On my fourth day in Kuching, I had some time to myself so I decided to wander around the city centre and waterfront. Since it was a Sunday, I went to church first, and it just happened that St Joseph's Cathedral is behind the guesthouse I was staying. I went for the nine o'clock mass, which turned out to be the Chinese mass, then went to visit the Sunday market. One thing about Kuching is that the city centre is very small, so all the places are in close proximity with each other, hence it took me less than half a day to walk everywhere.
There is actually nothing much in the city centre itself, save for old buildings, some of which are colonial-style, and the waterfront. There are of course quite a few eating places and hotels around the area. The more interesting places are away from Kuching city, which I have already explored the past few days. So I took my time and just walked around the esplanade.
Aerial view of a meandering river in Kuching
Aerial view of Mount Santubong
Kuching City from the air
Approaching Kuching City with Mount Santubong in the background
The Kuching Airport Tower
St Joseph's Church, the main Catholic cathedral in Kuching. Incidentally, one week back, I attended the brother church - St Joseph's Church in Miri where my friend got married.
I saw this along the streets
After church, I went to the Sunday market, which was three streets down at a junction. What I saw as the junction from the map is actually deep into an open space, and not exactly at a junction. Initially I thought I lost my way until I saw people carrying bags of food coming from the opposite direction, so I presumed I was on the right track, and I was!
The Sunday market is an open air market where locals brought their products to be displayed on mats on the floor. It reminds me of a wet market of long ago, except it is in the open space. There is hardly any wet markets where I live anymore, especially one with live poultry.
Some of the products of the Sunday market
I have not seen live chicken in a market for a very long time
After exploring the market, I went to a cafe at the junction for lunch, then continued exploring the city area and waterfront. En route, I came across the Heroes Monument, with a cemetery and memorial, directly opposite the guesthouse I was staying in.
The garden of the Heros' Monument
I like this water fountain!
I like this arch at the end of the garden too!
Next to the Heros' Monument Garden, there is the Sarawak Museum and the Insect Museum.
Sarawak Museum
Insect Museum
Next to it is the grand Merdeka Palace Hotel, where the transport would drop me as the last stop back from the Rainforest Festival. This also happens to be the nearest stop to the guesthouse. I only attempted to drop here and walk back on the last day as I saw two girls from the same guesthouse walking the same direction, hence walked together with them. If I had been alone like previous nights, I would not have dared to walk alone on my own at that hour on the streets!
The Merdeka Palace Hotel
Ceiling of the Merdeka Palace Hotel
Interior of the Merdeka Palace Hotel
As I walked down further, I passed by the old post office on the opposite side.
And St Thomas Anglican Cathedral.
After passing by the Cathedral, I made a left turn and came to the old police station, where the city centre then leads to the waterfront.
This was the textile museum.
This is one of the entrances of Chinatown
My favourite building is the old General Post Office, which is a long white building remnants of the colonial era.
One end of the old General Post Office
The streets of nice food facing the old General Post Office
Middle facade of the old General Post Office
The other end of the old General Post Office
After walking past the whole old General Post Office, I came to this little cosy cafe opposite the waterfront.
These buildings used to be old godowns
This faces the waterfront directly
This is the plaza opposite the waterfront. The clock tower is a gathering place for many visitors who wish to navigate around Kuching.
The plaza, directly by the waterfront
I believe this is the Cat Museum, at the other side of the waterfront
Kuching is the city of cats, as evidenced from its name "Kucinta". But there are plenty of live cats roaming around everywhere I go too, hence the name really suits the place!
When I arrived at the Kuching waterfront, I held on to my bag tightly, as advised by my driver guide the day before. He said there were quite a few cases of robbery and injury. But I guess I was lucky, and pretty blessed during this whole trip that nothing nasty happened to me!
This is the Kuching Waterfront Bazaar
The Kuching Waterfront
What is a rubber crocodile doing at the edge of the river?
Boat ride to the other end of the waterfront
Some of the shops around the waterfront
You can see the hotels around the area
People having martial arts lesson by the waterfront
After walking the stretch of the waterfront bazaar, I arrived at the city centre where there are lots of shophouses and narrow lanes.
My dinner on the first night of Kuching was in one of the shops here
This was an old gate
I saw this dog peering out at one of the apartments
This is a church on a hill, but I was fascinated by the paintings of the birds on the grassy fence
A Chinese temple in the middle of Kuching
One of the more famous eating places in Kuching
Another row of shophouses. Just round the corner at the right, is the hill leading up to the guesthouse.
This is also a restaurant that is highly recommended. A pity I did not get to try it though. Perhaps next time.
The road and hill leading back to the guesthouse
The guesthouse is just down the corner from here
The side of the guesthouse can be seen behind the traveller's palms
After walking for a while, I came back to where I started - the stretch opposite the guesthouse.
This is directly opposite the guesthouse
The Kuching city centre and waterfront is very easy to navigate around, as everything is within the same vicinity. And most accommodation is within walking distance to the city centre and waterfront, so you will never get lost there as the whole place runs in a circle. No matter where you go, you will end up in your starting place.
I was actually quite disappointed for not being able to see the famous cat statue, but the next day, on the bus on my way back to Kuching City, I came across the two famous cat statues that gives Kuching the nickname of being a "Cat City".
Cat Statue in the middle of the city centre
To end off my Kuching adventures, my travel mates and I had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Kuching waterfront, where we saw a spectacular sunset.
View from top of the restaurant
The next morning, I left Kuching to catch the onward flight to Mulu.
Back at the Kuching Airport
Bye bye Kuching!
Overall, I would say I prefer Kuching to Miri, because Kuching is a more bustling city. It has more natural sights and cultural experiences. For the avid traveller, there is culture, history, nature and heritage all in one. It is a good place for a relaxing yet enriching tour. I definitely would want to come back again in the future!
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