Images of Kuching Today

The traffics lights weren't working and we saw one good samaritan volunteering against the rain and confusion to help re-direct the traffic ....KUDOS to the good man.

Satok Sunday market starts early. Dropping by on Saturday afternoon the place was already abuzzing. The weekend shopping will continue till Sunday afternoon.

The flower section at the Satok Sunday market offers a good bargain for an up-to-date collection of orchids for sale . The market is a regular weekend haunt for Kuching orchid lovers, hobbyists and enthusiasts.

Images of Kuching Today

Young Malay girls at Kota Samarahan.

A group of young Malay girls posing for the lens. They are part of a large crowd gathered at the Dewan Suarah's open ground to take part in the State-level Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebration held at Kota Samarahan, near Kuching. Click here to see more about a Malay wedding couple.

The " Ketapang " tree ( in Malay) changing leaves.

This Sea Almond tree belongs to the Combretum family (Combretaceae). Typical of the Combretum family, it has branches with upturned twigs. Another peculiar habit of the Sea Almond is its seasonal deciduous behaviour when its leaves turned red and fall before the next generation of green leaves takes over the crown. To see more flowering trees of Kuching and Sarawak, please click here.

The Square Tower was initially built as a fort. In the 1920's it turned into a dance hall. Today it is a tourist attraction.

Kuching is the home of the Brooke's ( 1840's onwards) and later British colonial-style architecture in Sarawak. No other towns in Sarawak has the colonial buildings heritage kept in well-preserved conditions like Kuching. A dozen or more of these colonial legacies can be found within walking distances from the Kuching Waterfront and other major international hotels here. To see more of British colonial architecture in Kuching , click here.

Thoughts on Kuching Garden city

Satok flyovers in flowering splendour of Bougainvillea glabra blooms.

" Cityzens" - are we citizens of Kuching city? What is the zen of a living city? Is Kuching garden city image good enough?
If Kuching were to make me come back for more, I think the city councils here have to do more abstract thinking about Kuching's future even in planning form to kick the ball rolling.

I feel a cold absence of vision for Kuching's future city concept I know the city authorities are hard pressed to solve immediate waste problems like polluted water and effluents, urban smoke, noise, heat , urban squalor etc., BUT isn't somebody thinking about making Kuching an eco-city?

Kuching main tourist attraction - the Kuching Waterfront.

Sarawak can draw from its rich past from the Srivijaya empire era, Brunei Sultanate days, the Brooke's rule and colonial heritage. Yet, the future is a creative adventure of synthesizing the old with the new values. Have we developed a balanced and self-sustaining city of the future in Kuching?

Where are the monorails, electric trains and underground transit networks? Kuching is slowly becoming another Bangkok? Unless of course ...........

Kuching City South corporate headquarters building with a magnificent avenue.

Kuching Reservoir park green lung - a colonial park heritage.

Imaginative use of colour schemes in urban aesthetics.

Surely, Kuching is more than a walk in the park, a confluence of minds and a living testimony of Sarawak's modernism.

Kuching has ways and means to be an icon of the future eco-city today.

Think on these things.
( Inset : a Hibiscus hybrid at Kuching Reservoir park area)

Shade, colour and proper highway system makes Kuching City north area a welcome garden space in Sarawak's every day evergreen, humid and tropical rainforest climate.

More parks makes city living healthy. Above is a part of an extremely large park surrounding the Kuching South corporate building. Kuching needs more green lungs than concrete jungle.

Images of Kuching Today

Tall palms are iconic of Kuching's exotic look.

Kuching's tropical sun and humid climate makes it an ideal setting for a tropical garden city. It is gaining reputation as a popular tourist escapade and gateway for jungle adventure into

Sarawak's deep rainforests. Exotic palms, landscape gardens and road beautification around the city help create a pleasant city environment.

Click here to see more images of the city's greenery.

Sarawak's very own Elvis

On Saturday last, four impersonators of Elvis rocked the stage at the Sapphire Lounge, Ban Hock Road. Kuching's loyal Elvis fans were entertained to Elvis evergreens of the 60's and 70's.

Click here for more stories and images of the night.

Nepenthes bicalcarata ( Tropical pitcher plant)

In Sarawak's peat swamp forests and heath forests ( locally known as 'Kerangas' forests) are found many varieties of the pitcher plant. This red coloured pitcher plant bears two fangs which protrude beneath the lid. Its leaves can grow to about one meter long and the pitcher can extend 25 cm high.

For more images of the pitcher plants click here.

Images of Kuching Today

'Made in China' decorative items for the Chinese New Year flood the five-foot way at Mile 7 ( Kota Sentosa)

On the first day of the First Moon of the Chinese Lunar Calender, the ethnic Chinese in

Sarawak celebrate their Spring festival or what is generally known as the Chinese New Year. This year the new year falls on the 3rd of February and is a public holiday. The festival is celebrated for about two weeks with family reunion dinners and visits to relatives and friends houses. In Sarawak however the Chinese nowadays hold open houses for friends of other races to visit their homes in quest of national unity. Currently decorative items are mostly imported cheaply from China.

This extremely attractive yellow hibiscus hybrid I saw today is in the Sarawak Museum garden's grounds. The Museum's garden has a good collection of hibiscus for everyone to see because it is an open public park. The hibiscus rosa-sinensis which is red in colour is the national flower of Malaysia and named "Bunga Raya" in Malay. More hibiscus pictures can be browsed here .

The Kuching Waterfront is an oasis amidst the city's concrete jungle. It is a heavily landscaped tourist belt area within the Kuching city center. A visit to the area is a must if you are in Kuching. On the opposite bank of the waterfront you can see sleepy Malay villages against the thriving shopping district of the waterfront showcasing Sarawak's handicrafts, foods, traditional trades and other modern conveniences like international class hotels, shopping complexes, banks and multi-storey car parks. For more images of the Kuching waterfront click here.

An evening of Elvis evergreens

Sarawak's very own Elvis.

I'm back in Kuching and my first night out was greatly nostalgic. At the Sapphire music lounge on Friday night, four Elvis impersonators came to stage and lived up to the expectations of Kuching's loyal Elvis fans. The place rocked with a smooth sequence of perfect showmanship and vibes as the impersonators took turns to entertain the fully-packed lounge with a wide range of Elvis unforgettable hits.


Three of them were from Sarawak and one came all the way from Kuala Lumpur ( Malaysia's capital city) to deliver his performance.

More of Elvis from Sarawak ~
Sonny from Kuala Lumpur entertained the audience with his pleasant rendition of Elvis slow numbers.

Performing the style of Elvis comes natural. The impersonation was perfectly executed in costume, dance moves and voice - bringing the legendary Elvis alive to Kuching.

There is no pretense in Dawi's performance as he belt out his numbers. He rendered his songs with ease and honesty thereby appearing more like a true artiste than an impersonator.

Feeling good with extra soul into the song.

As I mixed around the electrified audience I was caught in the nostalgic years of the 60's and 70's . I too shared the fun of singing the songs, music and dance moves of Sarawak's very own Elvis- live at Sapphire. For a flat entrance fee of RM 30/pax plus one free drink, the evening was entertainment par excellence.

Images of Kuching Today

A Yellow Flame tree in full bloom at Sarawak Museum garden.

Golfers at play

The colourful Medan Pelita - a multi-storey car park cum shopping center.

Images of Kuching Today

Foodstalls along Jalan Satok during the month of Ramadan

Foodstalls at Mile 7, Kuching

Blooming Kuching

Blooming bougainvilleas of the dwarf, free-flowering " Singapore Beauty " variety ( Bougainvillea glabra) at the Satok Flyover

I have indeed overstayed my trip to Kuching this time around. However I will not leave this city without putting its blooming record in writing and in pictures in this blog. The months of May and June brought in equal amounts of rain and sun and were ideal for many plants around the city. My favourite was the blooming bougainvilleas above. Next were the golden showers of the Cassia fistula. I managed to collect a few dozen of its pods to be brought to Bintulu later for propagation purposes. The purple to mauve colours of the " Pride of India" or what we call here locally as " Bungor"( Lagerstoemia indica) brightened the greenery around the Kuching Waterfront.

Finally, at my garden in Kuching I was thrilled by the naughty habits of the Drunken Sailor ( Quisqualis indica) who managed to climb over the fence and onto the front porch. Well, I've decided to make him a permanent feature to the front garden. Say Yo !! to the sailor from the Pirates of the Mediterranean ship! The beautiful mixed colours of the Lantana camara finally greet me daily at the back garden. The secret of making it flower is to give it full sun, generous manure and watering. The rest is magic.

Lantana camara - comes in various forms of white, yellow, red or pink colours. In the garden now showing a combination of all!

The golden showers of the Cassia fistula

From pink to dark red colours of the " Drunken Sailor" ( Quisqualis indica). This woody and vigorous creeper produce root suckers that are used for propagation. This climber is sometimes referred to as the " Rangoon Creeper".

Purple to mauve colours of the Lagerstroemia flos-reginae ( Pride of India)