More Pictures of Kuching

Here are more pictures I took while back in Kuching. The contrast between Kuching and Singapore is pretty great. I know it took me a long time to get my vacation pictures in order and that makes the posts here seem disjointed. :(

This is a picture of what you will typically see in Kuching. Lots of shophouses. Lately the streets are overflowing with cars and crime is rampant. This really saddens me. I cannot help but feel disappointed with the state of affairs in my birthplace.

Every where I go, I see people eking out their lives on low incomes. Stories of corruption are whispered. It all seems so far away, and surreal while I am in Singapore. To actually be there and experience it is a different thing.

There are a few popular shopping malls spaced all over Kuching. The picture above shows the only MacDonald's outlet I know of. It's a 2-storey affair, where they still serve your food with steel cutlery and ketchup in bottles. I'm not sure why there is no competition between KFC and McDonald's here. KFC is pretty much every where. The local fast food chain, Sugar Bun, is also worth visiting. They serve local food as well as fast food.

The picture above is the riverside. This, and the nearby malls, is where I used to hang out with friends during my school days. Whenever I think of it, I am always amazed how we managed to meet up every time without the aid of handphones.

These are the cat statues in the middle of town. In case you did not know, Kuching (kucing) means cat in Malay. Kuching is the Cat City. We even have a Cat Museum. There are 2 other statues nearby but I did not manage to take their pictures.

Finally, this is a picture of the Tua Pek Kong temple. Whenever I see gigantic joss sticks around this temple, I know some religious event or other is upcoming.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the photos. It's not easy taking photos with my handphone. I hope to get a cheap digital camera so that I can get better pictures next time. Thanks for reading!

Taking Air Asia to Kuching

So I went back to Kuching at the end of June. We booked the $0 but still have to pay airport tax. Also, Air Asia does not fly from Singapore so we have to separately arrange for transportation up to Senai Airport in Johor. $0 but not free after all. $$$.



So what's the difference with taking Air Asia? I can only compare against Malaysian Airlines as I used to take that, until they stopped domestic flights to Kuching from Johor. Well, for one thing, you have to walk to the plane and climb up the stairs to get in or out the plane. It's not very far, but you do need to climb and descend some steps. They don't allow photography (not sure why) but I have one taken from a distance.







The journey takes an hour and 20 minutes, with no food served. Their stewardesses announce over the comm system that refreshments are 'available at a reasonable price', without even batting an eyelid. You just have to look at the menu to know the truth.



Did I mention it's free seating? Be there early if this will be an issue for you. They used to have a special line for those with children or the elderly, who get to board first. I'm not sure why they abolished that policy. There is still an Express line. For people who opt for it by checking in online.

Everything else was pretty normal and uneventful. The crowd may seem rowdier (Now Everybody Can Fly), and the stewardesses less friendly, but you get what you pay for.

I just want to mention the curious design of the toilet at Senai Airport. They've remodeled it and it looks pretty nice. But the men's room has no urinals. I'm not sure if you can see from the photo below, but there is this wall where water constantly gushes down into a drain. You're expected to stand before this drain and pee. There is quite a distance from where you stand, to the drain proper. So you have to aim carefully. :)






I have more to post, about my time in Kuching itself, in future posts.

What This WebLog is About

Welcome! Thanks for dropping by. This is a blog for Orange Ox and me to share our experiences, and the sights and sounds we see in and around Singapore. We've been here a good many years, so we each have our point of view and experiences to share. So, pull up a chair and enjoy!

I'm going to start off by introducing myself. I was born in east Malaysia. Kuching, Sarawak to be precise. I came over to Singapore to get my bachelor's degree in applied science from Nanyang Technological University in the late 1990's. I took a 3-year course in computer engineering, found a job here after graduation, and I've been here since. I'm now happily married with 2 children. :D

One of the biggest adjustments I had to make in coming over was concerning food. Because my favourite foods were unique to Kuching. These are things I simply MUST have at least twice a week. I remember I suffered from laksa withdrawal the first few months. Sarawak laksa is one of my favourite dishes. The laksa is Singapore is more akin to curry noodles. Speaking of noodles... they didn't have the type I liked. Kolo mee, wherefore art thou?

Of course, nowadays, you can get Sarawak laksa and kolo mee in Singapore. I think it's due to the influx of Sarawakians coming to work in Singapore. I used to frequent the coffee shop at Bedok (near bus interchange, next to library, facing the road) where the laksa is quite good. And I heard a few other places have started selling them as well. I've eaten the one at the Park Mall coffee shop at B1 once or twice. These places also sell kolo mee. And Jia Xiang, which has opened shops in Chinatown and Vivocity, also sell kolo mee. But their prices kind of put me off.

As you can see, I'll be posting quite a bit about food in my future posts. :)

I'm going to get Orange Ox to give a short intro as well and we'll begin posting in earnest after that. Until next time!