Archive for the ‘Kuching trip 2011’ Category

Sarawak River cruise, my final Kuching post

On our final evening in Kuching, we go on a Borneo Adventure Sunset Cruise on Sarawak River. We’re among the last to board, too late to get a seat on the crowded open-air upper deck. As we cruise along the river, we listen to the commentary over the loudspeaker about the landmarks and historical sites […]

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Maria Kek Lapis (layer cake) and Maria Desserts House, Kuching

Vividly colourful layer cakes (“kek lapis” in Malay) are a specialty of Sarawak. During our three days in Kuching, we see bakeries and pop-up stalls selling layer cakes everywhere we go. They’re eye-catchingly bright, in technicolour and a mind-boggling array of flavours. On our third and final afternoon in Kuching we visit a laye…

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Sarawak cooking demonstration at Pullman Kuching

After a great morning featuring orangutans, kolo mee and bird’s nest soup, we return to our hotel, the Pullman Kuching, for a cooking demonstration with Executive Chef Joshua Er. We take our seats and sip on ice-cold orange juice. Chef Joshua will show us how to cook three dishes and tell us all about the […]

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Orangutans, kolo mee and bird’s nest, Kuching

After breakfast at our hotel, we begin our action-packed final day in Kuching with a trip to see the orangutans at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, around 24km outside of Kuching. As our mini bus pulls into the centre car park, we get ready to enter the nature reserve, hurriedly slapping on more sunscreen and plenty of […]

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Breakfast buffet, Pullman Kuching

One of my favourite things about staying at 5-star hotels is the breakfast buffet. I’ve enjoyed Kuching‘s street food, food courts and coffee shops, but there are good eats to be had at our hotel, the Pullman Kuching. My delayed flight to KL and subsequent late arrival in Kuching means I miss out on breakfast […]

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Bumbu Cooking Class, Kuching

With our baskets full of fresh ingredients purchased from Satok Market, we head back to Bumbu Cooking Class to cook our own Malaysian dinner. The class is led by the lovely Richa, who is our Kuching guide Joseph’s sister. Her assistant Nora also helps throughout the class. Richa, one of our cooking instructors Richa welcomes […]

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Satok Market, Kuching

It’s been a fantastic morning, with a visit to Petanak Wet Market, followed by Swee Kang Ais Kacang and Kuching’s most famous banana fritter stall. But there’s more to come. In the afternoon, it’s time for a Malaysian cooking class. Our class begins with a trip to Satok Market where we buy ingredients for the […]

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Pisang goreng (fried banana) stall on Carpenter Street, Kuching

After visiting Kuching’s famous ABC haven, it’s time to visit Kuching’s most famous pisang goreng (fried banana) stall. We are told this family-run pisang goreng stall has been around for over 50 years. It has no name and can be found roadside on busy Carpenter Street outside a Chinese temple. As well as fried bananas, […]

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Swee Kang Ais Kacang, Kuching

After visiting Petanak Wet Market, it’s time to cool down with some ABC, which stands for air batu campur (“mixed ice” in Malay). But there are savoury delights to enjoy too. ABC We stop at Swee Kang Ais Kacang, an ABC haven famous among Kuchingites. The original Swee Kang shop opened in 1953 opposite Kuching’s […]

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Petanak Wet Market, Kuching

On our second morning in Kuching, we visit Petanak Market, a wet market with stallholders and clientele that are mostly Chinese. As a child in Malaysia, I used to go with my mum to markets early in the morning before school. I didn’t like the overpowering odour of raw pork and chicken, the blood-splattered tiles, […]

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