A Day In The Life Of A Local Tourist in Kuching
I am walking along the Waterfront boulevard beside the long Sarawak River.The footpath, paved with mosaic tiles,stretches for at least a kilometer. Small boats are plying up and down the river. Bright sunlight glints off the gently-flowing ripples. I look beyond the simmering water and see a large, imposing building on the opposite bank.It is the State Legislative Assembly Building.I hear that it was modeled after the architecture of a Bidayuh Long house. There is a lightning conductor on the highest point of its golden tapered roof. Many rant about the large sum of money spent on building it.
(Sarawak Legislative Assembly Building)
A short distance further east from the legislative building lies the famous Astana. It is a white building with well-preserved battlements. Keen on visiting the place, I walk down the nearest pier and hail a boat on a derelict and rotting water taxi berth.However, I have to give up on the idea when the boatman tells me it is not open for tourists. I regret quickly after the boat has puttered off. Despite the fact that tourists are not permitted into the place, I could have walked outside its perimeter to enjoy a closer view.
Across the road to the left are many rows of closely-huddled shops.I gasp in surprise and joy when I recognize the signboard of a shop I always frequented during my student days in Kuching. It is the Star Book Store!I cross the traffic-laden road and enter the shop.I browse through some books and the flip of each page reminds me of how tireless and determined I was in my search for good reference books in early 1990s.
My craving for Siobee, a kind of Chinese meat dumplings, leads me to the open air market on India Street. It holds a nostalgic charm for me. When I arrived at Kuching with my mother in 1990, it was where we had our three meals.The stall that sells Siobee is in the front portion of the market. I order four dumplings and a glass of iced soy milk. They are delicious and live up to their fame.
(General Post Office)
From the Open Air Market, I walk to the post office using a short cut through the garden of Little Lebanon, an Arabic restaurant. It is another historical landmark of the city. Built in 1931, it has strikingly impressive Corinthian columns.Long before the city bus routes were altered, I always waited for the bus back to Stampin Road at the front of the white-washed post office.
My next destination is the museum area.I walk past the stately St. Thomas church and the magnificent Merdeka Palace Hotel. The hum of zipping traffic fills the air and the heat from the sun is growing stronger.When I enter the first museum, the Natural History Museum, my spirits are perked up by the wonderfully cool air of the air-conditioning.I pay RM4 for the entrance and feast my eyes on the cool displays of fossilized rocks and tree trunks. There is a tall totem pole outside the museum. Many people have their photographs taken near it.Then, I move over to the Arts Museum and see a motley assortment of handicrafts and paintings inside. I visit the Kuching Museum too. It exhibits many stuffed animals. The last museum I go to is the ethnographic museum. It is on the other side of the road and you have to cross an overhead bridge to get to it. There, traditional artifacts and scale models of long houses are found aplenty.
(St.Joseph Cathedral)
My stay in Kuching will not be complete without a visit to St. Joseph Cathedral.I always went to pray in the church when I was a student in Kuching. It is quite a long distance walking to the church. The scorching sun sears my skin and my steady strides become tottering steps. I drag myself past the Heroes' memorial tomb and some unknown buildings. I heave a sigh of relief when St. Theresa Secondary School comes into view. I quicken my pace and finally reach St. Joseph Cathedral. I am in time to attend a wedding mass. Wow, what a feat! I dip my fingers into a stoup and cross myself.The last time I did that was almost ten years ago. Before entering the pew, I genuflect. I am surprised to see that almost no one in the church does that. The atmosphere of the mass is warm. I enjoy singing hymns with the congregation. I cannot see the faces of the bride and the bridegroom because I am sitting very far from them. Deep in my heart I bless them. The sermon is short and simple. I chuckle silently to myself when the priest says that the newly-wed should share the same email account.
After the mass, I double-back to my hotel.Despite my aching legs, I am glad to have retraced most of the routes I walked before.
A short distance further east from the legislative building lies the famous Astana. It is a white building with well-preserved battlements. Keen on visiting the place, I walk down the nearest pier and hail a boat on a derelict and rotting water taxi berth.However, I have to give up on the idea when the boatman tells me it is not open for tourists. I regret quickly after the boat has puttered off. Despite the fact that tourists are not permitted into the place, I could have walked outside its perimeter to enjoy a closer view.
Across the road to the left are many rows of closely-huddled shops.I gasp in surprise and joy when I recognize the signboard of a shop I always frequented during my student days in Kuching. It is the Star Book Store!I cross the traffic-laden road and enter the shop.I browse through some books and the flip of each page reminds me of how tireless and determined I was in my search for good reference books in early 1990s.
My craving for Siobee, a kind of Chinese meat dumplings, leads me to the open air market on India Street. It holds a nostalgic charm for me. When I arrived at Kuching with my mother in 1990, it was where we had our three meals.The stall that sells Siobee is in the front portion of the market. I order four dumplings and a glass of iced soy milk. They are delicious and live up to their fame.
From the Open Air Market, I walk to the post office using a short cut through the garden of Little Lebanon, an Arabic restaurant. It is another historical landmark of the city. Built in 1931, it has strikingly impressive Corinthian columns.Long before the city bus routes were altered, I always waited for the bus back to Stampin Road at the front of the white-washed post office.
My next destination is the museum area.I walk past the stately St. Thomas church and the magnificent Merdeka Palace Hotel. The hum of zipping traffic fills the air and the heat from the sun is growing stronger.When I enter the first museum, the Natural History Museum, my spirits are perked up by the wonderfully cool air of the air-conditioning.I pay RM4 for the entrance and feast my eyes on the cool displays of fossilized rocks and tree trunks. There is a tall totem pole outside the museum. Many people have their photographs taken near it.Then, I move over to the Arts Museum and see a motley assortment of handicrafts and paintings inside. I visit the Kuching Museum too. It exhibits many stuffed animals. The last museum I go to is the ethnographic museum. It is on the other side of the road and you have to cross an overhead bridge to get to it. There, traditional artifacts and scale models of long houses are found aplenty.
My stay in Kuching will not be complete without a visit to St. Joseph Cathedral.I always went to pray in the church when I was a student in Kuching. It is quite a long distance walking to the church. The scorching sun sears my skin and my steady strides become tottering steps. I drag myself past the Heroes' memorial tomb and some unknown buildings. I heave a sigh of relief when St. Theresa Secondary School comes into view. I quicken my pace and finally reach St. Joseph Cathedral. I am in time to attend a wedding mass. Wow, what a feat! I dip my fingers into a stoup and cross myself.The last time I did that was almost ten years ago. Before entering the pew, I genuflect. I am surprised to see that almost no one in the church does that. The atmosphere of the mass is warm. I enjoy singing hymns with the congregation. I cannot see the faces of the bride and the bridegroom because I am sitting very far from them. Deep in my heart I bless them. The sermon is short and simple. I chuckle silently to myself when the priest says that the newly-wed should share the same email account.
After the mass, I double-back to my hotel.Despite my aching legs, I am glad to have retraced most of the routes I walked before.
Comments
Thank you for visiting me.
I will be back :)