Bako National Park

If u're ever in Kuching, Bako National Park is a place you should go to if u're into nature, jungle trekking, get a little tan and experience the wild life at night.

 Sadly i wasn't able to book a room as it was full due to the coming Rainforest festival that week and the place was fully occupied :(. So we went for a day trip and departed early to catch the 9am bus. The Rapid Kuching bus to Kg Bako cost only RM3.5 one way/person and the last bus back to Kuching is 5pm. So plan your day there wisely ppl!

For this trip we  prepared:

·         sports attire (up to you as long it’s comfortable)

·         sport shoes

·          slippers

·         sufficient water

·          sunblock (you don’t wanna get burnt)

·         a hat

·         extra clothing (u’ll be wet for sure)

·         camera (snap snap snap!)

                          We had our breakfast nearby before we catch the 9am bus.

sio bi

soya milk

kolo mee (thick mee)

The last time when i went to Bako National park with my friends ,we were totally unprepared. I wore a tank top and a beach pants, the girls wore slippers and carried a nice handbag, boys were in jeans and non of us brought enough water or hats to shield us from the scorching sun. Yup we went to Bako for a shopping spree alright..only it's a jungle out there. Still we carried on and it was a great experience till i plan to go back there again. i did :) 

The bus ride was around 1 hour.Once you reach the jetty, best if u could share the boat ride with other travellers like we did or else the boat ride will cost u A LOT. (normally it's 5 in a boat) one boat cost about RM75 inclusive of the entrance ticket to the park( i forgot how much exactly) and this is just one way.The price has increased. On our way back from the park Jo and I paid the boatman total Rm18 per trip since he could fit 2 of us into the boat on the way back with the other tourists. 

We headed to Teluk Pandan to see the sea stacks and had a bit of  a difficulty while we were jungle trekking since it rained the day before. The path were muddy and i had a heartache when my new ADIDAS shoe got stuck into the mud T_T. what the heck, we just continue on anyways and worry about washing the shoes later.

Jo walked so fast that i had to catch up real quick while busy taking pictures :)

at Pandan kecil ( the tiny cobra sea stack is near Jo's left ear)

I wanted to go down to the beach but i forgot to bring my swimwear :( Jo wanted to go to the waterfall which is a 1 hour journey of trekking away (according to a tourist who we bump at the cross junction). But we took longer time to reach there than he did. Jo felt utterly disappointed the moment he saw the waterfall..u'll know why..

The water was BLACK! I didn't even wanna soak my feet in it..but Jo did and complained why is it so "contaminated"

Got me thinking that Kionsom waterfall in Sabah is way better .

Kionsom waterfall trip 2010

Other than that, the park is great and would be better if we could spend the night. Jo said he'll definitely plan the next visit to Kuching. Right after we got back KL and paid grandma a visit she said both of us are so dark... Guess we got burnt. but Jo was worse as he didnt wanna apply sunblock. Boys.

sarawak chinese Museum

We heard great reviews on the Chinese Museum in Kuching so we decided to have a look before it closes at 4:30pm. We almost couldn't make it as it was 4:25pm by the time we reached, but the nice man let us in. He is a volunteer worker to help maintain and operate the place. He saw us coming and knew we weren't locals and let us visit the museum for a while before he really shuts everything down by 5pm.

This museum is donated by the public and the influential Chinese people in Kuching and it's interesting to know about the early immigration of the Chinese people to Malaysia. Everything you want to know (how the chinese came to Malaysia) it's in this museum and it's very informative.There are currently  many chinese groups in Malaysia and some of them i've never heard of eg. Heng Hua and  Chao An.

At every section of the Chinese group there is a recorded conversation of their dialects that can be listen to, by just a push of the button. Some seemed like they are speaking in Korean and some has a mixture of cantonese and hokkien jumble up together.  Don't worry if you can't understand it. There is a translation for you to know what their conversation is right above the button.

As for Jo and I. we're Hakka but we don't know what kind of Hakka we are..but definitely our ancestors came from kwang tong.

Though my bro and I are Hakka, it's sad to say we can't speak our dialects and the uncle said it's a shame and can't blame us cuz most of the youngsters these days hardly speak their dialect. But we can speak Cantonese and Mandarin though as it's essential for a Chinese to know their mother tongue. Or risk getting ppl talking behind your back.

can you spot your family name?

Our family name was listed under this category. i'm not sure what it means though..my apologise cuz my mandarin is somewhat limited. :(

So if u're visiting Kuching be sure to take a stop at the Chinese Museum at Jalan Main Bazaar which is located right opposite Tua Pek Kong temple. Remember don't be late! we're just lucky to be able to get in :p

boy i would love to get this one home.

kuching trip el primero

It's been a long time since Jo and I hang out together and some quality time together as siblings. We also had a vision- to join the Amazing Race Asia (if possible) thinking it'll be an awesome experience so i booked us a flight to Kuching and Sibu a.k.a. Sarawak trip. As for the accommodation, my good friend Toh Soon was so kind to let us crash at his place for a few days and ferry us here and there to eat. Thanks man!


The first thing i wanted to do the moment i landed Kuching was....

                                        Eating Kolo Mee~~!!!! Oh how i miss it so much

        Jo and I enjoying our breakfast of the day at Sin Lian Shin coffee shop that sells the best kolo mee
We did a little sight seeing for the day at Fairy cave, Wind cave and the mysterious blue lake in a small town called "Bau". It's quite far from town so having your own transport is better or you could rent a vehicle to get there.

 Then we got hungry again, and went to Song Kheng Hai Food Centre at Jln Padungan for tea time :) We wanted to try food that can't be normally found in KL such as belacan meehun, kompiah (a popular fuchow bagel in Sibu) and thirst quenching desserts like White lady and Fa Lor Hon. I'll let the pics tempt u guys :p

belacan meehun

fa lor hon

white lady

 

  

                   

                                         Kompiah (fuchow bagel) with minced meat


To be in Kuching town not only u have to try their famous kolo mee, you have to try their kuching laksa as well. This coffee shop also serves one of the good kuching laksa around and parkin is so difficult to get. So becareful as u won't wanna get a fine ticket.

kuching laksa

toast bread with kopi ping

popiah

We also took the time to visit the Sarawak Cultural Village which is located about 45 minutes from Kuching town. Since i didn't have to chance to visit it on my last trip i'd figure this will be an eye opener for me and Jo to experience what Sarawak has in store for us in that village. To get there you can get a shuttle bus from Riverside Majestic hotel or the Grand Continental hotel the for a fee of RM10 adult one way.
The great thing about bringing a student card is to get the entrance ticket at a cheaper price. Jo and I got it for RM15 per person :). pretty cheap compared to the normal price charged. There were many different houses for us to visit in the cultural village : The Iban Long house, Rumah Bidayuh, Rumah Orang Ulu, Melanau,Orang Penan, even Malay and Chinese old house.

jo having fun with the "sumpit"

                   It was only RM1 for 3 tries and Jo got it on the 3rd attempt!

Along the way we also befriended two Singaporeans ,Cassandra and Qi Wen. Both of them are so friendly and there were lots to talk about. Funny thing is they thought Jo and I were a couple so i cleared the air by saying he's actually my younger brother. I guess it's not the norm where brothers and sisters travel together eh? I'd say they are my first Singaporean friends i'd ever had and they are so nice to hang out with :)

Cassandra ,Qi Wen and I

At the Bidayuh bridge with Jo and Cassandra

So that's now for our Kuching trip, up next i'll continue talking about my trip and about the Chinese Museum in Kuching town that just opened this year. Interesting find that day. Till then *Miao*