This include a pair of playful cats, Garry and Gurly, who are inseparable.

Garry

Gurly

Lex

And Lex is a recent arrival at Love Kuching.

How Love Kuching Project started

Elaine and her partner founded Love Kuching Project as Ubi Kuching Project back in 2009.

They partnered with their neighbourhood pet store, Angels Pet Shop, putting up rescued pets for adoption. Elaine and Andy also contacted the neighbourhood's cat lovers and pooled money to begin a Trap-Neuter-Release program for the cats around Ubi.

However, the pet shop eventually had to close down and Elaine moved the operations to her home.

On why she started Love Kuching, Elaine said: "I was unwell and unable to work so I started doing cat rescue."

Elaine has major depressive disorder, a severe form of depression. "(Cat rescue work) helped me have something to wake up to every morning… I have always wanted to be in non-profit work for humans, but I was too ill to do much. So when animal rescue came into my lap, I realised that when Love Kuching can auto pilot, I can then move on to doing non-profit for humans."

One of the group's first cases involved a mother cat and her three kittens, which appeared out of nowhere outside their home one day. Elaine decided to take them in and put the kittens up for adoption.

Elaine said: "We really liked the kittens. Mommy cat was always leaving them with us to go gallivanting with her boyfriend, Daddy cat, but then (Mommy cat) would come back to check on them. The kittens loved to explore and climb around the house!"

Press coverage for Love Kuching

Dane (Source: Love Kuching Project)

Love Kuching Project first came into the national spotlight, in the same year it started, when news of a Great Dane puppy rescued by the group was put up for sale online.

News reports subsequently branded Love Kuching a "cat rescue group". The publicity led to attention from sponsors and donors.

Elaine said: "We were thrilled that The New Paper called us a rescue group,"

"(The reports) got us a lot of publicity as animal welfare cases often do… we got to know other rescue groups because of this."

Elaine speaks with volunteers at a year-end party (Photo: Ng Yi Shu)

Volunteer-run

The group has 28 part-time "volunteers with portfolio", who help fulfill its cat welfare objectives — rescue, adoption, cat care education and Trap-Neuter-Return projects.

There is also an Emergency Rescue Fund that was created in response to difficulties faced by cat lovers who encounter sick cats and yet do not have the means to pay for their treatment.

Often, in order to get treatment from the vet, they decide to put the cat's medical bill on credit and try their luck fundraising via social media. Such fundraising efforts often fail.

As a result, these cat lovers often end up abandoning vet bills.

Friendly, the scar-faced cat that could use some rehabilitation

The cats often lose out as a result; one such example is the case of Friendly the cat, who recently passed away at Love Kuching.

His rescuer was not able to foot Friendly's vet bill. The clinic could only do the bare minimum to save Friendly, who was suffering from a necrotic ear.

Love Kuching is hoping to use the Emergency Rescue Fund to prevent cases like Friendly's from happening again.

If you are curious to find out more about Love Kuching Project, feel free to visit their blog where they have regular updates about their news and activities.

Top photo from here

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Sukhumvit Restaurant opens branch in Kuching - Borneo Post

Posted: 30 May 2014 11:19 AM PDT

KUCHING: It is dinner time again, but your mind goes blank as to where to dine? How about giving authentic Thai food a shot?

At a corner lot in Riveredge Commercial Centre in Petra Jaya here, one cannot just find a new eatery offering real Thai taste but customers are promised shorter serving time.

Yes! It is Sukhumvit Restaurant Kuching, the first branch opened outside Kuala Lumpur. With a chef, who has 20 years of culinary experience in Bangkok, the new Thai restaurant is set to refresh your taste bud.

Manager of Sukhumvit Restaurant Mohd Seruji is aware of other Thai restaurants operating here to meet city dwellers' Thai indulgence.

He acknowledges challenges or even competition in the city, but he is kind of confident customers will not regret tasting Sukhumvit Tomyam dishes.

"Thai food is more or less the same, and the key to building up your customer base is the unique taste you can present. At Sukhumvit, you can taste something different, something authentic," he told The Borneo Post when met at the restaurant at Jalan Merdeka in Petra Jaya Thursday evening.

Mohd said he had done his home work before making the decision to run the two-storey restaurant. He added Sukhumvit offered reasonable prices as compared to some other Thai restaurants in the city.

"In terms of pricing, we have done our surve and we are in the middle. In terms of service, we guarantee our customers they can be served in 10 minutes after placing their orders."

At present, Sukhumvit Restaurant Kuching has six personnel including the experienced chef in the spacious kitchen while eight waiters are available to attend to customers.

He said the restaurant's kitchen provided ample space for the chef and his assistants to prepare the best possible Thai food for customers.

Mohd pointed out the restaurant focused more on offering set dinner given its business hours from 4pm to 12am

daily.

He said Sukhumvit would be a preferred choice for families, who need space and the reduced serving time.

The restaurant is capable of taking 200 persons at any one time.

The set dinner is priced from RM69 to RM129 for between three and 10 persons.

"Besides having the best Tomyam in town and set dinner, Sukhumvit also caters for weddings, annual dinners, seminars and other functions."

For buffet style, Mohd said each person would be charged between RM38 and RM45, depending on the dishes.

The first Sukhumvit Restaurant was brought to Malaysians in 2008 at Kpg Baru in Kuala Lumpur. To date, it has six branches across the country. Except the newly opened branch here, all the rest are located in Kuala Lumpur.

The remaining branches are in Taman Dato Harun, Bukit Beruntung, Gombak and Wangsa Maju. The proprietor is said to have plans to spread its wings to other towns in the state as well as Sabah in the future.

While the word Sukhumvit means relax, it is also the name of the longest and most famous road in Bangkok city.

For enquiries or reservations, call Mohd at 019-8765175 or the restaurant (082-425500) or visit Lot 13335/13336, No. 19 & 20, Section 65, KTLD, Riveredge Commercial Centre, Jalan Merdeka, Petra Jaya.

Self Drive from Kuching to Kalimantan - Kuching Forum - TripAdvisor

Self Drive from <b>Kuching</b> to Kalimantan - <b>Kuching</b> Forum - TripAdvisor

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