Visit Malaysia Year 2014 <b>Kuching</b> is as easy as ABC - eTurboNews <b>...</b> |
- Visit Malaysia Year 2014 <b>Kuching</b> is as easy as ABC - eTurboNews <b>...</b>
- Route Exchange Programme Announced for <b>Kuching</b> :: Routesonline
- Chill out at <b>Kuching</b> Amphitheatre - The Borneo Post Online
- Take Another Step: <b>Kuching</b> Trip 2014
| Visit Malaysia Year 2014 <b>Kuching</b> is as easy as ABC - eTurboNews <b>...</b> Posted: 06 Feb 2014 09:42 PM PST Thanks to the recently-concluded ASEAN Tourism Forum 2014 (ATF 2014), I got to meet one of Malaysia's most alluring destinations—Kuching, an above-ordinary travel destination with more than enough to offer the above-ordinary tourist. As a destination, Kuching's travel and tourism strengths were showcased behind the backdrop of ATF 2014, which is Southeast Asia's foremost travel and tourism annual event. As a frequent traveler, the airport experience form part of my first impression of the city I am visiting. The answer to a very simple question, How did I get off the plane?, speaks volume not only for the airport but ultimately for the destination. It has been my experience that a clear indication of a world-class airport is one that welcomes its tourists via a jet-bridge, as opposed to less-developed airports that more often than not require deplaning the old-fashion way—via stairs. On that count, Kuching International Airport has in place an infrastructure that is topnotch, indicative of the city's capabilities in travel and tourism and readiness as the gateway to the entire state of Sarawak in receiving tourists in droves. This includes a building that has the manpower and utilizes technology to bring modern-day conveniences that is to be expected from a world-class airport. What sets Kuching apart from my recent experiences in Bangkok, Tokyo and Seoul? In Kuching, everyone speaks English. Fluently. Nothing surprising there, as Malaysia is a Commonwealth nation that was once under British rule. Nonetheless, this little factoid is a major variable that can either make or break a trip. In my case, the ease of communication made it possible to go beyond the common tourist trails, ultimately making it possible for me to spend the days I was in Kuching as if I were a local. This turned out to be an easy task, as Kuching is a melting pot of a multitude of cultures and ethnicities. All of my exchanges with the staff at Merdeka Hotel and all the instances when I had to take a taxi were conducted as if I were a local. In short, no lost in translation episodes to report. The ease of communication gave way to ease of transportation which ultimately gives Kuching a compelling case as an ideal place for exploration. While the word exploration is subject to various interpretations, Kuching offers so much in terms of attractions, beauty and culture (In short, ABC), there's no denying its place as one of the world's most welcoming destinations today. Attractions Dining in Kuching, as an example, has a flair that is indicative of the city's cultural landscape, which boasts several different ethnicities, making it a truly unique experience. So, the layers of dining in Kuching is an adventure in itself, given that the so-called local cuisine has several versions. Malay, Chinese, Islamic, Christian are some of the influences that give dining in Kuching enough variety for the gastronomy inclined tourists to come back to Kuching on multiple trips to try all that the city has to offer. Beauty Therein lies the beauty of Kuching—nature that offers the best of all worlds. If I wanted to explore the city, I needed only to step outside of my hotel to do so. On the other hand, if nature exploration is the day's calling, there are two places that everyone who goes to Kuching must visit—Sarawak Cultural Center and Semenggoh Nature Reserve. Culture Bidayuh Longhouse, Iban Longhouse, Orang Ulu Longhouse, Melanau Tall House, Malay Town House and Chinese Farm House are all alike, but at the same time distinct to the particular group they represent. For the most part, each house offers some hints of a tale that tells of an adventurous past. The longhouses tell stories of battles and conquests (remains, skulls and other evidences are aplenty) of headhunters of years past in Sarawak. There's the ubiquitous display of weaponry, silverware, coins as well as arts and crafts in every house, which punctuate the lineage each longhouse represents. The Melanau, for instance, were very much influenced by magic in their day-to-day lives. A section called "healing hall" located inside the Melanau Tall House shows various leaves and instruments for "each sickness" was believed by the Melanau to be "peculiar to itself." The Melanau Tall House offers a glimpse of this "healing" process. Each house in the Sarawak Cultural Center has a definite story to tell that is contingent upon whose house it represents. This much is evident from the eyes of someone who was just passing through, brief as it may seemed. Watch eTN 2.0's iheartSarawak presentation for a look at my visit: A traveler who finds nature fascinating will certainly find enough superlatives to describe a visit to the jungles of Borneo, as I did via the Semenggoh Nature Reserve, whereby orangutans at feeding time (9:00am and 3:00pm daily) took the center stage at do exactly that—eat. Evidently, these orangutans are Sarawak's most attractive feature given the hordes of tourists that flock to them on the daily, come rain or shine. As is to be expected, these tourist attractions are more playful and are more inclined to pose for pictures on a sunny day. On a rainy day, just like my visit, not so much. Even so, plenty (okay, four out of the 28 inhabitants/orangutans) showed up to flex their muscle as they swung and clung from rope to rope, eating bananas and cracking coconuts for a juicy treat. Check out part two of eTN2.0's iheartSarawak presentation for a glimpse of Semenggoh Nature Reserve: Semenggoh Nature Reserve, managed by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, currently has under its watch "almost 1,000 endangered mammals, birds and reptiles from dozens of different species." It is located approximately 15 miles away from the city center, making a visit a malleable trip for small or big groups of spectators. All in all, my trip to Kuching and its surrounding environs made good on the Sarawak Convention Bureau's promise of delivering as a destination where "business and adventure meet." Indeed, the business of hosting ATF2014 in Kuching resulted in varying degrees of adventures that were more or less brilliantly executed. From the exhibition floor of the Borneo Convention Center to the jungles of Borneo in Sarawak, my trip to Kuching was a breeze. It was truly as easy as ABC.  |
| Route Exchange Programme Announced for <b>Kuching</b> :: Routesonline Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:42 AM PST  Route Exchange Airline Briefings are exclusively open to attending airport and tourism authority delegates. Year on year the programme of airline briefings continues to go from strength to strength, as is shown by the success of the briefings held during last year's Routes events. Delivered by senior network planners and scheduled over two meeting slots, these ever popular briefings provide delegates with an opportunity to gain an insight into their target & current airline partners' business. Held in private theatres on the show floor, Route Exchange Airline Briefings are the only place to further develop your understanding of the route planning function of airlines. Briefings also provide an opportunity for attending airports to gain an overview of the carriers, hear a valuable update on the opportunities the airline feels are out there and gain an understanding of how decision makers at airlines see the market place. At this year's Routes Asia event, several high profile airlines, who are looking to launch new services within the region have confirmed that they will deliver a briefing outlining the route development opportunities that exist and how airports can be part of their airline expansion. Hong Kong Airlines' Assistant Director Commercial, Michael Burke has confirmed that he will deliver a briefing offering an insight into recent updates and future plans whilst Bayu Riyadi, Senior Manager, Network Planning for Garuda Indonesia will also present during the event. Other confirmed presenters delivering Route Exchange Briefings at Routes Asia include Girish Nair, Chief Commercial Officer of GoAir, Andrew Cowen, Deputy CEO of Hong Kong Express Airways and Suresh Singham, SVP, Government & International Relations from Malaysia Airlines. Places are limited and airport delegates should contact Simon Baxendale, Scheduling Manager for Routes Asia to add briefings to your diary of pre-scheduled meetings. Click here for further information about the programme of Route Exchange Briefings and to register for Routes Asia 2014. Email PrintCommentsRelated Media Powered by Routes TVWorld Routes 2013 Highlights 840 viewsWorld Routes 2013 Highlights |
| Chill out at <b>Kuching</b> Amphitheatre - The Borneo Post Online Posted: 07 Feb 2014 11:03 AM PST KUCHING: Members of the public are invited to join Chill Out organised by Sarawak Development Institute (SDI), Sarawak Unity Foundation (SUF) and a youth group Champions. It is held at Kuching Amphitheatre every Sunday starting 4.30pm. According to a press release, it aims to promote healthy lifestyle by encouraging families and youths to utilise the parks and green lungs for recreational activities and spending quality time with family and friends. They can play Frisbee, fly kites, hula hoop and rope skipping. Bubble blowers are also available for children. To commemorate the Chinese New Year, Mandarin oranges and peanuts will be distributed to members of the public who turn out on February 9, on a first-come-first-serve basis. To learn more about Chill Out, call SDI at 082-415484/416484 or www.sdi.com.my or www.yps.org.my.  To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names. |
| Take Another Step: <b>Kuching</b> Trip 2014 Posted: 11 Feb 2014 06:00 PM PST ***Warning! Massive photo upload*** Heyyyyy! I'm back from my holidays! Hope everyone had a good Chinese New Year winning some moolah. I lost but its okay! All good! Last year, Roy and I were discussing on our next Kuching trip just among ourselves but in the end 11 people in total joined us for this trip. A 5D4N trip. It was really awesome!  A month ago, we were in Kuching and boy it was good to be back. I missed all the cheap and yummy food and of course, BATMAN WALL!! Packed the day before and I thought I overpacked but I didn't. (Day 1)   As usual, camwhoring before our flight! We rented 3 cars this time as Vince's side needed 2 cars. The coolest part is we're staying right above McDonalds!  Anyways, once we touched down in Kuching, it was already 10am.  This was pretty good according to Roy.  Simple fried rice with shallots, fried chicken bits, chopped long beans and chilli padi. After our grub, we headed out to look for a friend's climbing shop which was located   This place may be small but really cosy!  A very important tool for climbing ESPECIALLY in Fairy Cave.  Awesome hang boards for training. I will own them soon! The rest of the climbers arrived at 10pm and we crashed early (Day 2) Woke up at 7am and had a quick bite then off we go!   L-R : Stephanie, Max and Derrick The Petronas gang joined us for this trip and they had such a good time! Its always fun having them around. The more the merrier right?                Yeap..that's how u do it. If you don't have that sh*t, you ain't climbin' no where mang!  Nailed it!    Did his best and almost completed this climb but decided to continue the next day! (Day 3) Left the guesthouse early all psyched for another day of climbing. Searched for a cable to jumpstart the car but no cables in ALL 3 cars we rented. So yeah, once that was done, OFF WE GO!     Vince and his group were also there climbing with us and decided to record their climbs.    Dave and his group drove all the way from Brunei to join us. Its been a while since we've all climbed together.  Those scratches were proof of how sharp the rocks were. Limestones just for your info.  We were so tired after a whole day of climbing and I remembered sleeping in the car all the way back to the guesthouse! Crashed super early too! (Day 4)  HOW CHEAP IS THAT!? Max and the rest decided to try out the Tiger wall. FYI, it was raining EVERY SINGLE DAY during our trip in Kuching. Max tore his pants while climbing which was really funny cause' none of us had that problem before! What sucked was when we were just about to lay the canvas on the ground, IT STARTED RAINING! So we came back to Batman Wall to climb.   Meditation before climbing  Roy on the Baby Wall  Other climbers were there to climb on that very same day and we decided to take     A small group photo with the Jitam Family as they always welcome us    Our little group photo with the owner of the Guesthouse, Noh. Malcolm invited us for a big dinner over at this place called Top Spot.    Homemade Tofu with Crab Sticks and Oyster Sauce  Decided to walk along the waterfront to see what's going on in the night life in Kuching Town. Loving the peaceful enviroment!   Bright and sparkly fiber obtic cables!   We were all discussing saying we just have to take a picture with the cat statues   We played pictionary once we got back. Max brought it along for this trip. Funniest game ever especially when you pair up with someone who can't draw!     I remembered laughing so hard until we sat on the floor (Day 5) Woke up early to drop the Petronas gang off at the airport.  Kuching Laksa Special (Rm5.50) I just realised that in Kuching, they say special for medium size portion and super special for large! I'm not quite sure if everywhere in Kuching is the same but at C21 food court that's how they call it! It was good to have some laksa before we left. I'm already missing it! (Photo credits to Roy, Vince,Derrick, Stephanie and Max) Well, that's all for now!
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