<b>Kuching</b> by river boats and bikes : TTR Weekly |
- <b>Kuching</b> by river boats and bikes : TTR Weekly
- <b>Kuching</b> Fest 2014 to be bigger and better | The Borneo Post <b>...</b>
- Masjid Bahagian <b>Kuching</b> | Living in Malaysia
- Sign up for the <b>Kuching</b> Street Parade! | The Borneo Post SEEDS by <b>...</b>
- <b>Kuching</b> | Conservation Communications from Abroad
- First ETCM 3S centre launched in <b>Kuching</b> | Autofreaks.com
| <b>Kuching</b> by river boats and bikes : TTR Weekly Posted: 27 Jul 2014 11:48 PM PDT KUCHING, 28 July 2014: I reckon the two best ways to see Kuching town are by boat and bike. The alternatives are boring buses that bounce you around on their hard springs, or you slog around town on foot; not such a good idea in this humid equatorial town. River boats usually come loaded in local history and Kuching's smart looking leisure craft, the Equatorial, is no exception. As you board the Sarawak River cruise you could easily imagine the ghost of swashbuckler James Brooke, the first of the White Rajahs to rule Sarawak, lurking in his gunboat just around a bend in the river. The 90-minute cruise captures the essence of this riverside town; its historical buildings linked to a colonial era of the three White Rajahs (1841 to 1946) and the lines of Chinese shop houses dating back to the early 1900s. Historical icons built by the White Rajahs appear all the more fascinating from the vantage point of the river boat's upper deck. They were designed to be admired from the river, not the muddy roads when they were built during the late1800s.
The upside of a river cruise is taking time-out from dashing between tourist attractions. You lean back on the deck rail and pose for a 'selfie' as you balance a chilled beer in the other hand. Snacks are a little light on quantity (two layer cakes and a very sweet orange juice) I paid extra for the chilled ale. A cultural dance performed on the upper open deck. It was nothing to write home about, but it was bundled with the MYR 60 cruise package so who's complaining? This is one sightseeing activity that does not wait for stragglers. On the dot at 1730, the boat sails and it is back at the wharf precisely at 1900. The only warning of its departure, or arrival at the riverside jetty in the heart of town is the sound of its horn I reckon the whole purpose of river cruises is to provide a fine excuse for a glass of red wine or a ice-cold ale, before the sun dips below the horizon, while you enjoy the views and fresh river breezes. By sunset you are back at the wharf and ready to fall off the deck and into the maze of tiny lanes in search of a Chinese meal before a nightcap or two at a late-night pub in this wharf-side warren. The boat and the night out in Kuching's old quarter was the highlight of my trip. My only regret was staying in a high-rise hotel and missing out on the homestay experience in one of the converted Chinese shop houses. Cycling around the city is an entirely different story, one that has been chronicled down to the last superlative by at least 29 happy TripAdvisor scribes who paid to ride the Paradesa Bike tour of Kuching.
Owner JC Chua is a keen mountain biker and this gave him the inspiration to start a bike tour company in Kuching after years working as hotelier in China. Many of the ATF delegates and media representatives were hosted for a complimentary pedal on a route that is now the core bike tour product of the company. Bike tour companies are really a personal passion. If it makes a profit that's bonus, but like most things connected to cycling it is highly addictive and the Paradesa shop is considerably more than a stack of mountain bikes for hire. It's a meeting spot for cyclists and place to chill out and make friends. Paradesa Bike Tour's premises are just across the road from the river's embankment at the junction of Wayang Street. The shop doubles up as a café with an "hang out zone," up a set rickety wooden stairs on the second floor.
There's even a replica rainforest garden and a courtyard waterfall where cyclists can chill out, use the free Wi-Fi or build up their carbs intake with a snack and a hot coffee. Well, the extra energy will come in handy for the 12 km pedal around town that takes three and half hours. That's an average speed of around 4 kph, so no wonder the shop designates the difficulty level for this ride to the peanuts category. I think that means you can snack on peanuts at your leisure as you pedal around town. But come to think of it why the need for peanuts, when the guide makes three pit stops for hearty snacks and a meal as the ride progresses? Paradesa's star rated pedal tour of the city rolls off at 0800 after a quick fit out on a suitable mountain bike and some basic instructions on how to handle a mountain bike, change gears and stay out of harm's way on city streets. It didn't seem to help our group of 12 riders. After just five minutes one bike was retired after hitting the curb, while its rider cadged a lift on the crossbar of a companion's bike for the rest of the trip. Quite snug really, but I assumed they must have been very close friends to share a crossbar.
By the time we reached the town's impressive Sarawak Museum, a treasure trove of ethnography set on a manicured lawn on the crest of a hill, some riders were wondering about the definition of peanuts. Thankfully traffic was light and laid back even in the centre of Kuching town, or perhaps the locals have got used to seeing foreign tourists in full flight on mountain bikes screaming their brakes have failed. We didn't enter any of the museums in the city centre, Rather we skirted around impressive historical premises such as the Sarawak Steamship building and the Square Tower, a fortress that never fired a shot in anger. Our trip took us along paths and lanes that meandered from the riverside to a cluster of quaint tiny streets lined with shop houses and markets dating back to the 1920s when Chinese traders first settled here. Today, the district is crammed with restaurants, bars, coffee shops and handicraft stores. Chinatown is just a few streets away from Jalan India (India Road) packed with bazaar style shops selling just about everything under the sun. Halfway down the street we made a short-cut through a small alley past the Indian mosque to make our first food stop at a market clustered around a small square. Even though we covered only 12 km during the entire morning trip we made three meal stops to refuel energy all included in the MYR 98 tour price.
The trip made two crossings of the Sarawak River by small sampans to get us from the old trading quarter of the city across to the other bank and back. Most of the modern state government buildings are located on the opposite side of the river along with rural Malay Kampong communities and markets. Motoring across the river requires a considerable detour in distance as there are just a few bridges spanning the river. Bikes and cyclists can take the short cut; a straight line across the river by sampan. it was a remarkably refreshing break for a few valuable minutes when we enjoyed river breezes, while gaining a short respite from the mid-morning sun under the boat's canopy. Dress for this tour. Cover up and make sure you have a hat under your helmet to prevent sunstroke. This town is almost on the equator; direct sunlight shines down on your noggin. The meandering ride on the opposite bank passed through Malay villages where the guide pointed to houses that he said were more than 100 years old. They were pretty shabby and poorly maintained and that partly supported the assumption of great age. My guess was 30 years at the outside and if there was one closer to 80 it was not a classic example of Malay traditional house architecture by a long stretch of the imagination.
Through a couple of narrow descents on rough and tumble paths we returned to the river embankment facing the old quarter where most tourists dwell. In the evening the food stalls along this side of the river come to life as crowds of local residents pack the tables to dine on local dishes late into the night. It's a deserted courtyard on the esplanade when we pass by at 1030 so our guide ushers us into a nearby candy store where famous Malay desserts are sold to a steady stream of tourists mainly from west Malaysia. They know something about sweets that escapes us, but the guide tells us to stab our hands in the candy jars and retrieve samples of what looked midget layer cakes. They were delicious, but how do you buy a couple of boxes and balance them on a bike for the trip back across the river in a tiny sampan piled high with bikes and cyclists? Once we cross the river to the embankment in the old quarter of town, we pose for a group shot to prove we had completed the marathon sightseeing pedal, all 12 km of it on both banks of the river.
After disengaging from our bikes and handing over our helmets, guide and manager shout us cold drinks and even a steaming hot coffee. We chat about the ride and congratulate Mr Chua on pioneering a great way explore Kuching. Between a boat and a bike, the city's top attractions, historical sites and the town's ambience unfolds in a manner that later you will recognise as memorable; signature moments of a rainforest holiday in Sarawak.  |
| <b>Kuching</b> Fest 2014 to be bigger and better | The Borneo Post <b>...</b> Posted: 30 Jul 2014 01:31 AM PDT Wednesday, 30 Jul 2014 By Jude Toyat @judetbpseeds THIS YEAR'S THREE-WEEK long Kuching City Day celebration will be filled with various programmes sure to entertain the public from all corners of the city. Themed 'Kuching Festival – The People's Festival' held from Aug 1-24, the highlights for this year's festivities are the Special Cultural Performance from Kuching South's Sister Cities, Zhenjiang City from Jiangsu Province and Guro City from South Korea. The cultural troupes will be performing and showcasing their cultural uniqueness August 1-3 from 8pm onwards.  #KF2014: (front) Kuching City Manager of Easy Taxi Carol Yong, Chairman of Kuching Festival, Councillor Mohamad Taufik Abdul Ghani and representative from Borneo Island Big Bikers club Mohamad Azhraen Mohd Shah promoting the Kuching Festival 2014 during the press conference held at Mayor Office, MBKS on July 25. "One of the highlights this year will be the hot air balloon ride. It will be launched tentatively on Aug 3," said festival organising chairman Councillor Mohd Taufik Abdul Ghani. He added that the best time would be the sunset ride, where visitors can enjoy a bird's eye view on the hot air balloon. Apart from that, Astro will also be collaborating with MBKS in the Kuching Got Talent competition. Auditions will be held Aug 3, with the semi-finals on August 9 and finals on August 23. Entry forms can be obtained online here. Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) will also be collaborating with MBKS to run the City Day Commemoration celebration on the August 1 from 8pm to 10pm and it is expected to be officiated by Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem. Meanwhile, Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is expected to grace the Kuching Festival Street Parade on September 6 which will make its comeback after six years' absence. The parade will run from 6pm onwards with its starting point at MBKS to mark the 26th Anniversary of Kuching City Day. There will also be other interesting activities like Traditional Oriental Music performance (August 2, MBKS Auditorium, 7pm), Yuanji Dance performance (August 2, State Hockey Stadium, Jalan Padungan, 7pm), Folk Dance performance (August 3, State Hockey Stadium, 7.30pm), and CASH Martial Arts Display (August 16, State Hockey Stadium, 7pm). Sports events will also be held during the festival including the Sports TOTO 3 on 3 Basketball Jamboree (August 3, MBKS Foyer, 7am), Mayor's Cup Football Tournament (August 9 to September 7, Jubilee Ground Stadium), and Rugby Tournament finals (August 23, Song Kheng Hai Rugby Field, 4pm).  THANKS FOR JOINING: Mohammad Taufik shaking hands with Mohamad Azhraen, whose team of big bikers will be taking part in the Kuching Festival. Besides that, Kuching Festival Fair will include the food fair, trade fair, nightly entertainment, along with Garden Show that will be held respectively at MBKS City Hall and Open Stage from Aug 1-24, 6pm to 11pm. Kuching Festival is an annual event to commemorate Kuching's being elevated to city status on August 1, 1988. For more information on the festival and its activities, log on to www.mbks.gov.my. Easy Taxi app makes traveling in Kuching easier Want to join the Kuching Street Parade? You might also like: |
| Masjid Bahagian <b>Kuching</b> | Living in Malaysia Posted: 01 Aug 2014 10:51 PM PDT The Bahagian Mosque ("Divisional Mosque") is located just past the river walk in Kuching. Also known as Kuching City Mosque, the mosque was built in the late 1960s to replace the original State Mosque that was erected on the same site in the mid-19th century.
The mosque is surrounded by a Muslim cemetary. The pink mosque is Kuching's largest and stands as an important historical landmark in the city. Its magnificent gilded Mughal-style domes are its most distinct trademark, rising high above the city's skyline. Gilded half-domes that match the domes on its roof grace its windows.
Masjid Bahagian Kuching is believed to be the state's oldest and first-ever mosque, a memento from the time when Islam first arrived in Sarawak. It can accommodate up to 4,000 worshippers at a time.
Related: Sultan Abu Baker Mosque, Johor Bahru – Masjid Jamek, Kuala Lumpur – National Mosque of Malaysia in KL |
| Sign up for the <b>Kuching</b> Street Parade! | The Borneo Post SEEDS by <b>...</b> Posted: 30 Jul 2014 12:59 AM PDT Wednesday, 30 Jul 2014 By Jude Toyat @judetbpseeds SHOWCASE YOUR CREATIVITY, innovation and expression in arts and performance in a fun and attractive way by joining the Kuching Street Parade! The much-anticipated activity in Kuching Festival, the Street Parade has finally returned after the last one back in 2008. All participating contingents will be given a certificate of participation and the winning prize for every categories will received RM5, 000 with a trophy respectively. The Street Parade is now open to the first 70 contingents that have successfully and officially applied to participate. The parade is divided into four (4) categories, including Cultural Troupe, Fancy Costume, Fancy Costume (Junior), and Marching Band and the judging will be based on the criteria comprising of technical or construction, aesthetic values, material aspiration, concept or theme, and finishing. Each participating contingent must provide four of its members to act as marshals to help maintain control over their contingent, to help coordinate movement of their contingent with the principal parade marshals and the other participating contingents, in order to maintain continuity of the flow of the parade and to help maintain clearance of the route, in order to ensure sufficient room for movement of the contingent members during the presentation of any aesthetic display. The starting point for all the contingents would be next to Jubilee Ground along Jalan Tan Sri Datuk William Tan and participants are only allowed to disperse after the Grand Stand march-past at Padang Merdeka. An entry fee of RM100 is charged and payable to MBKS for those who wish to participate in the competition, and the entry forms are obtainable from MBKS's Ground Floor, Security Counter or available for download from www.mbks.gov.my. Completed entry forms must be returned to Coordinator, Kuching Festival Street Parade, 1st Floor, Engineering Division, Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Selatan, Jalan Padungan, Kuching. For more inquiries about the Street Parade, contact Eva Marrisa at 082-354200. You might also like: |
| <b>Kuching</b> | Conservation Communications from Abroad Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:48 AM PDT Eighteen hours of flying, thirteen hours of layovers and only five hours of sleep spread out among fifty-six hours of waking. Needless to say, I'm glad to finally be in Kuching.
Taking off from Sea-Tac airport, the excitement that had been building over the last week for my departure to Borneo started to trickle out. I watched the Puget Sound land and sea scape slip by: water, mountains, forest and eventually coastline as the aircraft made its way towards the Pacific. The ten hour flight to Japan was made wonderful by warm scented wash cloths, hot coffee, Jurassic Park (my current travel read) and the doodle-faced banana given to me by a very giggly stewardess at the end of the flight.
The journey that proceeded between Narita and Kuching was a seemingly endless montage of excellent airport novelties: designated smoking rooms, bidet toilets, ornate gardens with live orchids and coy fish, mid-airport "sanctuaries" for the exhausted traveler in search of some shut-eye, etc. I'd already stepped into a whole new world and I hadn't even gone through customs. On my flight into Kuching, the smile I'd been fighting back since leaving Singapore broke across my face having finally laid eyes upon the winding rivers of Borneo. The forest, the mountains, even the clouds were more majestic than I had imagined. The gentlemen I sat next to eyed me amusedly once or twice as I nearly rocked in my seat with excitement. "I'm here!" I thought in exclamation, not feeling I should announce it quite as forcefully as I felt it to anyone else. After months of planning, researching and emailing, I had finally arrived in Borneo. Once off the plane, I breezed through customs and grabbed a taxi into town. It was at this point in my journey that I realized the true weight of my pack. The steps up to my hostel were quite steep and narrow and I had to stop mid-way up one flight to readjust the monster. Fortunately, I did not have to go far, however, it got me thinking about future travel logistics. As soon as I got into my room, I cleaned up, unpacked and then went out for lunch. Another young woman from the hostel, Judith, joined me. She'd been in Kuching for a week, having just come from a five day stay in Hong Kong and knew her way around. We had an excellent time strolling through the city together, chatting about travel and going to "Uni" in the U.S. versus Sweden – her home country. She'd done quite a bit of traveling before this trip and emanated a calming self-reliance. Sharing in an adventurous spirit, we clicked. Centrally located in the historic district, Singgahsana Lodge (our hostel) was placed among many good restaurants and shops. It was just around the corner from Carpenter Street, one of the more famous drags in Kuching. The business districts here are comprised of "shop-houses" owned predominantly by Chinese families. In these "shop-houses," the businesses – which may be restaurants, coffee shops, furniture shops, trinket shops, specialty repair shops, grocers, etc. – are on the first level and open onto a covered walkway. The families that own these businesses then live on the level above.
Kuching is a very diverse city, with indigenous Bornean Dayak and Oragn-ulu families, Malay families, Chinese families and Indian families comprising the majority of the population. Mosques as well as Hindu and Chinese temples are dotted throughout the city center, and in the evening the call to prayer can be heard echoing throughout the city. Coincidentally, I arrived in Kuching during Hari Raya Puasa, the celebration of the ending of Ramadan for Malays. Hari Raya is a national holiday in Malaysia, and as such, things have been very slow. But I am coming to appreciate moving slowly: walking slowly, taking time with the folks that I am talking to, making up my day as I go along – really waiting for Kuching to show me what to do. And thus far, it has gone swimmingly. Next time: Meet Talkalot, one of the many cats to give Kuching its nick name: "Cat City"
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| First ETCM 3S centre launched in <b>Kuching</b> | Autofreaks.com Posted: 24 Jun 2014 07:00 PM PDT
Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn. Bhd. (ETCM) recently officiated the opening of its first 3S (Sales, Service and Spare Parts) Centre in Kuching, Sarawak, marking another successful milestone in its history. The new ETCM Kuching 3S Centre is strategically located at an established automotive hub in Kuching city, and sits on an area of 1.58 acres, with a total built-up area of 42,000 square feet. The newly-designed layout of the 3S Centre is fresh and modern, with a spacious showroom that can display up to 8 Nissan models at any one time. For customer convenience and comfort, facilities available include a lounge and refreshment bar with WiFi connectivity, as well as a Kid's Corner for customers with children. Additionally, the workshop is equipped with modern facilities, holding 23 service bays with the capacity to service up to 130 cars per day. At this one-stop centre, customers can test drive and purchase new Nissan models, get them serviced, and obtain spare parts for their Nissan vehicles. To date, ETCM has an extensive network of 106 showrooms including dealers, and 59 Tan Chong Express Auto Service (TCEAS) workshops throughout the nation. More ETCM 3S centres are planned in 2014, including one in Tawau, Sabah and in Glenmarie, Shah Alam. The company targets to have 18 3S Centres throughout Malaysia by end of 2014.  Given the fact that motoring journalism is a largely male-dominated industry, it's great to see that Alia Zaharin has risen through the ranks after merely three years in the business. Never one to shy away from a drive, she's attended several advanced driving courses and loves nothing more than hitting the road in a test car that needs reviewing. She is now the full-time Associate Editor at Autofreaks. |
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