24-Mar-2019
On Friday we caught one of the little ferries across the river, from the jetty by the new mosque to the second jetty upriver from the Astana. We walked home via the bridge at Kubah Ria. It's tranquil over on the north bank, a realm of stilt houses, trees, vegetable patches, and river views.
Just after 8.30, we stopped at a quiet place to hold our two minutes' silence, concurrent with New Zealand's. Watching the river flow, and listening to the little sounds of daily life, we thought of loss and brokenness and heroism, and hoped that somehow, miraculously, something better can spring out of this tragedy.
On Saturday we returned to the Orchid Garden. Without trying, we managed to photograph a whole new set of orchids. The variety is astonishing. And contemplating an orchid, or just sitting quietly on a bench listening to the exuberant song of the birds, is amazingly calming. I'm so grateful this place is here -- and free. If we ever get to live in Kuching, we're going to visit the Orchid Garden on a regular basis.
The tiger in the heart of the orchid...
On Sunday we discovered another old-town temple, just when we thought we knew them all. It's the Hin Ho Bio, which hides away right at the top of the Hainan Association building. It's dedicated to Tian Hou (the Queen of Heaven, otherwise known as Mazu). In various guises and spellings, we've come across this deity often. Her story is impressive.
Tian Hou, in traditional regalia
Great rooftop views from the temple
The shrines below
Just a bit of food and drink to report, and then I'm done for the day.
On Thursday we celebrated the equinox with a trip to MBar&Bistro, which is part of the Ranee Hotel. They specialize in turning locally produced alcohol -- tuak (rice wine) and langkau (distilled rice wine) -- into really inventive and delicious cocktails.
On the left, tuak, banana, and fruit juice, and on the right, langkau, lemon, lime, and soda. Nigel also experimented with Guinness and tuak, and I raved over the sangria (tuak, langkau, and fruit)
Don't worry about the cannon...
We've continued to enjoy Kuching's fabulous food (the only challenge is not to enjoy too much of it...). New finds have been Nuromen, which serves "Sarawak beef noodles" (garlicky noodles, topped with beef, tripe, and veges, and accompanied by a bowl of tasty soup). A more traditional but no less delicious version of beef noodles can also be found at the Green Hill Corner kopitiam. Then there's Country Kitchen, on Jalan Padungan. They do a wonderful array of dishes to accompany rice.
So tomorrow we're off to Sibu. We're actually going to miss a huge Kuching event, Old Kuching Smart Heritage, preparations for which have been enveloping the heart of the city over the last few days. Never mind...
Festive city
The Sibu stop is mainly to cut into two the long journey to Miri. And Miri, for us, will be brand new Sarawakian ground.
Farewell, Kuching. Till next time -- when hopefully we'll be coming back to live. May it be...