KUCHING is the perfect gateway to Sarawak – and not just because it’s the state’s oldest, largest city. This is simply one of Malaysia’s most charming and laidback cities, revelling in a picturesque setting on the Sarawak River, with Mount Santubong looming on the western horizon.
Despite central high-rises, much of the recent development has been confined to the bland but burgeoning suburbs, and the historical core remains appealingly sleepy and human in scale, its colonial architecture redolent of a bygone era. Kuching’s blend of contradictions – of commerce alongside a sedate pace of life, of fashionable cafés rubbing shoulders with old-fangled kedai kopis – makes it an appealing place to chill out for several days while exploring such museums as the Sarawak Museum, showcasing the state’s ethnological heritage, and making excursions out to the numerous national parks and other sights in the vicinity.
