Kuching

The last time I visited Kuching was in June 2003. At that time, one of my university mates, whose name I vaguely remember, except that his name started with a capital 'R', organized the trip to his hometown, Kuching. We paid about RM 800, including flight, accomodation and transportation, and visited almost every tourist spot that were opened to us. This included the Sarawak cultural village, Damai Beach, Bako National Park, University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), the library, the cat museum, fort magherita, and the jail. As for food, I distinctly remember trying the mee kolok (which tasted pretty tasteless to me at that time), Sarawak Laksa (with lots of chicken strips, like curry trying to be laksa, but didn't turn out well), some bread and some other local delicacies. It was a one-week trip and I loved it, especially the visit to the cultural village.

So, this time around, upon our return from Kota Samarahan, Amelia and I walked at the water front. I didn't realize that the haze in the East of Malaysia had become so bad until I stepped out of the air-conditioned hotel. The weather was stuffy, as if I was put into a steam bath. Drops of sweat trickled down continuously. The sun was nowhere in sight. When we did spot it, it was covered by the thick, grey smog, looking orange instead of the bright, sunny yellow it is supposed to be. It looked sick. The air was stuffy. Yet, I needed to take a stroll in the open air. I had been sitting in the office chair for far too long. And so, we walked, and walked, and walked.

Across the Kuching River, is the new, completed construction of Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara (DBKU). Situated on top of Bukit Siol, by the Kuching riverbank, it spots a golden domed roof, based on the design of the houses of one of the local tribes in Sarawak.

Currently, this DBKU is used for daily parliamentary meetings. In fact, at the time of our entry into this building, the Kings and Queens of the country had just convened for the annual royalty meeting (Majlis Raja-raja). In fact, just like Putrajaya, some of the ministers commute by the sampan across the river to DBKU too! It's a cheap way to save the earth, reduce fuel consumption and eco-friendly.

Along the way, we saw tiny 'sampan' (dinghys) with the Astro advertisement on its roof! Astro is one of the major satellite television provider in Malaysia. This company is so proud and well aware of the importance of its role in the lives of a typical Malaysian that recently, it launched a new advertisement that advises children who are working, to install Astro for their parents who stay far away from them, in the village. The message? "If you love your parents, install Astro for them. So, even if you have no time, we will keep them entertained." Do I think my parents will love having Astro at home then? Yes, I do. Do I support this message? Certainly not.

So, here I was, walking along the modern waterfront, with nice cemented tiles, cooling fans and aesthetic barriers, thinking how well the old way of living integrates with the new. Astro advertisement on a sampan, which is extinct in our capital. To us, they exists only in movies and historical descriptions in books. Wow. Amazing! Here is an example of how people manage to lead modernized lives and yet still maintain the traditional method of transportation.