Kuching, Sarawak

As a former flight stewardess, I have flown to Kuching numerous times but never stepped foot outside of the airplane. The idea of taking a short holiday to Borneo, sounds adventurous with a plan to go on a jungle trek. I’m fearful of what’s inside a rainforest…my early childhood experiences into any nature reserves were pretty traumatic in my memories but dramatically hilarious to others – I found a leech in between my toes!

To ease me back into embracing the rainforest, Shane booked us into Damai Puri Resort & Spa. It is set on a Damai peninsula with a secluded beach overlooking the South China Sea. Mount Santubong hiking trek is just a short walking distance away. The Sarawak Cultural Village is a 6 minutes walk. March is still an off peak season for tourism so we found ourselves literally in an almost empty hotel! The perks include having the pool and beach to ourselves. The downside -most amenities in the hotel are closed; there is no buffet offered in the restaurant nor bar for the sunset drink. Oh…and the spa is closed too. These lack of amenities didn’t put us out at all since we get a good discount and our goals were to enjoy the pool, sea and rainforest, In fact, we truly enjoyed the quiet ambiance of the resort and friendly staffs.

Our first evening was gifted a spectacular sunset. The next day, early morning mist and low clouds shrouded most of Mount Santubong but they disappeared towards noon. The sea was very calm. There was a sandy beach that became rocky towards the foothill. It made an interesting contrast and we enjoyed our daily walk there. Our ala-carte meal orders at the restaurant were slow and we found out there is a food court just opposite the Cultural Village. What we didn’t know was the place is literally empty, void of tourists so most food stalls were closed. We ended up eating at the hotel restaurant on our first three days there.

The Sarawak Cultural Village sits on a 17 acre site with replicas of indigenous tribal longhouses. There were very few tourists so we greatly enjoyed walking through and experiencing the diverse cultures at our own pace. The cultural performance was entertaining and we spent time watching and asking questions in each house we visited. Shane even got a tribal Iban tattoo, a fake one nonetheless but equally exciting when we showed it to our kids back home in the United States. They thought dad has finally done it! LOL We went back again to this place two days later on a wet morning and the staff surprised us with complimentary entrance tickets!

We started our rainforest trek early, registering ourselves at The Green Paradise Jungle Trek and confirming the trail we were going to follow. Map in hand, I was feeling pretty safe because the first part of the trail was paved and there were several tree house chalets. Then the trail branched out and we had to use markings to guide us. The dense foliage shut out all traffic noise – my fear went up threefold while Shane got more excited. I feared the critters and wild animals while Shane felt right at home. He patiently led the way. The trail we had chosen was supposed to be an easy one but for me it felt completely strenuous. I feared I was going to drop dead – I developed PTSD after getting a heart attack and I was in my second month of physio therapy! My cardiologist had given the go ahead for this trip. Shane encouraged me a lot and stopped often so I can rest. I must admit the rainforest is amazing! Vines thicker than my arms grabbed on low branches climbing upwards on its host tree. Humongous tree roots with tall trunks rise majestically into the sky. I heard screeching and birds chirping…the air was humid. Some parts of the trail were steep but there were rope and vines to hold on to. We reached our target peak at the waterfall, rested a bit and began our descend. By then, I was too tired to fear anything. Hearing the traffic noise was welcoming! Arriving at the base, I felt an overwhelming sense of achievement. I’ve made it! It took us 3 hours. (Please read this article written for Trip Advisor for anyone interested in exploring this mountain.)

We had a soak in the pool watching the sunset from the resort. I called for a Grab Car (e-hailing car service) to take us to a Chinese seafood restaurant recommended by the front desk. We enjoyed fresh coconut juice and some seafood dishes but they weren’t something we would want to go back to. One important thing to take note is to make sure you have the telephone number of the driver. Getting a Grab Car where were we at was very difficult. He became our regular driver because he lives close by to the resort in a nearby village and we always book ahead of time.

The last two days of our stay were spent in the Kuching city. Getting a Grab car was easy there. We enjoyed a fusion meal at a restaurant by the Riverfront, shopped for gifts, bought a teak wood root bowl for our house and visited a Taoist temple. Our dinners were at the Top Spot Food Court, a seafood haven situated on the roof top of a six floor car park. The food was AMAZING! It was such a busy place, serving a variety of seafood dishes we can see and pick – important for people like us who need visual to know what we are eating. We ate a local treat of stir fry ‘Midin’ a wild jungle fern which tasted like asparagus but better. We ordered it twice! The grilled fish and prawns we had were fresh and delicious.

It has been a great experience staying in Kuching, Sarawak. The people are friendly and the place has a nice ambience. We will definitely visit Borneo again to explore more places.