It’s been months since I last wrote, but it seems like years. Maybe that’s because we’ve entered 2004 AD, the Chinese Year of the Monkey, and, today, the year 1425 of the islamic calendar, all within two months. The first of Muharram is a public holiday in many states in Malaysia, including Sarawak, so I’m […]
Tag Archives: kuching
More Kuching Waterfront
Here’s one last picture that should have gone with the last set. It’s the city hall of North Kuching, perched on a hill. Some of the older neighborhoods of Petrajaya, the city’s north bank, can be seen in the middleground. Kuching is split into two separate cities, North and South Kuching. It’s a very arbitrary […]
Kuching Waterfront
Here’s a few shots from the Kuching Waterfront, the biggest tourist attraction in town. It runs for about a kilometer along the Sarawak River, from the historic wharf district with its wet market and shophouses to highrise hotels and shopping malls on the far end. One lovely thing about Kuching is that from almost any […]
Eating around Kuching
Food is a fairly consistent topic here at BGP, but I’ve just run across a site that does it full time, based right here in Kuching! It is mum-mum::eat-eat, and if you are into Malaysian cuisine, you really should have a look. The pictures are great, and are all taken right in the restaurant. That […]
Kuching in History
I picked up a great little book, a 50-year-old report done by two peninsular Malays as an undergraduate honors project. The reprinting, produced by UNIMAS, is titled “Life in the Malay Kampongs of Kuching, Fifty Years Ago”. It’s a real gem. The students were geographers, and so payed special attention to the landscape of the […]
Puteri Santubong
Mount Santubong is the subject of a local legend that was put to song. Brother Affendi kindly chased down the lyrics. I’ve supplied a translation for your reading pleasure. Puteri Santubong, Puteri Sejinjang, Penjaga gunung negeri Sarawak, Manis sik ada dapat dilawan, Anak dak dewa turun kayangan. Princess Santubong, Princess Sejinjang, Spirits of the mountain […]
Accommodations
I just got back from a lovely holiday at the Santubong Family Resort. It was my first real excursion out of Kuching since I got here. We took the chance to go, since Monday and Tuesday were State holidays in honor of Gawai Day. Gawai Day is the biggest holiday of the year for the […]
Overeating
Tracking down new and exciting foods and eating them has been my principle preoccupation since arriving in Malaysia almost six months ago. But I’ve also been happy to find old comfort food from my childhood that was tough to get back in the States. I lived in India for four years as a kid, and […]