A breakfast outing has now become the traditional way (well, we've done it twice...) to use the final hours of our monthly car rental (which this time round had taken us east to Simunjan and west to Sematan).

So, today, provisioned up with low-carb cream-cheese muffins and the dragon-fruit we'd bought from Royal Mango Shake yesterday, we headed back to Santubong, which we'd not visited since the very earliest days of our actual residence period in Kuching -- back when we were still staying in the Pullman.

Of course, beaches never look the same twice. This time, Pantai Puteri was lapped by a fullish tide.


The Damai complex looked a little forlorn. Admittedly, it was too early for things to be open, but the one-way system and the ubiquitous covid reminders contrasted heavily with the laid-back atmosphere of our previous visit.

While we're on the subject of Santubong, I'll just note that Sarawak-born ethnographer Benedict Sandin, who dedicated his life to recording and preserving the heritage of his own Iban community, was featured in a Google Doodle last Sunday, on what would have been his 102nd birthday.

Without his efforts, many Iban legends might well have been forgotten by now -- among them the story of Iban warrior Unggang. As a young man, he dreamt about an encounter with the goddesses of Santubong, which helped him not only to consolidate his power but also to understand its limits.

Anyway, we drove home after breakfast, well pleased with the way the week had panned out.

But who knows whether our next month's away-days will be possible? With Malaysia's covid count soaring, there may well be new restrictions in place by then.

Jeez, how we all wish this was over...