Sunday, March 22, 2009

Kuching City

It's not hard to fall in love with Kuching city. For most city folks, the main part of Kuching is not much difference with the cities in West Malaysia... except maybe more trees and way less crowded.

Kuching Main Bazaar

kuching main bazaarThis is the best place to get Sarawak souvenirs & handicrafts - including the all famous Sarawak kuih lapis (multi coloured cake). This row of shophouses is actually just opposite the watefront, and wouldn't be missed (and shouldn't too!).

Kuching Tua Pek Kong Temple

kuching tua pek kong templeJust at the start of the bazaar is this Kuching attraction - the Tua Pek Kong Temple.

kuching tua pek kong templeOne thing interesting about this temple is the big beautiful carvings on its walls.

Kuching Waterfront

kuAnd of course, the tour in Kuching is never complete without having a walk by the Kuching waterfront... with its relaxing atmosphere by the Kuching River, shady trees and nice views.

kuching watefront boatIt is nice to see that people still use boats as a means of transportation in the heart of the city.

kuching waterfront astanaWalk further down the Waterfront and one will get to see the Sarawak Governor's Official Residence - the Astana. I think this Astana, by the river looks quite majestic, in its own right.

kuching waterfront state parliamentAnd not far off, one can see the mega structure of the soon to-be-ready Sarawak State Parliament building.

This place (by the river) is a good hangout place for many, especially during evenings, when there is the sunset. But even the afternoon blue skies are nice!

There's more to Kuching city... like it's Chinatown & Little India (which are roads just around this same area). And those are coming up next! :)

8 comments:

  1. What caught my attention when I first stepped foot in Kuching many years ago, was the slow pace of life.

    I don't see alot of people in the streets and not too many vehicles on the road.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I bought a lot of t-shirts to give away from one of the shops there. There is something very strange about shopping. Once you step into the shop, others will follow. When we first stepped in, we were the only ones and then in a short while the shop was swarming with other shoppers and we had to queue up at the checkout counter. Strange, eh?

    Nice carvings on the wall. I missed this temple but instead went to the other one with the 100-year-old tree or something like that. This temple has a pagoda in it. Did you visit this one too?

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Astana looks beautiful. Not forgetting another souvenir from Kuching...peppercorns?

    ReplyDelete
  4. budget hotels with '5-star' style and higher end hotels are mushrooming in cat city.

    I like to walk around the old cat city (with a camera) from padungan to main bazaar, then little india (there is one narrow 'secret' passage among the old shop houses passing through an indian mosque), then to the museums, then padang merdeka, st thomas cathedral, carpenter street or bishop gate then back to bukit mata kuching.

    nice photos that you have taken. congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello Qua Chee,

    Been meaning to return the your visit to my blog, and I finally made it.

    I went to Kuching in the first week of March and stayed at Harbour View Hotel. The stay was short albeit memorable. I walked past the temple and the waterfront everyday I was there but sadly, I did not have enough time to go for more leisurely walks.

    Your photos are really awesome and bring back loads of memories. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think oldest temple doesn't quite apply. With that paint job, it looks super new.

    ReplyDelete
  7. From your pics Kuching really looks charming!

    ReplyDelete

Oh hey, thank you for commenting! :)