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 Traveller's Tales: Getting around in Sarawak, Malaysia
Know the most popular landmarks in Sarawak, Malaysia. You may read about best transportation, recommended travel itinerary, suggested routes and directions. Also, you might want to read our
Kuala Lumpur city guide,
Langkawi city guide,
Melaka city guide,
and Penang city guide.
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| S Fontaine |
23 October 2004 |
Stayed at Telang Usan Hotel - Sarawak, Malaysia.
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Kuching was a wonderful laid-back city. The people are VERY friendly and the choice of restaurants and bars is extensive. There are lots of tours that leave from many of the hotels which allow you to explore the Borneo jungle and experience some of Sarawaks amazing wildlife. I would strongly recommend a stay at Bako National Park where you can sit and eat your lunch while watching monkeys frolic around and you can go on some great treks...the tour we booked from the Telang Usan Travel Agency provided us with a local guide who made the visit to Bako extra informative! I would also recommend a trip to Semongoh Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre. You can watch the orangutans being fed, and if you are very luck like we were...have an up-close and personal encounter.
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| W Wan mahmud |
07 May 2004 |
Stayed at Telang Usan Hotel - Sarawak, Malaysia.
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I use the city tram tour which is provided by Sarawak Tourism Board to get around Kuching town. It is free provided you get a sticker from the hotel or Tourism offices. For those who really into shopping - India Street and Main Bazaar are the two places that should not be missed. I also went to Damai to visit Sarawak Cultural Village. Excellent alternative for those who do not have time to go to longhouses. I must say, the performance by the dancers at the Sarawak Cultural Village is superb. For those who are into ethnic rhythm - check out their CD - Tumu' Kame', you will not regret it.
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| A Goh |
12 April 2004 |
Stayed at Holiday Inn Kuching - Sarawak, Malaysia.
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We rented a Proton Wira to explore Kuching area at RM130 per day. There are many round-abouts. The map given does not show enough details on how to get to places. However, the staff at the petrol station and even passer-by are helpful in giving directions.
We visited a couple of museums, Semengok Wildlife rehabilation Centre and Bako National Park.
Overall, it is a nice place to relax and unwind as the pace of life is rather slow.
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| L Wei kang |
28 March 2004 |
Stayed at Somerset Gateway Kuching - Sarawak, Malaysia.
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Kuching's a comfortable place to walk around especially for tourists (with maps & clear road signs around the city). Most attractions are within walking distance from my apartment (Somerset Gateway Kuching).
Managed to see most of the places on foot: Waterfront, Chinese Museum, Tua Pek Kong Temple, Main Bazaar, Square Tower, Court House, and Sarawak Museum being the furthest destination (the museum has an interesting exhibition on birds nest, titled "the most expensive saliva").
Also tried out the river crossing at the Sarawak River on their yellow sampan (yellow coz it's Lipton Tea's advertisment). It's only 30 sen/pax per ride, and its the way to see Fort Margherita (about 10 mins walk after alighting from the sampan). Another way to get around the city is by the free city tram. It operates on an hourly basis, and stops at certain locations (remember to look for the bus stop sign for this tram, once we've waited in vain for the tram opposite the Court House, as mentioned on the tram schedule, instead it turns out to be just beside the Court House). Stickers for the tram ride can be obtain from the hotel itself.
Main bazaar's a must place to visit, with many shops selling Sarawak handicrafts & souvenirs. Carpenter Street & Indian Street also worth a visit. Also visited Sarawak Plaza, Riverside Shopping Centre, & Tun Jungah, being the most modern complex.
You can't go hungry in Kuching, as there are many food centres & coffeeshops around. Try out the Chinese food centre opposite a temple at Carpenter Street. It has a variety of food like laksa, noodles, etc. The Open Air Market (opposite the entrance to Indian Street) also has stalls selling chinese/malay food & seafood, and the price is very cheap. At the basement of Sarawak Plaza, there's this buffet chicken restaurant at RM14/pax, with a variety of chickens, salads, desserts, etc. It's "eat all you can", quite worth the try, but you could only stay inside for max of 2hrs (by the way, KFC is just beside it). The Waterfront also has numerous individual food stalls along the pavement selling snacks, ice-cream, etc. You can just order a cup of drink and sit by the river to enjoy the scenery.
You could get some local snacks like Sago snacks & pepper sweets (at this souvenir shop called Sriwijaya, on the 1st floor inside Tun Jugah complex). The price is cheaper than the shops at the airport. Managed to catch a show at Star Cineplex in Medan Pelita (somewhere near to Tua Pek Kong temple). It has far more and up-to-date shows compared to the Riverside Cineplex, which only screen 4 shows (some are local shows). 7-Eleven can be found at RiverBank Suites (the only one I've seen throughout the city). For pub, try Soho, at Padungan Road. It's quite a hip & fashionable bar nested in a chinese shophouse.
The only places we had missed is the Sunday Market at Satok Road coz of heavy rain (I believe it's worth a visit too), and Cat Museum as it's quite a distance away from the city.
Airport to city is about half an hour's journey, with taxi fare at around RM18. But try not to be at the airport too early for your departure, it's sort of a boring place, unless you're keen to see airplanes take-off & landing, at the viewing mall. As compared to other more notorious cities like KL or JB, Kuching is quite a friendly & peaceful city, comfortable to go around. Good experience!!!
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| M Koenig |
09 April 2003 |
Stayed at Somerset Gateway Kuching - Sarawak, Malaysia.
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Tram service in Kuching was a good way to see the town. I rented a car from Pronto as the rates were really cheap and drove to Damai.
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| R Trimillos |
20 July 2002 |
Stayed at Holiday Inn Kuching - Sarawak, Malaysia.
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Infrastructure in Kuching is highly developed; easy to get around. The museums are a must: National Museum (ethnographic), Islamic Museum (better than the one in K.L. for national relevance), and the Cat Museum (this is a hoot). The Sarawak Cultural Village with performance is a good money value, with an opportunity to talk with many of the participants. In terms of quality of handicrafts and getting them packed for mailing, Kuching is an outstanding location. The seafood food court called Topspot is a great money value and a place to mix with the local population. For a taste of five-star attitude from a Malaysian (rather than international) perspective, the Merdeka Palace is a must!
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| C Daleo |
10 April 2002 |
Stayed at Holiday Inn Kuching - Sarawak, Malaysia.
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Check out the river cruise along the river walk. It was a good deal.
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| H Ismail |
10 February 2002 |
Stayed at Holiday Inn Kuching - Sarawak, Malaysia.
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The location of the hotel is superb. It is close the Top Spot food court, Tun Jugah mall, waterfront, and main bazaar. Everything is within walking distance. Good pair of walking shoes is recommended as you will be doing a lot of walking.
Satok weekend market is not that impressive unless you are looking for terubok salted fish. It is just like an ordinary pasar malam in Semenanjung.
Taxi is difficult to get from Satok area. Get the phine number from the driver so that you can call them up when you are done with your shopping.
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| A Nilsson |
21 October 2001 |
Stayed at Somerset Gateway Kuching - Sarawak, Malaysia.
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Visited Top Spot, a seafood restaurant. Excellent! One of the best seafood meals I've ever had.
Made city tour and a tour to the Orangutan re-habilitation park. Interesting.
I used a guide for these tours, found him at Holiday Inn.
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| R Burke |
14 August 2001 |
Stayed at Telang Usan Hotel - Sarawak, Malaysia.
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Kuching is small enough to walk around .. the museum is especially recommended. Good day trips can be made to Sarawak Cultural Visit, and Bako National Park.
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