» »Unlabelled » Something the Locals Won't Tell You: Kuching is a Hiker's Paradise ...

17:32:00

Something the Locals Won&#39;t Tell You: <b>Kuching</b> is a Hiker&#39;s Paradise <b>...</b>

Something the Locals Won&#39;t Tell You: <b>Kuching</b> is a Hiker&#39;s Paradise <b>...</b>

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 10:45 AM PST

/ / / /

February 3, 2014 at 1:45 PM | by | Comments (0)

We boarded bus K21 in the Kuching City Center ($1.33) and rode out to Kubah National Park, arriving about an hour and a half after the gates opened at 9:30 a.m. When we approached the hut at the gate to pay the entry fee (approximately $6) and were asked to sign in, we noticed that our name was the only one on the sign-in sheet.

An avid hiker, this couldn't have pleased us more, the thought of having the whole park to ourselves. We went off into the jungle wilderness for the next few hours, hiking to and swimming under waterfalls, spotting pitcher plants, ekor buaya palm trees (which are used to make roofs), and stingless bees. But the biggest surprise came when we exited the park later at 2 p.m. -- we were still the only person in the park!

As you can see on the map, there are about a half dozen parks within a two hour drive of Kuching, yet, when we were meeting locals throughout the town, everyone seemed to be confused about our jaunts into the jungle outside the city limits. No one seemed to know what we were talking about. Finally, after several days of watching people draw blanks, we pressed for an answer: Do locals really not like to hike?

It was the waitress at a restaurant that finally set us straight, confirming that, for the most part, locals indeed do not take advantage of the wilderness that surrounds the city and engulfs Borneo. Why? Because their families -- aka their parents and grandparents, and, in some cases, themselves -- came from the jungle. Borneo has a long history of jungle tribes, including the Iban who still live in longhouses today, and now that this generation has moved into the modern world, there's "no reason to go back."

It was, without question, just as moving as it was enlightening, and we had the opportunity to visit such a community at the end of our trip, which we will dish on later this week. It was extremely interesting to see the separation between the young and the old when it came to how life should be lived, about whether it was a good thing that the tribes were beginning to move into the modern world.

We always recommend to play along with the locals in a destination, but this is one case where we have to make an exception. The natural scenery is the reason you go to Borneo, and while Kuching is slowly developing from a small town to a small city as far as opportunity and entertainment go, exploring the rainforest is an absolute must.

With all the options, where should you start? You can find the world�s largest flower, the Rafflesia, at Gunung Gading National Park; orangutans at the Semenggoh Nature and Wildlife Center; and roller-coaster trails at the aforementioned Kubah National Park.

[Photos: Will McGough]

Malaysia / Borneo: <b>Kuching</b> – Orangutans : Off the spork

Posted: 02 Feb 2014 03:39 AM PST

Posted on | February 2, 2014 | 4 Comments

Orangutan with baby

Warning warning: not a food post. There's only orangutans within. Really, really cute orangutans though. :)

We had to see orangutans when we went to Borneo, since they're native to Borneo and Sumatra.

There's actually two species: the Bornean orangutan and the Sumatran orangutan. We saw the Bornean orangutan on two occasions – once at a wildlife centre called Matang Ai (which, I wouldn't recommend, it's a bit of a sad place – cages and concrete enclosures) and the second time at Semenggoh Nature Reserve.


Orangutan

The Bornean orangutan is the third heaviest living primate (after the two species of gorilla) and is the largest truly tree-dwelling animal. Wild male orangutans typically weigh 75kg, but can weigh up to 100kg, with females averaging 38.5kg and up to 50kg.

They have very long arms that are twice the length of their legs, with coarse and shaggy red coats – you can see how long the arms are in this pic.

Orangutan

We arrived at Semenggoh just before feeding time. The aim there is to rehabilitate the orangutans, but there are also scheduled feeding times for those who can't quite live independently. So at Semenggoh they're free, but they're not completely wild.

Everyone had to gather for a quick safety briefing before being allowed into the forest.

Safety briefing summarised: don't wander off the trail, don't make eye contact with the big male (Ritchie), don't run, don't make loud noises (particularly from children), listen to the rangers at all times, don't stay below them if they move directly overhead, don't freak out Ritchie, don't point long sticks at them because they think they are weapons, don't eat or drink near them, don't freak out Ritchie. Really really: don't freak out Ritchie.

Ritchie

And this is Ritchie, the alpha male. He was easily identifiable because he's massive (apparently about 150kg) with the large cheek pads that flanged male orangutans develop. Not all males are flanged – and for an unflanged male to become flanged depends a lot on whether there is already a resident male present.

Ritchie never came particularly close, choosing instead to stay high in the trees to keep watch over everyone.

Orangutan

Quite a few of the other orangutans came down to the feeding platform for some fruit. They don't always show up at feeding time – it depends on how they're feeling.

Orangutan

Look at this one's chubby tummy. :) He has a piece of coconut in his mouth.

Orangutan with baby

There were also several babies clinging to their mums. So cute.

Ritchie

The rangers took things very seriously (which is a good thing) – at one point as everyone was leaving, Ritchie started coming closer to the trees near the trail, and the rangers stopped everyone to make sure he wasn't going to be swinging overhead.

Orangutan

They're really incredible creatures – it was so good to see them. There are amazing things in this world.

Category: malaysia, malaysia: borneo, travel

Comments

<b>Kuching</b> Park Hotel to hold Valentine&#39;s Day dinner – BorneoPost <b>...</b>

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 11:09 AM PST

KUCHING: Kuching Park Hotel is holding a Valentine's Day celebration dinner on Feb 14.

Couples can customise their dinner by picking and matching the items they want and according to their budget. Dinner is served from 7.30pm.

For appetizers, they can choose from three salads, price starting from RM9 per portion.

They can opt for soup which is from RM7 per portion, or skip to the main course.

For the main course, there's Fish and Chips, Spaghetti ala Bolognese with Beef, Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce and Grilled Sarawak Pepper Steak, prices starting from RM17 per serving.

For desserts, there's Chilled Cheese Layer Cake and Chocolate Cake at prices starting from RM6 per serving. There's also mocktails and coffee and tea for drinks from RM4 per glass.

Those interested are advised to book early as there are limited seats available.

As Feb 14 is also Chap Goh Meh, the hotel is offering Chinese set menu for lunch and dinner at prices starting from RM389 per table on a pre-booking basis starting from today. For booking or enquiries, call the hotel's Sales Department at 082-239888 or 012-8877889.

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

Routes Asia 2014 to showcase <b>Kuching</b> to the world

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 03:15 PM PST

Routes Asia 2014 to showcase Kuching to the world(Forimmediaterelease.net) KUCHING, Malaysia - Routes Asia, the largest route development forum for the entire Asia region, will take place in Kuching in the State of Sarawak, Malaysia from 9-11 March 2014. Routes Asia is the meeting place for around 800 delegates representing over 80 airlines, 250 airports and almost 60 countries. The hosting of one of Asia`s most important civil aviation events is testimony of the growing importance of Kuching as an international air hub and destination.

Hosted by the State Government of Sarawak and co-hosted by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), the forum is expected to attract around 100 leaders from the airports and airlines industries, tourism authorities and policy makers.

Datuk Amar Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Minister of Tourism, Sarawak, in announcing the event at a media briefing here said, "The hosting of Routes Asia 2014 right after the success of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2014 in January augurs well for Kuching`s future as an international air hub and destination. The attention being paid to Kuching and Sarawak in general with its unique combination of adventure with elements of nature and culture is long overdue."

"With an estimated 800 delegates including representation from over 80 airlines who are responsible for making decisions on both new and existing routes coming here, Kuching and Sarawak as a whole will go all out to attract more airlines to come here," he added.

According to Datuk Abang Zohari, "We believe that Sarawak is one of the great untapped destinations for airlines and we are certain that route-planners and revenue-optimizers will discover this truth at Routes Asia 2014. We are looking forward to the opportunity of showcasing our beautiful land, and its great potential for airlines."

Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad, Managing Director of MAHB added, "Routes Asia 2014 is an excellent opportunity for airlines to see for themselves the tremendous potential of Kuching, both as a travel treasure, and as a springboard into Borneo and beyond."

Along with the face-to-face Meetings which form the core of the event, Routes Asia 2014 will also see a series of Route Exchange Airline Briefings given by senior airline executives and the Routes Asia Strategy Summit which will see an impressive line-up of senior industry executives. The Routes Asia Strategy Summit will cover some of the major topics affecting the Asia region, including "The Future of LCCs in Asia" and "Emerging Outbound Tourism Markets."

Speakers at the summit include Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X, Andrew Cowen, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong Express, Dr. Hugh Dunleavy, Director of Commercial, Malaysia Airlines and Vijay Poonoosamy, VP International Affairs Etihad amongst others.

MEDIA CONTACT: Victoria Jones, pr@routesonline.com

<b>Kuching</b> records highest growth for Axa Affin - The Borneo Post Online

Posted: 04 Feb 2014 09:01 AM PST

by Jonathan Wong, jonathanwong@theborneopost.com. Posted on February 5, 2014, Wednesday

KUCHING: The Kuching branch of Axa Affin Life Insurance Bhd (Axa Affin) recorded the highest growth percentage production performance nationwide for 2013 at over 200 per cent.

According to Damien Kho, agency distribution director for Axa Affin Kuching, this was due to the huge untapped potential of the Bumiputera market.

"This market sector (Bumiputeras) is a big under-served market which could help the company to grow," he told The Borneo Post yesterday. "We foresee a lot of opportunities for us to grow stronger in East Malaysia by tapping more into this segment."

To note, Sarawak has contributed more than seven per cent of market share to Axa Affin's total gross written premiumworthf more than RM50.2 million in 2013 despite only having two branch offices in the state.

To push this strategy, Kho noted that Axa Affin will be hosting a career talk titled 'Axa Career Talk' on February 18 not only to help improve its presence here but also to increase the number of Bumiputera agents in the state.

"We at Axa Affin are opening our doors for career opportunities for everyone with a particular emphasis on Bumiputeras," he highlighted.

"Our agent programmes are highly attractive as compared to the other companies, as unlike most agents under different companies, where the target could range from RM100,000 and above to see rewards, we only have a RM22,000 target within a 90 day period.

"Upon hitting this target the agent will be eligible to go to Bangkok for an educational trip and holiday."

He added that upon a 180 day period target achieved, there would be a Singapore trip and a Hong Kong trip at 360 days.

Axa Affin is currently the 10th in rank among the insurance companies in Malaysia and grew at 53 per cent last year.

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.
at 17:32:00