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Kuching Trip 2020

6th September 2020 - Arrival in Kuching

Meet & greet upon arrival at Kuching International Airport and transfer to various hotels within Kuching city center.

Free at leisure and meals at guests own expense.

7th September 2020 - Semenggoh Wildlife center / Bau town / Fairy & Wind Caves / Bidayuh Village & Craft Center

Depart from your hotel at 08:00am to the Orangutan Center of Semenggoh Nature Reserve. 

Borneo is one out of two places in the world where orangutans exist in the wild. At Semenggoh Nature Reserve you get the rare chance to see some semi-wild orangutans that had been rescued as orphans or confiscated from illegal pet trade and underwent rehabilitation training in order to have a chance at life in the jungle again.

Observe the impressive big apes at feeding time as they come, swinging high up in the trees, towards the feeding platform to grab a meal of fruits. However, please note that the animals roam free in the nature reserve and are not in cages and therefore sightings cannot be guaranteed.

After this fascinating experience, you will hit the road again and continue with a drive through picturesque countryside to the quite town of Bau for lunch at a local “kopitiam”, food-court (lunch at guests own expenses). Bau town, is an old gold-mining area and a place that has witnessed many conflicts throughout the course of history. It was one of the earliest permanent settlement areas for Chinese miners who later on revolted against the government of the White Rajah James Brooke, several headhunting raids between native tribes took place in and around this area, and in more recent history it was one of the sites of communist rebellions.

Explore the nearby Wind and Fairy Caves. Named after a cool breeze that can be felt in certain parts of the caverns, Wind Cave is home to bats, swiftlets and other cave dwellers. Whereas the much higher Fairy Cave houses several stalagmites that resemble humans or animals and have been subject of many fairy tales and legends. 

Until today, many natives as well as local Chinese come to this cave to do offerings. Listen to the explanations of your guide about the formation of the caves during the Jurassic era, as well as the the importance of the caves to local communities in the past and the various local beliefs and superstitions evolving from it.

With another 30 minutes drive from the caves, you will travel to a village of the Bidayuh tribe called Kampong Sibuluh. The Bidayuh people are well-known for their art of bamboo carving, as well as plaiting and weaving. Their products made of bamboo comprise a myriad of utilitarian as well as decorative items. Other natural materials collected from the surrounding jungles such as rattan, leaves of the screwpine or stalks of a shrub called 'bemban' are also used in plaited crafts. A lot of care is invested in the processing and preparing of the collected materials before the skilled women turn them into masterpieces. As art and crafts are a significant way to express culture, this day spent with local artisans of your choice will provide you an in-depth experience of the life of the natives in Borneo. You will also get to try your own skills hands-on and produce your personal little piece of art to bring back home as a souvenir!

You will have a tea break served at the village before returning to Kuching in the afternoon.

Transfer back to various hotels. Evening is free at leisure and dinner at guests own expense.

8th September 2020 - Sarawak Cultural Village / Cat museum / Kubah Ria Market

You will start the day with the visit of the Sarawak Cultural Village, located 45 minutes’ drive from Kuching, at the foot of the majestic Mount Santubong. Surrounded by tropical rain forest. This living museum gives an insight into the culture and tradition of the 7 major ethnic groups of Sarawak. Visitors will get an idea what life in Sarawak was like in the olden days thanks to replicas of longhouses and other traditional housing, as well as demonstrations of daily activities such as sword-smithing, preparation of typical snack items or the usage of a blowpipe. During a show of cultural performances, you can enjoy traditional music, songs and dances from the various ethnic groups. Let yourself get carried away by the colourful costumes, rhythmical movements and sometimes even acrobatic stunts of the local dancers!

The guided visit of this beautiful cultural village will occupy your morning and lunch will be arranged for you on the site.

On your way back to Kuching you will stop at the Kuching North City Hall for a visit of the Cat museum which stands 60 meters above sea level overlooking the picturesque view of Kuching City. This museum is the first of its kind in the world. It is managed by Kuching North City Hall and has collection of Cat artefacts from various donation. These collections were bought to Kuching City by the Sarawak Museum and displayed for the first time on 1st August 1988 at the Dewan Tun Abdul Razak. The collections were officially handed over to Kuching North City Hall on the completing of DBKU Headquarters buildingin 1992.

The last stop of the day will be a visit of the Kubah Ria market, the biggest daily market in Kuching. This place is teeming with agricultural and jungle produce such as fresh vegetables, herbs, exotic fruits, wild honey, meat and poultry, as well as fish. There is also a foodcourt and several hawker stalls, offering local dishes and snacks. On a hotafternoon, enjoy a fresh coconut or some “ABC” (abbrev. For “Air Batu Campur”), a refreshing dessert consisting of shaved ice with sirup, diced fruits and jelly bits.

Transfer back to various hotels.

You are invited to go for a set dinner at Top Spot (5 to 15 minutes walking from various hotel), known as one of the best seafood place in town (dinner included but transportation on your own).

9th September 2020 - South Kuching Exhibition / Sarawak Legislative Building (DUN) / Fort Margherita / Orchid Garden

You will start with a guided visit of the Council of the City of Kuching South (which administers the southern part of Kuching) and its exhibition tracing the growth of the city.

You will continue with a view of the other side of the town, across the Sarawak river to its north side. Visit the new Sarawak Legislative Building (DUN) and the public viewing gallery located at the last floor. The building has nine floors with a height of 27.7 meters, diameter of 30.9 metres, and an area of 760 square meters. 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 (payung negara in Malay).

Enjoy a walk around the Astana palace. It is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, the Governor of Sarawak and only a walk through the garden may be granted for some VIP.

By a short coach ride you will continue to the beautiful Fort Margherita. It is an old fort constructed in 1879 by Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (The second Rajah), fully renovated in 2015 thanks to the hard work and passion of the member of the Trust. Not only renovating the fort, the Trust association as dedicated a private museum, The Brooke Gallery, which tells the story of one of the most remarkable kingdoms in history: Sarawak and its ‘White Rajahs’ through a private exhibition providing artefacts from the Brooke Family’s collection. You will enjoy a private guided visit by the gallery’s manager and a picnic lunch will be served in the fort’s garden.

Later in the afternoon you will visit the Sarawak Orchid Garden. Sarawak’s very own State Flower, the Normah Orchid (Phalaenopsis Bellina) is amongst the wide collection of Borneo Orchids found in this garden. The garden is divided into two major areas, made up of the nursery and the display area, which house a total collection of 75,000 plants comprising of 82 genera. Other than the Normah, some other famous Borneo orchids found in the garden are the Lady’s Slipper (Paphiopedilum Sanderianum), Coelogyne Pandurata – the green and black flowered orchid, Bulbophyllum Beccarii – the flower with stinking smell and the Vandal Dearei – a fragrant flowered orchid. Enjoy a tea break with local delicacies in this enchanting setting and a warm atmosphere before your transfer back to your hotel.

Evening is free at leisure and dinner at guests own expense.

10th September 2020 - Kuching Historical Center / Sarawak Museum

Currently under construction, the new wing of the Sarawak Museum will be open to visitors by the time of your visit. This museum will be the largest in Malaysia with a combined total floor space of approximately 31,000 square meters. You will then be from the first to enjoy this amazing artefacts collection presented at the New Wing Museum. You will also visit the newly renovated old Sarawak Museum situated in the beautiful historical building opened in 1891. The building was especially built to permanently house and display local native arts and crafts and collections of local animals as mainly encouraged by the famous naturalist, Alfred Wallace, who was then collecting specimens in the country.

Some fact, during the Japanese Occupation, the museum was put under the direction of a sympathetic Japanese Officer. As a result, the museum suffered very little damage and remarkably little looting. This visit with take the whole morning and you will be free at leisure for lunch time. 

In the afternoon continue through a stroll along the city center with its historical buildings, traditional temples and small hidden alleys. Walk along the bustling Main Bazaar, Chinatown with its red lanterns, the colourful India

Street, as well as the aromatic spice market. It will also be the perfect time for souvenir shopping.

Transfer back to various hotels. Evening is free at leisure and dinner at guests own expense.

11th September 2020 - Chinese temple / Commemoration of the Japanese Surrender / Private dinner at the Sarawak Club

This is the day that you all have been waiting for and the main reason of your visit! 75 years ago, the signing of the surrender officially ended the Japanese occupation. This is History. Throughout the day we will commemorate the event. You will be picked from various hotels* and driven the Chinese temple of Muara Tebas. The temple was first built 200 years ago by Chinese migrants who were thankful to their gods for allowing them to safely arrive in Sarawak, it was built on a spot where they found a natural spring of fresh water, the spring is still there to this day and the water is freely available to all who visit the temple. The temple was built in several stages, for a while it was in a poor condition until in 1979 a staff building was added and the roof of the main building was repaired. In 1984 the local Hakka association took over the caring for the temple. Over the next 14 years the temple was first renovated then also expanded (a dining hall was added). In the year 2000 a fountain and a “Buddha’s footprint” were added to the temple. This temple is also the closest location from where The HMAS Kapunda arrived (Tanjong Po) on the morning of the 11th September 1945.

After the visit you will be driven to the BCCK jetty where the Sarawak River Cruise Boat will be waiting for you. After the welcoming of the guests and a cultural dance show, a delicious lunch will be served on board. Along the meal will be presentation and speeches from some of the VIP and organizers, such as Michael Eastick who initiated the event and Dato Lim who’s research and passion for the History of the WW2 makes him a specialist of the topic.

By 1pm, depart of a VIP group who will embark on a smaller boat to reach the official location of the Surrender in 1945 where a commemorative ceremony will be held on board. (*for logistic reasons only a smaller boat can reach the exact signing location and take an estimated number of 10 to 15 passengers). The rest of the participants will be following the event from the main cruise boat with a live screen projection of what is happening on the commemorative boat.

Then all participants will enjoy sailing down to Kuching Waterfront (45 min to 1 hour) where everybody will disembark and be transferred by coach to the Batu Lintang Memorial for a commemorative ceremony.

Transfer back to various hotels for refreshment and transfer for dinner at the Sarawak Club.

Transfer back to various hotel after dinner.

12th September 2020 - Depart from Kuching

Transfer from various hotels to Kuching International Airport for flight departure.