12. Malaysia @ Borneo - Kuching

Then we arrived Kuching on Borneo, but first we flew from Yogyakarta on Java to Johor on mainland Malaysia and then ....

from Johor on mainland Malaysia to Kuching on Malaysian side of Borneo.

Borneo is the third largest island in the world. The island is divided by three countries. Malaysia and Brunei in the north covers 26 % and 1%. Indonesia to the south covers approximately 73 %. 

Borneo's population consists mostly of Malays, Chinese and Iban.

The Malaysian part is devided in two. Sarawak to the west and Sabah to the east. Sarawak meaning "The land of Hornbils" is the biggest of the two regions.

Natural resources, specially the industry of petroleum and palm oil, work with timber and tourism are the largest industries of Malaysian Borneo. 

We came to Borneo in rain, but

we checked in to our "Grand Suprime" hotel. It looked like something from the Eastern part of Europe. But it had lifts and our room was really really good. We had a good strong shower with hot water. The room was clean and we had a nice view from our window. Last we had a water boiler so we could make coffee and tea and boil noodles for dinner. Good and cheap.

Most hotels have these signs on the front doors. Durian is a fruit that is very typically here in Asia. It is very smelly and that is the reason for the hotels not to want it inside.

This view  together with the next couple of pictures is taken from our hotel room in Kuching.

Kuching is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. The city is situated on the Sarawak River and has a population of about 350.000 people.

Kuching has a tropical rainforest climate, which means that the temperature is moderately hot and it is very humid, with the heat index often reaching 42 degrees. Kuching is also the wettest populated area in Malaysia with an average of 247 rainy days per year.

This picture we took an evening we walked around in Kuching. Its just a random building, Markus who took the picture just thought it was a nice building.

Kuching means cat in Malay and there were many cats in the city. Some alive and some as statues around the city.

These cats were just outside one of the two city halls in Kuching.

These cats were in the middle of a big roundabout in the middle of the city.

Here is a white cat just in front of the Chinese entrance to the Chinese street/part of the city.

There is a cat museum in Kuching and we went to visit it.

The cat museum was voted to be housed here in the northern city hall in year 1993. And believe it or not but it had quite many visitors. Some locals and some tourists like us.

We read in the museum that most people from Malaysia thinks that cats bring good luck and it is very important to have cats around.

The cat museum features more than 2000 feline related items.

It is more than just a museum. The place is also a research center, that focuses on the history and various beliefs surrounding cats.

Among the most impressive displays are a mummified Egyptian cat dating back to 3500 BC. But we were not aloud to take pictures of it.

They also had a little Garfield collection.

We read that it is believed that the cat museum is the only one of its kind in the world and that it is a must visit attraction for cat lovers. So of course we visited it. :)

The view from the city hall was really nice and the best thing was that we got a ride from a nice British gentleman back to the city center.

Kuching Mosque with the big gilded cupolas is the largest religious building in Sarawak.

Kuching plays an important role in the political and economic welfare of the population of Sarawak.

This is the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, completed in year 2009. It is the meeting place where state assemblymen from all over Sarawak will meet and preside over debates and passing laws.

The orchid garden in Kuching has a collection of 75000 orchids, growing in open and shaded areas resembling their natural habitats.

It was serious warm that day and we both got a little sunburned even that we used sunscreen. :( But the orchids were beautiful.

This is the Astana, built in year 1870, which is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawak

This is Markus and fort Margherita built in year 1879 by Charles Brooke. The fort is named after his wife.

The State Legislative Assembly together with the orchid garden, the Istana and the fort Magherita were on one side of the river, while most of Kuching city including our hotel was on the other side.

This is a picture of one of the water-taxis that will take you across the river whenever you need to cross.