Raining Cats and Cats: Day I

Kuching20081
Swiped from williamnyk.

Note: Long overdue!

My November trip to Kuching was quite a milestone as it was my inaugral trip to East Malaysia and my second holiday with KH. It was a great experience and the company was good. Definitely "My Most Unforgettable Experience" essay material. Haha. Starting out, the trip seemed to be full of obstacles. On the morning we were supposed to leave for the LCCT, some transportation difficulties cropped up, but SK settled it for me very quickly. And then, on our way to the LCCT, SK missed the last exit and she had to fly at 140km/h to make up for lost time. Arriving at the check-in counter, we were solicited by a Sarawakian auntie to bring some stuff for her onto the flight. I was naturally cautious, but it turned out that she didn't want us as drug mules, but as IKEA mules. :).

The flight was uneventful except for a debate I had with KH regarding EM waves and airline safety. Kuching International Airport is quite impressive in the sense that it kinda looks like KL International Airport. Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Nic and POD picked us up from the terminal and whisked us off to Hung Hung Inn. On the way there, I noticed several things about Kuching:

1. It's HUGE. Roundabouts are big enough to house buildings. Parking lots can accomodate two kancils. Maybe coz lotsa people drive Land Cruisers!
2. Semi-Ds (apartments are quite difficult to find) and malls are EVERYWHERE.
3. It's CLEAN. And I thought my hometown, Kuantan was the cleanest in Malaysia.
4. Public transport is quite sad. Taxis are mostly only seen at the airport and busses are quite empty.
5. Some graves face roads the way houses do. I wonder if they need to pay assessment tax...
6. Child labour is rampant! The waiters who served us look no more than 13!

The place we stayed for 3 nights is located just next to the General Hospital. Not the best of accomodations, but at MYR70 a night, it's to be expected. The first thing I did was spray the whole room down with FeBreeze. At night, one can hear the ambulances blaring into the Emergency. We were "lucky" enough to run into school trip, so the kids were practically bouncing off the walls. After checking in, we immediately went to the weekend market. Quite like a miniature of BKK's JJ Market. At the pets section, I saw a peculiar sign, "No Finger Licking"-- no KFC near the pets? It actually means "don't let the doggies lick your fingers". -_-".

Well, it practically rained cats and dogs soon after. We got ourselves soaking wet from the rain and the hidden reservoirs of rainwater on the tarps. Dinner was at Hong Kong Noodle House in Wisma Saberkas. A restaurant that has no crowd control. Instead of "Please Wait to be Seated", the restaurant uses a food court style approach where customers just roam around looking for seats. Pengz. Anyway, we ordered Cangkuk Manis (delicious and in an uncommon egg drop style), dumplings (below average as they had disintegrated in the soup and the skin was thick and floury), roasted duck (great taste and strong with star anise aroma) and claypot fish curry (thick and full of vegetables).

After dinner, POD dropped us at the hotel to rest up. It was kind of early, so we unpacked and spent some quality time together.

...Next: The Jungles of Bako...