Kuching
The Capital Of A Territory An Englishman Was Given In 1841 And Whose Family Ruled It As A Private Kingdom For A Century The White Rajahs Of Sarawak · Kuching, Sarawak
IN 1841 AN ENGLISHMAN NAMED JAMES BROOKE WAS HANDED SARAWAK BY THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI FOR HELPING PUT DOWN A REVOLT, AND HIS FAMILY RULED IT AS A PRIVATE KINGDOM FOR A HUNDRED YEARS. THE WHITE RAJAHS OF SARAWAK are one of the strangest stories in the history of empire and almost nobody outside Borneo has heard it. KUCHING IS WHAT THEY BUILT: FORT MARGHERITA across the river, THE ASTANA, the Brooke-era shophouses and courthouse, and the SARAWAK MUSEUM, founded on Alfred Russel Wallace's urging and one of the oldest in the region. The city sits on the SARAWAK RIVER with a waterfront made for walking, MALAY, CHINESE, INDIAN AND DAYAK QUARTERS WITHIN A FEW STREETS, and CAT STATUES EVERYWHERE because kucing means cat. AND IT HAS SARAWAK LAKSA, which is a genuinely serious reason to get up in the morning. Sarawak keeps its own immigration control and its own public holidays, the little river ferries cross to the Malay kampungs for a few coins, and the city is the base for Bako, Semenggoh and the longhouses.
Kuching, Sarawak, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
KUCHING HAS AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT with flights from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and across Borneo. THE OLD CORE IS COMPACT AND WALKABLE and the waterfront is open always and free. THE SARAWAK MUSEUM, FORT MARGHERITA and the various heritage buildings keep daytime hours and charge small fees; SOME CLOSE ON MONDAYS. SMALL RIVER FERRIES - PENAMBANG - cross to the Malay kampungs and Fort Margherita for a few coins and run through the day. KUCHING IS THE BASE FOR BAKO, SEMENGGOH AND THE LONGHOUSES, all of which are day trips or overnights arranged in town. SEMENGGOH HAS FIXED FEEDING TIMES. THE SARAWAK LAKSA IS A BREAKFAST DISH and the best places sell out by mid-morning. Sarawak keeps some of its own public holidays.