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.