Here is part 2 of our time in Kuching, Borneo, Malaysia. We have a flight tomorrow from Kuala Lumpur to Zurich, via Istanbul. But first we have to fly from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur – a short flight we booked on a budget airline. Rather than go to KL early, we decided to stay in Kuching until the last possible day as our flight to Zurich is not until almost midnight. We did this partly because its cheaper to stay in Kuching, but also because just the thought of having to take the bus one hour to downtown KL and then the monorail to a hostel and then back to the airport is exhausting. That’s how tired we are.
We need a break. Some might scoff at this and say we’ve been on vacation for the last 275 days. And while they are right, it is a vacation, it is also mentally and physically exhausting. We are both as skinny as we’ve ever been in our adult lives and even getting these blogs done can be grueling (but that’s mostly due to electronic issues and the incredible amount of time it can take to get pictures uploaded, in the right place and then captioned – oh, and that doesn’t count the edits I promptly receive from my father).
But that has not stopped us from enjoying the last few days we have in Kuching. We have wandered the streets: shopping, eating and soaking it all in. It’s a great small city, with friendly people, good food and free museums.
On a whim, we decided to bus out to a crocodile farm. On the bus, we were the main attraction. Everyone wanted to know where we were going, and why. Good thing I brought the brochure. They very kindly guided us to the right stop, which we probably would have missed. Not realizing the bus would take over an hour, we arrived a bit late, but just in time for the afternoon feeding. Which was incredible. I have never seen reptiles this large, and while they are in captivity, many of them have large habitats. We watched as two brave men tied chicken pieces to a pulley system and hung them out over the water. Then we waited as salt water crocodiles from every direction started emerging from sunning themselves. The quick and agile ones were able to jump up for the meat, which was promptly replaced for the next croc.
Then we saw a mega-croc waddle up out of the water and begin harassing the men for chicken. This guy could have swallowed me whole and maybe Riki too. He was so big he couldn’t jump very high but the loud thomp as he smacked his mouth closed was incredibly impressive.
The crocodile feeding was followed by an Arapaima feeding, in another pond. Arapaimas are the largest freshwater fish and they can be up to 6.5 feet. They were eating chicken heads whole. I really wanted to ask somebody how many chickens they go through in day.
There were a few other animals there as well: bearded pigs, owls, macaques, eagles, deer, peacocks and porcupines, as well as some smaller lizards and birds. We had to rush back to ensure we caught the last bus back to town, as we didn’t want to get stuck an hour away.
The rest of our days were spent shopping, comparing steam bun places and discovering Ramadan bazaars. Ramadan, a month of fasting for Muslims, has just begun. As Malaysia is a largely Muslim country, we have seen signs popping up in the past few days advertising food and bazaars. The vendors have brought out their tupperware and sell everything from curry to vegetables to a number of jello-esque bars we have yet to taste. Muslims are not supposed to eat from sunrise to sunset, but the food is for sale most of the day and we have delighted in getting curry puffs by the half-dozen for take away. The most I have experienced Ramadan before was working at a Mediterranean place in New Orleans and preparing for the large groups who would come in and order everything off the menu. Which is what you’d expect from someone who hasn’t eaten all day. Seeing it here, firsthand is just another thing we have been lucky enough to experience.
This is my last Asia post, but don’t worry, there is more to come. We have been preparing some final thoughts and wrap up posts. And since we still don’t know what we’re really doing with our lives, I’m sure there will be more adventures to report. Suggestions are being taken, as are job offers and life coaching.
somuchtravel 