On the culture trail
Kuching means ‘cat’ in Malay — a fact clearly
not lost on the locals. Start by exploring the
quirky Cat Museum, with over 4,000 items
on show, including a mummiied Eyptian
cat and a cat cave. Later, look out for feline
statues in the centre. Next, head towards
the river to visit the Sarawak Museum,
the oldest on the island of Borneo, ofering
a real insight into local history, with one of
the best collections in Southeast Asia. The
ethnoloy section is set to reopen in 2020
with state-of-the-art facilities.
The Sarawak capital ofers everything from music festivals to
museums. To experience it like a local, be sure to navigate the
city centre streets by foot, and the river by sampan boatIMAGES: GETTY; SUPERSTOCK; ALAMYNearby, visit Kuching’s oldest temple, the
ornate and colourful Tua Pek Kong. Dating
back to 1843, this Buddhist temple has a
vibrant red and blue colour colour scheme
and is an important place of worship for the
Chinese community.
Finally, on the north side of the river, visit
Fort Margherita to learn about the ‘White
Rajahs’ a dynastic monarchy of the British
Brooke family who founded the Raj of
Sarawak. The site is also home to the Brooke
Gallery, which tells the story of adventurer
James Brooke, the irst White Rajah.CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Kuching
city; market stall; man painting a
lantern at Tua Pek Kong templeSEE KUCHING LIKE A LOCAL
PARTNER CONTENT FOR SARAWAK TOURISM