![\"dsc_3271-copy.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/66.147.244.75\/~yachtquo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/dsc_3271-copy.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n We approached the entrance to the Santubong River in the early hours of the morning, and the hills arose out of the morning mist; we had spent a night sailing slowly across the wide\u00a0bay\u00a0to ensure\u00a0that we would\u00a0arrive after daylight. <\/strong><\/p>\n The Santubong River is a typical North Borneo River, slow, muddy, strewn with logs and other debris. Under the distinctive peak of Mt Santubong is a good anchorage immediately alongside a small township, so there is road access and a conveniently placed jetty which the owner generously allows visiting yachts to use for dinghy tie-up. His staff on his property there are also very helpful with instructions on clearing customs,doing laundry and getting to town. <\/em>We took a bus to town, but while there, hired a small car in order to complete our entry formalities, -that required visiting government offices at various locations well out of the city at the port, we found the vehicle to be essential. Kuching is however, a beautiful city, despite its being on a muddy river. \u00a0 colourful, and with a long history.<\/p>\n The Main Bazaar is the major waterfront shopping street and is a row of old, but well preserved Chinese shop houses.<\/p>\n \u00a0 and around the corner, the Hong San Chinese Temple, evidence of the importance of that culture in the commercial district.<\/p>\n The most populous of shops in the Main Bazaar sell ethnic art, craft and furnishings, they are a feature of Kuching and sell the greatest range, -the finest, (and probably also the worst!) of all of Borneo. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 Kuching City history goes back some time, it was a centre well before the first Europeans arrived to take residence in the 1840s. James Brooke fortuitously arrived to save the local viceroy,who happened to be losing in a battle with some local tribes, so as a debt of gratitude, he gave the Englishman the town and installed him as the Raja of Sarawak. The country stayed in the ownership of the Brooke family until the Japanese occupation during WW II. the Square Tower, built in 1879, as a prison (and with an example of modern Malaysian building style being erected in the background, -more on that later),<\/p>\n \u00a0 the old Courthouse, now the visitors centre<\/p>\n the main Post Office<\/p>\n \u00a0 and the Sarawak Craft Council building. \u00a0 the Museum of Sarawak,<\/p>\n <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 and the Textile Museum.<\/p>\n An unfortunate legacy of the Brookes period is perhaps the name Kuching which Charles gave to the city in 1872; it means ‘cat’ in Malay, the city has taken the animal on as its\u00a0 symbol -with alacrity! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n enormous cats everywhere<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 and even to the extent of building this -apparently space capsule inspired, -building a little out of town<\/p>\n \u00a0 being a ‘Cat Museum’ -entirely dedicated to cats! Needless to say, despite having the time, we didn’t visit it!<\/p>\n The architecture of the building is striking, although perhaps of questionable taste, but not nearly as much so as some of the other modern buildings around town… <\/em><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 as 2 examples; one can only wonder, but as yet reserve judgement, on how that one under construction behind the Istana above will turn out to be! \u00a0 the city mosque, -surrounded by its graveyard orchard of frangipanis<\/p>\n \u00a0 and the small, golden-domed Sikh Temple…\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n Sarawak, like the rest of North Borneo is a wet place and growth is prolific. The gardens around Kuching are lush, -as here at the heroes monument. There are often similar colourful, leafy plantings and topiary\u00a0separating the lanes of dual carriageway roads and it’s all meticulously cared for.<\/p>\n With the prolific tropical growth come colourful markets, the ranks of orchids,<\/p>\n \u00a0 and displays of beautiful fruit and vegetables sheltered from the rain\u00a0under coloured awnings. \u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 On a dry day, it was acceptable, but after rain, with mud, the climb must be both near impossible and treacherous!<\/p>\n \u00a0 It was interesting to find a string of genuine Tibetan prayer flags at the summit, -perhaps a reflection of how some-one felt about the climb!<\/p>\n \u00a0 The views from the mountain are fleeting, -because of passing clouds and limited opportunity between trees<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n but from a half way viewpoint, the serpentine Santubong River is in full view, with shrimp farms in the distance and Quo Vadis just a light dot at anchor off the buildings below.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 Kubah National Park is a cluster of jungle covered hills just a few kilometres west of the city. There are several short walking trails, but the main walk is to the summit with the radio antennas at 900 metres altitude. It’s a steep climb up a sealed 4WD access track, with views from the top across to distant Mt Santubong.<\/p>\n \u00a0 The trackside ferns rival those\u00a0at home…<\/p>\n \u00a0 but the ants are clear winners!<\/p>\n We also visited Bako National Park as we exited Kuching, spending a night anchored in a small cove. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n It was a delightful spot, very reminiscent of Abel Tasman Park in New Zealand, we really felt at home and safe, -until in the late evening when a squall came through with strong winds, rain and wind-against-tide seas…although we were ready to and had prepared our escape route between the rocks, we were able to stay, the squall passed, and as always, it was all quiet once more! We motored all through a long, hot, windless day and night dodging fishing boats and nets in the dark, by the time of our arrival off Bintulu the following morning we were very pleased to have the opportunity to anchor and turn off the engine. <\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0 and the Port Authority up the road, these WE judged to be more in keeping with their environment and were really quite striking.<\/p>\n <\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The town is a 20 km taxi ride away, quite a pleasant little place, but functional, servicing the timber and oil industries locally.<\/p>\n<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n‘Town’ is Kuching, the principle city of Sarawak, about 35 kilometres inland by road. It was possible to sail up the river to anchor in the town, but the way is now blocked by a low bridge, however there is a regular bus service along the road past the anchorage.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIt was an opportunity to explore the town, find it very confusing, and to get lost in it!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe central area is extremely clean,<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMost of the better quality works are from the Iban people, the longhouse dwellers of inland Sarawak, whose distinctive culture provides the decorative symbols in use through the whole region. Mostly it is new product, but there is also a large trade in their antiques and ‘faux-antiques’. However, there is also an enormous mass produced proportion of dirt-cheap carvings, basketry and weavings that you might find anywhere in SE Asia, -made in Indonesia and elsewhere.
\nBypassing those shops which sell the cheap ‘junk’ and just visiting the more expensive galleries and furnishing stores is a truly mouth-watering experience, -of a home decorating kind!\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe paintings, carvings, weavings and furnishings are so exciting to look at, they match the best displays we found in Vietnam, once again, what a pity we live on a small boat! Oh to be able to ship some of this stuff home, -and to have a home to put it in once it was there! -but as it is, we could only look…or buy very small…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nAlong the river front are old buildings of the time of the Brooke ownership,
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nthe Istana, the palace built on the river bank in 1870 for the Brookes,<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThere are various museums\u00a0in an\u00a0attractively European architectural style;<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nthe Natural History Museum<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThere are numerous awful cat-statues about the town, <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nArchitects throughout Malaysia, but particularly in Sarawak apparently, are not afraid of making a bold statement; sometimes successfully, but often, to our European eye perhaps, creating unfortunate mistakes!
\nI suppose it is their modern interpretation of the Muslim or Eastern theme, but\u00a0the old forms are preferable<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThere are several small, local National Parks around the area.
\nImmediately by the anchorage, Mt Santubong is a reserve, it has an interesting track to its 810m summit. It is one of those places where we realise that public safety standards in Asia are vastly different from the ‘nannying’ that we are accustomed to!
\nThe steeply conical shape of the mountain means it has to be a near vertical climb, many of the surfaces are bare rock, or tree roots, there are fixed ropes and ladders to make it possible.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nWe had found the walking tracks from the anchorage to be closed, so there was no reason to stay longer, -early in the morning we moved out and on up the coast to Bintulu.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nBintulu is not visited by many yachts, but it has the reputation (rightly) of being a place with\u00a0 extremely friendly people. It is a major container and oil port, after radioing the control, we were met by a pilot boat and escorted in to our ‘berth’ in a small basin immediately beneath the container wharf with the police dock on the other side. Nothing could seem more secure once we were anchored and with our stern lines onto the dock behind.
\nThe area is well protected from weather, but also with the very attentive police at the base right there, from any unwelcome elements of the human kind…Around the port there are oil and gas installations, it’s also a busy freight terminal. Among them are more examples of bold Malaysian Architecture!<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong>
\nthe ship-like container wharf office building<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n