Malaysia: Kuching

Kuching, towards the northwest corner of Borneo, is capital of the state of Sarawak. At 1.5 degrees north, it is very warm. However the annual rainfall is over 4 meters which make it habitable.

Unlike many towns in Malaysia, old town Kuching survived WWII. It seems like a Chinatown. In fact the tourist center part of Kuching is mostly Chinese. There were many vegetarian restaurants. We very much enjoyed vegetarian versions of the quintessential Malaysian Laksa and Nasi Lemak.









We made a day trip to Bako National Park. Our usual luck had us visiting on the rainiest day while we were in town. Between the rain and the heat and the humidity, we were soaked the whole day. Reaching the park involves a 20-minute boat ride at extortionary rates. I think it's a boat mafia. Compared to Kinabatangan, it is a terrible deal, but here we did get to walk in the rainforest, spotting a probiscis monkey along the way. Both hikes we completed led to rocky beaches. Did I mention the wild Bornean Bearded Pigs?























Eating vegetarian in Kuching was pretty easy and several restaurants served vegetarian versions of nasi lemak, the fav national breakfast dish. Below is nasi lemak from Super Tasty Big Veggie - a name that fits.


Also at Super Tasty Big Veggie, we had veg laksa, the national soup. It's spicy with rice noodles.




The view from our hotel room at night.


Below is the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building located on the Sarawak River.