Open Hearts and Full Bellies in Kuching, Malaysia

Wheels Up to Borneo

After an incredibly fast week in Singapore’s PugTown, our fast travel month resumed whether we were ready or not. (We weren’t.) So after making sure our clients had been fed, walked and farted one last time, we locked up the house and jumped on the 36 Bus to everybody’s favorite airport en route to a wild land that would be probably be far less snarf and snore-ridden….

We couldn’t get to the airport too early because of our aforementioned clients, so we had two choices in two hours…join the masses to explore the bridges and platforms connecting the area known as “the Jewel,” and explore other features of the airport, or forfeit our lounge access. So, we got a brief spray near the world renowned plunging indoor waterfall, which reminded us of a UFO calling the earthling selfie stickers home, and quickly moved on.

The indoor/outdoor jungle experience IS quite cool…especially for an airport. Other things to do in this airport include:

take a nap in a private sleeping pod
visit butterfly gardens
visit the rooftop swimming pool/jacuzzi
go to a movie
scale a rock wall
chute down a giant slide
marvel at art exhibits
jump on trampolines
play video or arcade games
melt into an “8 hand” massage chair
or visit a 3 hectare nursery, among 300 other ways to drop a ton of money before you’ve even left the airport. In short, some people actually use the airport itself as a tourist destination while in Singapore. We had done pretty well budget wise this week, so we’ll be sticking with what works.

So…after the UFO, we then breezed through automatic immigration, involving no officers, and marveled at all the terrific places to sit/work/nap even if you don’t have access to a lounge. And yet, these ladies still sit on the back of the couch.

Speaking of which, this is the lounge we accessed which is called Blossom in Terminal 4, which overlooks a Vegas-esque display of vibrant Peranakan culture. It looked a lot like the real deal we’d previously seen in Katong and Chinatown in real Singapore. The facade also conceals a LED screen where the digital theatrical performance Peranakan Love Story is projected on. Screened on scheduled timings, it is not only entertaining to watch but also enlightening for travellers to learn more about this vibrant culture while waiting to board their flights.

So, we watched it from the “upper balcony” like total snobs in our bougie environment, with our delicious dinner…not to mention all the French wine and cheese we could handle to hold us over until the next lounge. Western “staples” like these are not exactly easy to come by in SE Asia. At least not at our price point. 🤣

Oh, let’s not forget the udderly fantastic free ice cream. 🤤

Off to Kuching, which sounds a lot like the K-Ching sound a cash register makes. If you’re sitting there scratching your head about where the hell Kuching is, that’s ok. It’s only a city of about 300,000 people on the third biggest island on earth. Yep, that’s right…this very lateral move is flying us off to Borneo!!

When we arrived to Kuching 1.5 hours later, Zack, our sweet 60 something local host with surprising pale blue eyes and remarkable English, picked us up to take us to his guesthouse, which will cost us $21/night for the next three. The outside of his house comes with three bonus cats, and a shared kitchen which we’re sharing with a German couple we have yet to meet.

Exploring Kuching

When we once envisioned Borneo, our minds went to rugged jungle, wild animals, and all too man-made palm plantations. It has those things. But as we learned, it has absolutely unique and delicious food, delightful cities and without a doubt, the warmest and friendliest people we’ve encountered in this corner of the globe so far…. all for an affordable price. So far, it’s is a drastically different side of Malaysia than mainland and we really like it.

The city of Kuching is the capital of the state of Sarawak which covers the northwestern segment of the island of Borneo. Kuching is the economic capital of Sarawak and is divided into a more residential northern and commercial southern sections. We got a flavor for both because we lived in the north for four nights and commuted across the river via local ferry.

Sarawak is truly a multicultural state with more than 20 ethnic groups, which practice a variety of religions, althoughthe most outwardly evident seems to be Islam, (although Christianity is technically the majority.) The palm-draped and golden crowned Kuching City Mosque is one of several striking mosques in the area and was built in the 1960s. And yes, this means we’re also back to receiving a wake up call at 5 am!

Kuching sounds like the name for “cat” in the local language and they take their namesake seriously. For example, this playful roundabout on one of their main thoroughfares, and the sporadic meowing you’ll hear as you stroll through the streets. 😻

When we arrived to our homestay, this adorable rag doll kitty belonging to our host, Zack looked…uh…normal. The next day we were a bit astonished to see his fluffy coat had been whacked off like a lion’s. Guess that’s what you gotta do for fur balls on the equator. Luckily he was completely oblivious to his look, and probably a whole lot cooler. 😹

It has flavors of Turkey, meets Jordan meets India where the bazaars overflowed with fragrant spices and ghee, and a pedestrian street devoted to Indian shops. At first it was called as the Kling Street in the 1850’s, but the Third White Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Vyner Brooke changed the name to India Street in 1928. In 1992 the street was closed to vehicular traffic and converted into a pedestrian mall. A very good call in our opinion!

The lively street is loaded with sugary concoctions, terrific bargains…and secret alleys. We went down this one looking for a hidden Indian mosque…

….and instead encountered a rabbit who looked like he’d been doing something naughty.

Like everywhere we seem to wander these days, street art telling a story of the people and land is abundant.

The Barbie mosque couldn’t complement this pastel wall of aesthetic windows any better.

Motorbike parking is much more organized than in Vietnam here….

The official entrance to Carpenter Street, which is an animated road offering Chinese and Indian cuisine, furniture shops and coffee shops.

Another street scene in central Chinatown. The corner of Carpenter Street is loaded with charm, and topped with a whirling dervish skirt building.

It’s attached to this unique loop de loop, which resembles a roller coaster, but is actually a pedestrian bridge to get from one side of Kuching to the other.

The golden whirling dervish skirt up close is actually the New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building, built in 2009. We saw this unusual architecture in several government buildings and learned the cross-section of the building is designed like a nine-pointed star. The building is capped with a roof design similar to a Malaysian royal umbrella, which is used to protect the sultan.

You will notice two things here…1. They recycle. Yay! 2. All the government signage is in English. Thanks in part to British rule until the 1960s, both English and Malay are official languages, and it is compulsory to learn English in primary and secondary education. Also, all university level education is conducted in English. We don’t remember this very well from our 2020 visit to Malaysia, but are already feeling spoiled.

A colossal piece of tree candy overflows onto the grounds of the historic colonial courthouse. The courthouse was built in 1871 as the seat of Sarawak’s government and has been transformed into an art hub today with art galleries, cafes and restaurants.

The beautiful waterfront of the Sarawak River. If you’re into that kind of thing, there’s a Hilton and Sheraton in the background. Oh!! Did we mention Kuching is also ringed by mountains?! The view of them from the pedestrian bridge with the India Mosque Kuching is very impressive.

The rainbow of the I ❤️ Kuching sign is undoubtedly not to celebrate pride month. They are sadly far from there in Malaysia. In fact, with widespread anti-LGBT conversion practices, discrimination, and violence in the country supported by the state, Malaysia is one of the most homophobic countries in the world. (Wikipedia) Copyright infringement on fictional mice doesn’t seem to be an issue however🤣

While in Kuching, we also were fortunate to partake in a cultural concert on the waterfront on Saturday night. This included seeing many locals in beautiful tribal costumes…

…and a much less clad man attached to his iFan. The backpack and sneakers really complete the look, don’t you think?

They were all there to welcome a VIP…the governor of Sarawak to the festivities.

Not quite rock and roll, but it was really fascinating to be a part of this event.

The next day we tried to go to the Borneo Cultures Museum because we saw online it was only about $2. Unfortunately, the foreigner price when we arrived was $10, far more than we wanted to pay.

So, instead we indulged in their free air conditioned gift shop. Although this gorgeous hand-embroidered blouse would have definitely flown in Mandy’s suitcase..if she owned a suitcase…or had a place to wear it…

Malaysia is another country where you can’t drink until you’re 21. However, like ours you can join the military at much younger…17…and a HALF.

Traditional clothing sold at the markets

Dressed in fire engine red and accented with dragon motifs, Tua Pek Kong Temple is one of the few Taoist temples in Kuching.

The heritage houses along the waterfront of Kuching make is very pleasant and atmospheric, as do the plentiful green spaces.

Back in our residential neighborhood across the river, we loved our quiet and local guesthouse at Jazepuri. We’re still dodging cars as we keep forgetting they drive on the opposite side of the road here. The residential side features many houses on stilts, some with very nice riverfront views.

To get across, we would take a 1 Malaysian Ringgit ferry, $.21, across the river. Every time we went, we met the sweetest people, including this young lady who commuted across the river to Big Apple Donuts in one of the many shopping malls. Everyone always seemed so excited to meet and chat with us, and the feeling was definitely mutual. Truly, it’s been awhile since we felt this welcomed by an entire population. It’s got Jordan vibes, for sure.

Although there wasn’t a lot of activity on the residential side, there were several mom and pop roadside stands. This one belonged to “WingSpot Fried Chicken.” We have yet to meet a culture that doesn’t embrace fried chicken in some form or another. 🤣 Also, although you can’t drink the water, they do a great job providing water filters right on the streets of your neighborhood!

Culinary Delights in Sarawak State

Borneo presented one nice surprise after another and the dynamic food selection of Sarawak state was no exception. As the homeland of many indigenous populations, the regional dishes and ingredients were quite distinct compared to the rest of Malaysia. Overall, Sarawak cuisine is less spicy and uses fresh seafood and natural herbs like turmeric, lemongrass, ginger, lime and tapioca leaves. Combine that with the affordability, and we’re big fans!!

Sarawak Laksa, of course, is the Sarawak version of the popular dish, laksa. The base of the laksa broth is cooked by adding prawn shells into the laksa paste. Together with this spicy soup, cooked rice vermicell is topped with peeled boiled egg strips, chicken, bean sprouts, and coriander leaves.

Our favorite restaurant we checked out was called Borneo Delight. This no-frills eatery with the sweetest staff has a full range of items from the region. We caught the owner, and her daughter, shucking “stinky beans,” aka petai, when we came in. These beans are a common ingredient in cooking and so nicknamed because of the funky odors you might discover when it evacuates your body. Kinda similar to asparagus. 🤣

One of the dishes we had at Borneo Delight was the Umai, which seems to be the Malay version of ceviche, making it Mandy’s insta-favorite. Umai is the ‘Sashimi” for the Melanau tribe, and includes similar ingredients like red chilies, onion, salt and lime juice which are used to marinate raw fish. Note the adorable little limes native to Borneo.

Another one we loved was Midin, which is a type of fern that grows in the wild and can only be found in Sarawak. It is crunchy and can be fried with garlic, red wine or belacan (shrimp paste.) It tasted a bit like Vietnam’s morning glory, but we liked it more.

The last one is a bizarre one. Kacang Ma was originally eaten by women from Sarawak on confinement, which is the period of rest they take after giving birth. The main ingredients are Chinese motherwort leaves, rice wine, ginger and chicken. This dish has a strong liquor flavor with a subtle dry and sweet taste, or in Mandy’s words, “tasted like Dimetapp cough syrup.” Not really something she wanted to chow down on, but fortunately she didn’t have to because A. She hadn’t just shoved out a mini human (and never will), and B. Greg ate it. These three dishes and two drinks were about $12, if you’re curious.

We had this breakfast at the very backpackery Indah Cafe, which we ended up returning to for lunch. Here we got to try some traditional Sarawak spreads with our toast, which included: a sour lime cheesy curd, a sauce made from the pandan plant, which is a bit unusual with grassy, coconuty and sweet aromas, peanut paste (aka butter) and a garlic butter. ($2)

A bowl of good ol granola with kefir ($2). Mmm…it’s been awhile and this was very welcome!

And an amazingly delectable cheesecake, made with the same adorable little limes used in everything else. For this reason, it tasted more like key lime pie ($1.75).

The charming street where you could find Indah Cafe.

Sarawak also seems to have a high number of new drink options, and when they’re $1 or less, it’s fun to experiment. These two, a wheat grass and winter melon juice claimed to be “healthy and nourishing” on the sign. The tablespoon of sugar tucked inside was probably just an oversight…

This shrimp tomato Kueh Tiaw served with crispy noodles is very unique and can only be found in the state of Sarawak. It’s a popular comfort food, even to the children. Also, shrimp, chicken, noodles and more baby limes.

The Baskin Robbins of Sarawak with definitely more than 31 flavors is the colorful and flavorful Kek Lapis delicacy, also known as Sarawak Layer Cake. This is a ‘must’ for the Muslims when they celebrate their Hari Raya or Eid. The girls that ran the shop gave us lots of samples, and a photo.

It was tough call between Tutti Frutti, and chocolate cheese, but the candy candy clone of strawberry cheesecake eventually won out. You can tell by the two cheesecake flavored things in this post that Greg is feeling a significant shortage in this food group. Anyhow, a block of cake was about $3.

A limeade juice made with the teeny tiny limes.

Kolo Mee, or Mee Kolok is a very common food in Sarawak. It can be consumed in various ways and flavors, such as by adding barbecue pork oil, dark soy sauce, or spicy soy sauce. Our version was cooked with chicken, and we found it at this roadside stand for about $1.50 each.

A massive plate of butter chicken. Not Malay, nor was our first helping of cheese naan, which was more like a cheese stuffed pizza with minimal bread. The proprietor of this hawker stall made sure to tell us this was from northern Sri Lanka, not India (or obviously Malaysia) and that the gooey cheese was mozzarella. As if that wasn’t enough, he brought butter and a spicy dipping sauce. We haven’t been to northern Sri Lanka, but they clearly like to kill em off early there. That said, our dairy cravings were more than fulfilled after this cheese hit.

We were so excited to find the very rare tropical Gac fruit, which looks like an orange mated with a durian. Sadly, none were ripe and we had to leave the following day. We’re gonna be on the lookout for these!

At the market, lotus root wrapped and ready for a very zen meal. How interesting is that!!?

Iced bandung or rose syrup drink is a drink popular in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. It consists of evaporated milk flavored with rose syrup, which gives it a pink hue. And it tastes, exactly like it might taste to chow down on a rose. ($.80) Chicken satay with spicy peanut sauce. Can’t go wrong. ($1.50)