The urbane charm of Kuching

 I had few expectations when winging my way to the city of Kuching, the capital of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo.  I had viewed it merely as just another small, provincial Asian city; a launching place for an 'intrepid' foray into the densely jungled interior of this infamous and mysterious island.  My views however,  soon proved to be erroneous and were sharply but delightfully jolted into the realisation that Kuching was anything but a run-of-the-mill, moderately sized Asian city.  Instead, I found a polished, refined and tolerant city with an urbane charm that would impress even the most jaded of travellers. Having recovered from the immediate dismay of being...wrong, I quickly rallied, deposited my bags in my 'atmospheric' lodgings and went to explore. Built largely on the south bank of the Sungai Sarawak, Kuching (meaning 'cat' in Malay) though large by Malaysian standards, is somewhat contained and compact, with most sites and attractions within an easy and tempting stroll of the city centre.  I was to find that many of Kuching's historic buildings have been tastefully and artistically  restored, including the many humble godowns or warehouses, that line the river and now house restaurants, curio shops and Chinese shop houses.  The south bank of the river is even rimmed by a peaceful promenade, where one can amble between the sites or hail a small boat or tambang to ferry you across the river. 


As dusk settles over this most attractive city of Southeast Asia, I have repaired to one of the more colourful godowns for this evening's dissipation. Nestled comfortably in rattan and silk upholstery, I have settled on an old standard, a Singapore Sling, that 'climate appropriate' mix of gin (premium naturally), cherry brandy, lemon juice and soda.  Not precisely a local concoction but certainly well in the region, I felt my selection had met with the approval of those around me.  A longer stay in this tempting city is definitely in order!