"Kuching" a Kuching Travel Page by SanderH

View of the Sarawak river

Kuching is the capital of Sarawak, Malaysia's largest state. The city, with a population of over 400.000 is situated on the banks of the Sarawak river not far from the South China Sea.

It's a pleasant city to visit, much less hectic than the capital Kuala Lumpur and a great starting point for exploring the rest of the state or the place to fly back to the peninsula when you started exploring east Malaysia in Sabah.

The city has great food to eat, the waterfront to stroll around, one of the best museums in the region and a few national parks nearby.

There are plenty of places to stay. From international class hotels like Hilton and Merdeka palace to any of the numerous back pack hostels.

The city center is small and compact, and easy to get around by foot. On the east side you'll find a few modern shopping complexes. On the main bazaar (opposite the waterfront) you can find all the handicraft you're looking for and on the west side you'll find the old part of the center, including its wet market.

Did i already mention the great food? Do not always eat in your hotel or one of the more western looking restaurants. Go to places were locals go. At first that might be a bit hard since there are no menus and a lot of text is in Chinese, but just take a look at all the foodstalls and pick what looks nice. Often i've been the only western at these places.