Sarawak

Whilst still on Borneo island and still in Malaysia, the town of Kuching has a slower pace of life than Kota Kinabalu in Sabah where we spent four days last week. It is known for its statues of cats and its friendly people - and we have found plenty of both! The accommodation is a home-stay and pretty rough and ready (well what do I expect for under fice pounds a night?), but once again the family are very pleasant and helpful and the local restaurants are all good value too. Hope these pictures give an idea of how relaxed this area is! Our final day was spent in Bako national park watching a variety of animals including various monkeys, birds, a pit viper, wild boar, flying fish and lizards - a great finale to our time on this wonderful island.

Arriving after a 90 minute flight

The senate building dominates the river bank

local musician

One of the cat statues at dusk

Homes along the water front

A fisherman uses a plastic chair for added comfort

Kuching skyline

Day trip to a Cultural village

7 traditional homes built by a lake

most ethnic group live in long houses - even today this tradition
continues in some parts of Sarawak although the modern versions
are made of concrete and not as high off the ground

Some of these huge houses are 40ft off the ground and can house
up to 600 people in family units

We waited on the beach for our bus - very nice!

Kuching city

The main mosque

Kuching by night

A visit to an orchid garden

Beautiful orchid, beautiful sky

The city park is very peaceful but has some keen joggers even at mid-day
when it is well over 30 degrees.

Beach at Bako

Proboscis monkey and baby

Silver leaf monkey eating ferns on the ground

troupe of silver leaf monkeys

Proboscis - only found on Borneo and endangered species

Bearded boar

Very young monitor lizard

Macaque

Small boat / big ocean but beautiful rock formations

Leaving and entering the park can only be done by boat