City of Cats

From the moment we arrived in Kuching, capital of the Sarawak region of Borneo, we felt very comfortable in this compact and vibrant little city. 

It has a beautiful riverside boardwalk, a well preserved old town, loads of great food stalls and restaurants, and a nice laid back vibe.

And it's the city of cats - good enough for my pet-loving kids. "Where are the cats?" they asked, as soon as they arrived. Turns out there are hardly any cats here at all - the name Kuching (originally from the local dialect) sounds very similar to the Malay word for 'cat'.

So the local tourism authority presumably took advantage of the coincidence, threw up plenty of cat statues and, there you have it - The City of Cats. And not a real cat in sight - my kids were not impressed - they think it's cheating.

I've travelled to Malaysia three times in my life - 1993, 2010 and 2014. Every year I've been here it just happens to be "Visit Malaysia" year. Strange coincidence? I think not. 

Our culinary goal in Malaysia is to sample as many different Laksa versions as possible. This is the Sarawak version - a bit more sour and no coconut milk. I liked it very much, but Shirley was not as impressed.

Our next stop was the Sarawak Cultural Village - basically a 'cultural theme park' showing traditional Borneo tribal longhouses, clothing, and dances. Its purpose is to demonstrate the local customs and way of life. We came here so the kids could get a visual display of some of the things we had explained to them before we arrived.

Now some people would avoid such an attraction, and complain that it is contrived and simply a show for tourists. I see what they mean, but at the same time it is a sad reality that even in the jungles of Borneo, far from the city, this lifestyle no longer really exists. Modernization has taken over and many tribes are losing their traditional rituals and customs.

Our kids had a great time walking along old style bamboo bridges, and exploring the longhouses and all of the furnishings inside.

After a few turns of this rice/grain grinding machine, they definitely appreciated the hard work that went along with putting food on the table in these villages.

While most of the Cultural Village was focused on the several tribes - Bidayuh, Iban, Penan, Orang Ulu, Melanau - it also recognized that Chinese and Malays are also an integral part of Sarawak's development and there were houses focused on these ethnic groups too.

It was built on a 17 acre sprawling expanse in the foothills of Mount Santubong fronting the South China Sea. The grounds were beautiful and it was easy to spend several hours wandering the houses and gardens at our own pace. 

Seeing how tribes lived in a longhouse, with many families living side-by-side but sharing various communal activities, and watching elders crafting clothes from the bark of trees, one could not help seeing similarities to our Canadian First Nations.

It may be a bit basic compared to the kitchen Shirley is used to, but I'm sure it wouldn't take her long before she would be cooking up her usual magic.

My only comment (not a complaint because I refuse to bring any negativity along on this trip) is that it was bloody hot! We moved slowly and stopped often - my way of dealing with the steamy conditions. I'm talking 'elderly man with a walker in an old folks home' pace.

There was also an hour-long show demonstrating the traditional dances and costumes from five different tribes. And it was held in a blissfully cool air conditioned theater. I guess you could have shown me anything and I would have watched it - but we really did enjoy it.

Owen was especially impressed with the dance of the Penan warrior - an expert with his poisonous blow darts - he used the blow gun a few times to great effect. As a result, we are now trying to figure out if a blow gun will make through security in a carry-on bag.

Though not part of the planned itinerary, it was nice to get a visit from the member of an even more distant tribe. I like the monkeys in Borneo - much more cautious around humans and rarely looking for food.

The longhouses are really spectacular - but some are even more impressive than others, and it usually is dependent on whether the structures are built to last a few years (for semi nomadic farmers) or several generations (skilled at rice field irrigation and skilled tool makers).

Back in Kuching with a few more hours to kill - so we found ourselves at a movie theatre in the building beside our guesthouse. And it was 5 ringgit Wednesdays!! So the four of us spent a total of C$7 for a night at the movies. Note the awesome view from the theatre balcony.

Had a pre-movie treat on the massage chairs. We have unanimously agreed that this will be the next big purchase for the house in North Vancouver. But the massage was short, as we wanted to hurry and get a really good seat for the movie....

....clearly that will not be a problem. Evidently 5 ringgit Wednesdays is not such a draw. I don't think I have ever been in a movie theatre where we were the only patrons - kind of creepy to be honest, but still a good way to finish the day.