11 Dec 2011.

It was our third and last day in Kuching. We went to Pasar Satok first day in the morning before catching up with the flight back to KL in the afternoon.

There is nothing extra-ordinary about meandering through the crowded market, and it could get really hot and stuffy under the canopies. In fact, Pasar Satok is like any other typical morning market throughout Malaysia. I won’t miss it nonetheless, as some of the products sell here are uniquely Sarawak. Starting its operation from Saturday afternoon until Sunday the next day, the market hosts traders from various parts of the region making it a one-spot-centre for getting local products and handicrafts.

Flowers, at Pasar Satok. The market is divided into sections - wet market, dry market, plants and livestocks, clothes and handicrafts etc.

A hawker waiting for customer.

Non-dried, salted Herring fish are the must buy if you are visiting Kuching. An appetizer; the fish has to be rinsed and deep fried, and best eaten as condiment with hot rice and other local dishes.

Apart from getting it raw, there are also grilled version of the fish.

The Dabai fruits (Sibu olive), a rare and seasonal fruits only found in some part of Borneo such as Sibu. The fruits have to be immersed with hot boiled water (to soften the skin) before it could be eaten, either by itself or as an ingredients for local dishes.

The market is also a place to look for local delicacies, such as Tapai Sarawak and local kuih.

If Bandung, Indonesia is famous with brownies, Kuching on the other hand is famous for its colourful and sweet layered cakes.  We bought a handful of various flavours from this uncle, and turned out his layered cakes taste better than the famous Dayang Salhah. We also bought some Kuih Cincin and Tebaloi, Melanau traditional cracker made of sago powder.

Leaving the food section we arrived at the pet section, and saw these gold fish in the plastic bags.

Rooster, Satok Market.

Not far from the pet section is a row of stalls selling local handicrafts and souvenirs. From my observtion, the price here is cheaper than from the shops at main baazar, though the choices are limited.

Coin box made of bamboo, with local ethnic motifs.

Sarawak sarong, also in local motifs.

Colorful wristbands, Pasar Satok.

We had our breakfast at a nearby eatery, and I ordered this Teh ‘C’ Peng Special, a popular three-layered tea only found in Kuching. The layers are combination of tea (top), evaporated milk (middle) – denoted as ’C’ in its name (later learned that it actually derived from a local evaporated milk brand name Carnation) and gula apong, a local version of palm sugar (dark colored liquid at the bottom), while peng is a Malaysian slang for ‘iced’.  In simple English it is actually iced milk tea, and obviously to drink you have to stirr the concoction with straw until it forms a smooth light brown color.

To compliment, I also ordered the Sarawak Laksa - rice vermicelli in thick spicy soup, garnished with thin strips omelette. After a mouthful intake, I think I like the Penang assam laksa better.

We left the market and headed to the Sarawak River. I intended to visit the Dayang Salhah Cake House at Kampung Gersik, after reading so much about its popularity of delicious layered cake. We parked the car at the roadside in front of the Main Bazaar and walked to the jetty next to Hilton. 

Unoccupied perahu tambang, seen from across the river.

Spotted some anglers on a boat. Sunday, and a great day for a little diversion out of the ordinary routines for these village folks.

Kampung Gersik is located at the other side of the river, so we took the perahu tambang to get across.

 Fishing boats docking at a jetty, as seen from Kampung Gersik.

A man repairing his boat, at Kampung Gersik.

A girl looking for a cake at Dayang Salhah Cake House. The price ranging from RM10 for a simple cake up to RM35 – RM40 depending on the ingredients and designs. The making of the cake involves a rather tedious process of baking and layering, thus explain the price. After sampling a few, frankly I still prefer the one I bought earlier at Pasar Satok as it is soft and moist. 

Leaving Kampung Gersik and on our way back to the car, we saw a small booth selling Gambir Sarawak manned by a young lady. The plant is famous as a pain relief for tooth ailment, a traditional remedy for small cuts, fever  and mostly sought after by local man for its ’potent’ power.

An obligatory photo by Acha; a visit to Kuching is not complete without a pose with the city mascot.

The End.

From Bau, we continued our journey to Kota Sentosa and took the left turn towards Jalan Penrissen. We drove past the Semanggoh Wildlife Centre on our left; on checking my watch we still had time to catch up with the Orang Utans feeding time later. We initially planned to take the kids to the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, but the entrance fee is so ridiculuosly expensive even for fellow Malaysians. It would be a definite frustration if the place is not more than the typical Mini Malaysia in Malacca or the Taman Mini Indonesia in Jakarta, after paying such handsomely fee. But I always wanted to experience the longhouse myself with the hanging skulls (some of the tribes were practicing death cult of enemy headhunting – the cult had ceased in the 30′s) and tatooed men in loincloth (that’s kinky!), and the fact that you’ve never been to Sarawak really if you have not been to the longhouses. From my research (thanks to google) I was made  known about a real longhouse that is open for visitors, and conveniently located very near to the Semanggoh Wildlife Centre which was in our itinerary. An alternative to experience real culture, budget style.

Welcome to Kampung Benuk! The entrance fee is RM6 per person, compared to RM60 to enter the Sarawak Cultural Village but off course without the cultural show and other touristy elements.

Located at Penrissen Road, 35km from Kuching, the Kampung Benuk longhouse is one of the last remaining Bidayuh longhouses in Sarawak. Bidayuh, or the Land Dayaks is one of the indigenous groups in Borneo, apart from the Iban (Sea Dayaks) and Melanau to name a few.

The longhouse was huge, in fact it was like a few small longhouses interconnected with one another (imagine the whole village living on the same house). It was built on stilts with thin, worn out bamboo flooring, which creaked helplessly on my every steps. I walked around gingerly out of fear that it would break, but had my apprehension rest assured when I saw some kids running around and playing cheerfully without worries.

The house is separated into many private units, with common hall and corridors. Most of the units were unoccupied as the residents had move to more decent brick houses nearby. This one even had the pay-perview satellite television service installed.

One of the unoccupied lot.

Abandoned reading table, Kampung Benuk longhouse.

I walked further and arrived at the narrow bamboo bridge, connecting one quarter with another. Note at the back the red, a double storey brick house – the type of house where most residents now live.

Spotted one resident at her lot.

Saw another watching tv.

I noticed that most of the folks still living in the longhouse are of the older generation, and my observation was confirmed with a friendly chat with one of the residents. The lady was doing some knitting in front of her house, and greeted me when seeing that I was out of the place. “Sik“,  said her when I asked the permission to take her photo. I thought ‘sik‘ means okay in Bidayuh, and I was about to lift my camera when she suddenly waved her hand in denial gesture. I asked her again whether she don’t like to be photographed and she replied, “auk“. Okay, so ‘sik‘ (sound like seek in english with the longer ‘eek’) means no and ‘auk‘ means yes. She asked me a few other questions in thick Bidayuh dialect which I wasn’t able to comprehend, and seeing my trouble understanding  she then asked me, “Kitak darik mana?“, which I guessed means ‘where do you come from’, and I answered with a smile, “Kuala Lumpur“. Knowing that I’m not a Sarawakian, we continued our conversation in standard Malays, and from her I was made known that most of the younger generations had moved to the city for work, leaving the elders at the village.

Another resident of Kampung Benuk.  She glimpsed at me, a stranger at her village with questioning eyes.

An array of jutting out bamboo flooring.

A pile being stacked up, to be used as firewoods.

Cocoa being put to dry under the sun. Cocoa cultivation is the village main activity apart from paddy planting, rubber tapping and farming.

The traditional wooden mortar (lesung, in Malay) used for grinding rice into flour.

Rattan basket.

Unfortunately the house ceremonial chamber or Pangah, where most of the skulls and tools for rituals are kept, was closed for the day. So I traipsed around and took some photos, before leaving the house and walked back to the car. At the village front office I met Ms Isabell, the housekeeper.  She walked me to the village orchard nearby, connected by another bamboo bridge over a small stream.

I walked cautiously to the middle and have a look down. It is easy to fall considering the large gap in between the handrails, and the fact that bamboo surface is rounded and quite slippery. But that equals to nothing to the villagers. Thank god it is such a shallow stream, and is not that high. (Fact: I didn’t get to the other end).

It was almost 3.00pm so we thanked our friendly host and sped off to Semanggoh. Exiting the village we passed by a canopy with colorful balloons, national and state flags. Somebody is celebrating a birthday? Or, is it VVIP coming down for some political speech? These questions popped up in my mind, and being curious (called me kepoci) I asked a guy whose making up the table. Guess what, they were preparing a wedding party! With flags and all, I would say it would be a patriotic union.

Fifteen minutes later we arrived at Semanggoh, and the timing was perfect.

Most importantly, our charming hostess and her adorable son were already there to greet us.

Orang Utan, which literally means ‘the man (or woman in this case) of the jungle’ are among the most intelligent primates, and exclusively Asian. An endangered species, their likes currently could only be found in Borneo and Sumatra, and they are under strict monitoring by government and NGO conservation and rehabs facilities such as the Semanggoh Wildlife Centre.

The Orang Utan breeds at every eight year intervals (no wonder they facing extinction!) and the babies will cling to their mothers until they come of age. With that kind of bonding, they aren’t shy in displaying their love and affection, as shown by our hostess and her son. Awww, ain’t that cute?

The spectators at the Semanggoh Wildlife Centre. From a few identified Orang Utans by the rehab centre, only two were present. But that’s good enough. I was told that it was fruit season in Kuching, and the jungle could definitely offer more than what the rehab could provide. These two simply coming out of courtesy.

Acha with the Orang Utan watching.

In contrary, Ahnaf seemed more taken on the other side of the seating. Wonder what interests him.

Obviously he was taking photo of the  small  stream (more of a drain, but scenic, yes). This one was taken by me.

Self-explanatory safety reminder.

Pepper plant.

Pitcher plant. Have you ever seen them grow so many like this?

Feeding time only last for about half an hour, and so were we at Semanggoh. Semanggoh was the last in our itinerary of the day, and after a long drive, our evening back in Kuching was spent resting at the guest house. At night, we went out again for dinner at Topspot, Kuching famous seafood joints. Black pepper crabs, steamed Barramundi with ginger, Batok (Sarawak dish, like otak-otak), butter fried prawns, grilled squids and mix vege (midin, Sarawak fern shoot was sold out) were our dinner that night. Seafood is quite cheap in Kuching compared to KL, and sorry no photo of the food as they went straight into the gullet once they arrived at our table!

>>End of Day 2.

10 December 2011.

We woke up very early on the second day and without long found ourselves driving to Serikin, a small bordertown 80km from Kuching which famous for its weekend market. The road cutting through the Kalimantan thick jungle, so it was blue and green all the way.

The weather was nice, and Garmin was a bit of help. Road signs aren’t many and there is no direct indication from Kuching, so we have to take one place at a time. From Kuching we aimed Batu Kawa, then Bau and from there starts the sign to Serikin.

We arrived at Serikin ten minutes past nine, and it was already tailgating to the market.

We managed to get the parking in spite of the many vehicles, and started walking to the make-shift shops lining along the narrow street.

It was very hot in Serikin although it was only 9.30 in the morning, so we chose to walked in the shady side. Serikin is very much in proximity to the equator thus the sun is directly overhead sooner than elsewhere.

Some of the goods are local, but mostly Indonesian made. In fact most of the traders are Indonesian themselves.

I lost count on the shops spotted selling something similar to that found in Jakarta and Bandung, such as these intricately embroided fabrics.

Beaded pouch bags, with Sarawak tribal design.

Local crafts – bamboo baskets used by the Bidayuh as ‘backpack’ whenever they go hunting or collecting jungle products, and the Bubu, the traditional fish trap made of rattan.

We heard someone’s excusing himself at the back, it was the food peddler selling Minang dishes with his push cart which we immediately gave way. Push carts peddlers are common in Indonesia, same with the guy holding the kitchen towels. I’d seen this kind of business modus operandi back in Java and Sumatra.

Chips seller with cowboy hat, Serikin. Chips in high containers like these are also common back in the land of the Garuda.

A gemstones seller, sat next to the shop selling some old-school ovens.

Another one crowded with interested patrons, spotted a few blocks away. The gems, mostly agate are crafted as ring stone and the aura resonate from the stone is believed to have some healing power.

The market not only focus on local handicrats and Indonesian products, but also the rare and the wierd. The Tokay Geckos, or known locally as Tokek, are the most sought after lizard by men these days and the price could reach thousands, as it is said has the essence to boost the libido and remedy to many diseases including the incurable AIDS. However, there’s no scientific research made to confirm the claims.

The Salak fruits, scientifically known as Salacca Zalacca (sounds more of Harry Potter hocus pocus to me!) are a species of palm tree fruits mostly found in the jungle. It’s easily distinguishable by its reddish brown scaly skin. It could be eaten raw, which taste bitter sour with a tinge of sweetness,  and thus often made into pickles. Not my kind of fruit though.

It was a long walk to the end of the market and Acha complaint that her sandals were causing blisters, so I bought her the new padded stripy flats at RM15 a pair.

I gave the PnS to my darling Ahnaf, and these were what he captured out of it. Sorry kiddo, you know that won’t happen.

It was unbearably hot, Serikin and the heat was giving us headache, so upon reaching the untarred road we decided to turn back. More over, it was the same thing being sold throughout. It was about lunch time too and since we hadn’t had any decent breakfast in the morning, a brunch was more than needed. Exiting the market we walked to a nearby stall selling ayam penyet (again?) and chicken rice, and we opted the latter.

We left the market and headed back to Kuching via the same road, and decided to drop by Bau township which situated along the way. It is just like any other typical small town, but it was not the town that we actually wanted to see.

We actually wanted to visit the scenic  Tasik Biru (literally means Blue Lake) of Bau, formed from the gold mining activities back in the old days.

The lake is really blue, and under a bright sun it turns color to turquoise green which we at first thought a reflection of the surrounding lush vegetations and the blue sky. Despite looking so beautifully serene, we later learned that the greenish color was in fact due to the high levels of arsenic, a toxic element. Too bad.

On close look we spotted a shabby looking path on the nearby island. Wonder who’s living on the other side.

At a distant there’s a stream of waterfall, the source of the lake I presume. This is how much my telezoom can make out of it. The stream is said to even have higher level of toxicity. The lush and peaceful surrounding, the crystal clear jadded water and the calm sounds of the waterfall – the place is indeed a beauty, and it is ironic that such beauty is untouchable.

9 Dec 2011.

During the recent school holidays we took the kids for a short trip to the capital of East Malaysia state of Sarawak, which cheap tickets I managed to grabbed during the AirAsia’s Visit Malaysia promotion. The flight to Kuching was scheduled at 12.30pm, and soon we were flying above the vast South China Sea.  The travel was smooth, and I spent the time shifting in between The Borneo Post left by the previous passenger and  the in-flight magazines. The kids were excited too, and occupied most of their time (and mine, definitely) asking questions on the whereabout, like every 10 minutes interval. As they were competing to sit by the window thus explain why I don’t have the obligatory bird-eye view photos of Kuching.

We safely landed at Kuching International Airport on time, despite the 10 minutes delayed during departure. Immigration was a breeze, and the officer greeted us with a welcoming smile. Unlike travelling to other part of the country, we were required to show our identification card at the immigration counter, and for kids, birth certificates are required. I don’t like to be bogged down with all the documents, so I just used the passports instead.

The Kuching immigration stamping that made its way in our passport.

We made our way to the city center via the newish Hyundai Accent 1.6, which we rented from an agent at the airport lobby. The drive to the town took about 20 minutes, and along the way we were served with a vista of a rapidly developing city. It really didn’t feel like we were actually on a distant land, separated from the peninsular by the marginal South China Sea.

The first thing we did upon reaching the town was looking for accomodation, which I had booked through Internet. The guest house that we were looking for is located at Abell Street, a stone throw from the waterfront and right above the AirAsia Service Centre.

Brookes Terrace, our budget lodging  for the next 2 nights looks nothing much from the outside but clean and comfy once stepping inside – the room is spacious with carpeted floor, free WiFi and a 32 inch LCD tv. Even recommended by TripAdvisor.  

I was looking from the window of our room into the back alley, and the first thing I spotted was a cat on the rooftop. What is Kuching without the cat, rite?

Another one spotted at the window sill. Eventhough the city name sounded like kucing, meaning cat in Malay, it was actually derived from a fruit; locally known as Mata Kucing or Longan which is plentiful in Sarawak. Nevertheless, the notion of a cat city was more easily accepted and thus everyone favourite pet became the city mascot eversince.

Here, kitty kitty…

As Kuching iconic landmark is the Sarawak River, the visit to Kuching would not complete without a visit to the famous esplanade. So, after a short rest and a late lunch at the nearby cafe,  we headed to the riverfront for an evening stroll. Above is a photo of the  perahu tambang, the water taxi synonym with the image of Kuching, while at the back is the Astana, the palace and the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, the Governor of Sarawak.

A walk along the esplanade, we came across a small, white fortress facing the river, directly opposite to the Astana. It is the Square Tower, an annex to the Fort Magherita and a sentry post of the Sarawak River, Kuching main thoroughfare during the old times.

The only tower of the Square Tower.

A window, Square Tower Kuching. 

Across the road is the Charles Brooke memorial, in the compound of Kuching Court House. The monument was erected to commenmorate Sarawak second White Rajah. Amidst the posh five-star hotels that sprawled in the city, Kuching is also proud of its numerous beautiful colonial architectures, legacy of the Brooke family.

Sarawak in history belonged to the Brunei Sultanate, but in the 18th century it was rewarded to James Brooke, an Englishman who managed to put down the rebellious attack of a local tribe. James Brooke  and his descendants ruled Sarawak henceforth and was known as the White Rajah. Kuching was its center of administration until it fell to the Japanese during the World War II. Sarawak then became part of Malaysia on 16th September 1963, six years after Malaya gained its independence from the British. (Source : Wiki).

Bronze bas-reliefs of historical fact are paved along the walkway.

The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building, silhouetted on the north bank of the river.

We strolled leisurely along the promenade, enjoying the serenity of sunset. The peace was suddenly broken by a noise coming from the white, luxury boat cruising the river, of which we immediately turned our head to out of reflex. I always wanted to go for a river cruise, but the RM60 fare per person (in our case to be multiplied by four) is way too much.

I saw one perahu tambang coming towards us, and we quickly went down to the pier. Perahu tambang would be a cheap way to explore the river, and the feel is more authentic too!

Inside the perahu tambang. The small wooden boat is a vital transport for the village folks that mainly lived on the north riverbanks, to ferry them across the Sarawak River to the main bazaar on the south. Though there is a bridge connecting the two sides of the river, perahu tambang is still widely used as it is fast, convenient and cheap with regular rides across the river at 50 cent per trip.

Our boat crossed path with this blue and green fella, while at the back majestically stand the plush Hilton, Crown Plaza and Harbour View. Modern versus the old.

With motorized engine it was a quick trip back and forth, less than 15 minutes. Arriving back at the pier, we dropped the fare on the boat floor like others, and help ourselves with the balance. Often enough the fare is handed to the boatman himself, which he is more than happy to accept.

 The view of Sarawak River at sunset.

We lingered a while at the waterfront until darkness quitely crept in, enjoying the sparkles and the colorful lights that adorned the Astana.

The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly at night.

It was almost 8.00pm when we left the waterfront, and headed looking for cheap, local chow. The only place I knew was the famous TopSpot, but gave it a pass as I want to save that for our last night in Kuching. Others recommended by our guest house front person were mostly the ludicruosly expensive kopitiam with Ayam Penyet as its main course. The Indonesian Ayam Penyet was such a favourite here, almost all eateries from the decent cafe to the roadside stalls have it in their menu. Unfortunately I didn’t have the appetite over some ’pressed’ chicken too (I had enough of that during my previous Indonesia trips) and was craving for something more authentic and more like Kuching. Google searches suggested a few eateries but satellite reception was so lousy we couldn’t get Garmin and Google Maps to work properly. Road signs in Kuching were unhelpful either, most of them not in place where they were mostly needed. With the lack of proper road signs and Garmin kept on triangulated us the location, we ended up going in circles.

Tired, hungry and frustrated, we nearly given up hope and thought of having instant noodles for dinner instead. We gave it one last final shot to Satok, and upon entering the town area we spotted rows of roadside eateries. “That’s more like it”, I said to myself. We parked the car at the nearby shoplot and started counting rhyme of which stall we should choose. We ended up sitting at the one adjacent to the satay seller.

Satay seller, Satok.

I ordered the ordinary Pattaya fried rice for the kids, their favourite dish everytime we have an eat out.  Eventually it turned out not so ordinary. When the food arrived, a glimpsed under a shady fluorescent lamp I saw a crumple of black ‘something’ which I thought fried Kue Teow (which I didn’t order) but the cook insisted that it was ours. On closer look it was indeed fried Pattaya, fusion style, garnished with chicken and black pepper gravy on top of it. Sarawak is well known as one of the world black pepper producer, hence it is no surprise that the spice ended up in most of the dishes including the Thai.

Me and DH tried out Mee Kolok and Mee Kolok Sapi (the beef version), the famous local dish for the first time. The look and taste is something similar to Chinese dried wonton noodle. And of course Kuching satay from the nearby satay seller!

End of Day 1.