Jong's Crocodile Farm

Situated at 18 Miles (29km) Kuching/ Serian Highway, a 20 minute leisure drive from Kuching Town, the capital of Sarawak, Land of Hornbills, boasts one of the largest and the only crocodile breeding farm in the country. 

Set amidst the charming backdrop of tall tropical trees, lush vegetation and local fruit trees lies this unique farm with over a thousand crocodiles bred in captivity. The farm provides a perfect sanctuary for the reptiles, saving the species from extinction. There are huge and deep concrete ponds and natural breeding grounds for the crocodiles to mate and multiply. 

Visitors are able to gaze at the snapping jaws, cold menacing eyes, sharp pointed teeth and powerful lashing tails of the crocs within short distance yet safe because of the metal fence. 

Crocodiles feeding show 

Apart from crocodiles there are also numerous rare species of birds and animals found only in the Borneo Island. Visitors can have the enchanting experience of walking freely among the monkeys, leopard-cats, sunbears, bearcats, pheasants, civets, barking deers, sambar deers, turtles, fruit bats, monitor lizards, pythons and even hornbills.

Jong's Crocodile Farm Official Website
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Kubah National Park

Kubah National Park is one of the most easily accessible park in Kuching, just under an hour drive away on the way to the Matang hills. There is no scheduled bus service to the park, and the nearest bus stops at a road junction which require an hour or so on foot to each the entrance, so the only option is by cab or hired car, but the location is not hard to find.

There are several walking trails, and the Waterfall Trail is the most popular. It is a 1 1/2 hour trekking (one way) through the rainforest though the trail is well marked and many stretches are by plank walk. The trail is easy to negotiate as there is not much gradient, where there are, steps are provided and on the steep climb at the approach to the waterfalls, wooden stairs/steps are provided.

The waterfall is about 20 feet high and falls into a big pool and cascade to a series of big boulders with smaller pools along the way. The water is cool and refreshing and is an excellent place for a swim and picnic. Part of the flat rock surface can be slippery during rainy season as they are moss covered.

Waterfall

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Sarawak Layered Cake

Sarawak Layered Cake is a layered cake, traditionally served in Sarawak, Malaysia on special occasions. In the Malay language, they are known as Kek Lapis Sarawak, Kek Lapis Moden Sarawak, Kek Sarawak or Kek Lapis. They are often baked for religious or cultural celebrations such as Eid ul-Fitr, Christmas, Deepavali, birthdays and weddings. People in Malaysia practice an open house on festival day. A unique feature of Sarawak's open houses is the modern layered cakes.

Sarawakian modern layered cakes can be divided into two categories: cakes with ordinary layers and cakes with patterns, motifs, or shapes. All must have at least two colors. The cake can be baked in an oven or microwave. The batter uses butter or vegetable oil, milk and eggs, and requires a strong arm or electric mixer to be properly prepared. The baked cake has a high, firm texture and the layers are fastened together with jam or a similarly sticky sweet substance. More detailed cakes often require special moulds to maintain the perfect layer thickness.

Cake with ordinary layers

Cake with patterns

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Sarawak Museum

The Sarawak Museum is often touted as one of the finest museum in South East Asia. Built in 1891 by the Second Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Brooke, it is situated on the fringe of the old quarter of Kuching a stone throw away from Merdeka Palace Hotel, or about 5 minutes walk from Carpenter Street.

Sarawak Museum

A wide display of stuffed animals, birds, fish and reptiles can be found on the ground floor. There are also display of a printing press machine, tribal weapons, replicas of tribal war boats. The first floor has an interesting actual size replica of the inside of an Iban longhouse which the visitor can enter and experience. The floor are made of wood and bamboo and creak when you step on them. visitor can get up close to even touch the vases and urns on display. The is also an actual cluster of human skulls hanging from the ceiling, which is a common sight in longhouses, a reminder of the Iban's headhunting tradition of the olden days.

There is a new wing of the museum, but one has to cross the busy road via a pedestrian walkway. This is a much bigger premises, and is called the Tun Abdul Razak Exhibition Hall.  Large amount of vases and urns of the various tribe of Sarawak are displayed here. There are cannons, weapons, write-ups on history of Sarawak and many other interesting artifacts.

Sarawak Museum Official Website
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Bidayuh

Bidayuh is the collective name for several indigenous groups found in southern Sarawak and northern West Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, that are broadly similar in language and culture. The name "Bidayuh" means 'inhabitants of land'. Originally from the western part of Borneo, the collective name Land Dayak was first used during the period of Rajah James Brooke, the White Rajah of Sarawak. They constitute one of the main indigenous groups in Sarawak and live in towns and villages around Kuching and Samarahan in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. Most of Bidayuh population are found within 40 km of the geographical area known as Greater Kuching, within the Kuching and Samarahan division. They are the second largest Dayak ethnic group in Sarawak after the Iban.

Location

Predominantly Bidayuh areas in Sawarak are: Lundu, Bau, Penrissen, Padawan, Siburan and Serian. Most of the Bidayuh villages can be found in the rural areas of Lundu, Bau, Padawan, Penrissen, and Serian district. The area in which they live is mainly in the basin of the Sarawak River and hilly to mountainous forest, traditionally worked by rotational agriculture and hunting based around farms populated from parent villages situated on the hills for protection. Today, almost all the traditional longhouse-villages have been replaced by individual houses, by roads and there is some plantation agriculture and a reduced emphasis on the growing of hill-padi. Fruit trees, especially Durian, remain important property markers. The distinctive architectural and cultural feature of the Bidayuh is the head-house, now adopted as a symbol.

The Bidayuh Longhouse

Language

In Sarawak there are generally said to be three main linguistic groupings (Biatah; Singai-Jagoi; Bukar-Sadong) but these can be broken down even beyond the list referenced below as most people can be distinguished by locals down to village level through smaller differences in vocabulary and intonation. Each area speak its own dialect:

1. Lundu speak Jagoi, Salako & Lara
2.  Bratak, Singai, Krokong and Jagoi speak Singai-Jagoi
3. Penrissen speak Bisitang also people in Kampung Bunuk speak "Bunuk" (Segu-Benuk)
4. Siburan vicinity speak Biatah
5. Bidayuhs who live around Serian such as Tebakang, Mongkos, Tebedu to Tanjung Amo near the border of Kalimantan Indonesia speak Bukar-Sadong.
6. Bidayuhs in Padawan speak several but related dialects like Bi-anah, Pinyawa, Braang, Bia', Bisepug & Emperoh/Bipuruh.

The dialects are not mutually intelligible and English or Malay are often used as common languages.

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Iban

The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. In Malaysia, the Iban population concentrated in Sarawak. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting and tribal/territorial expansion and had a fearsome reputation as a strong and successful warring tribe in ancient times.

Since the arrival of Europeans and the subsequent colonisation of the area, headhunting gradually faded out of practice although many tribal customs, practices and language continue. They live in longhouses called rumah panjai.

Nowadays, most of the Iban longhouses are equipped with modern facilities such as electricity and water supply and other facilities such as (tar sealed) roads, telephone lines and the internet. Younger Ibans are mostly found in urban areas and visit their hometowns during the holidays. The Ibans today are becoming increasingly urbanised while retaining most of their traditional heritage and culture.

Traditional Iban Longhouse

Modern Iban Longhouse

Ngajat

Accompanied by the melody of gong, engkeromong, bebendai and others traditional musical instrument, the Ngajat dance is performed during Gawai Dayak celebration which is one of the Ibans' festival. Apart from that, it is also performed in other occasions such as welcoming guests and during formal dinner.

Traditionally, the Ngajat dance was performed by male dancers to celebrate warriors who had just returned home from war. The dancers would wear loincloth and their heads would be accessorized with feathers on their headgears. A sword and a shield would accompany each of them in the dance. The moves are swift and fierce as if the dancers are on the battle field.

The Ngajat dance performed by an Iban male dancer

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Fried Midin

If you try only one unique, local food in Kuching, make it midin. Pronounced "mee-deen", midin is a green jungle fern that grows in Sarawak. Unlike other greens that get soft when cooked, midin remains crunchy giving it an enjoyable texture. The thin, curly shoots are a delicious and healthy alternative to noodles and rice. Midin is often stir-fried with garlic, ginger, or optionally shrimp paste and chili.

Stir fried Midin with shrimp paste

Freshly-plucked Midin can be found in the market around Sarawak

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Sarawak Cultural Village

Tucked away at the foothills of legendary Mount Santubong, 35 km from Kuching is Sarawak's fascinating cultural showcase, the award winning "Sarawak Cultural Village" which is also the venue for the World Harvest Festival and the Rainforest World Music Festival, an internationally renowned festival.

This living museum is wholly owned by the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) depicts the heritage of the major racial groups in Sarawak and conveniently portrays their respective lifestyle amidst 14 acres of tropical vegetation.

Here, it is possible to see Sarawak's ethnic diversity at a glance. The handicraft is both bewildering and tempting, including the Kain Songket (Malay cloth with gold inlay), Pua Kumbu (Iban housewives textiles), Melanau Terendak (sunhat), Bidayuh tambok (basket), Iban parang (swords), Orang Ulu wood carving and Chinese ceramics.

The 45-minute cultural performance of songs, dances and entertainment is something you will not want to miss during your visit to Sarawak.

The entrance to Sarawak Cultural Village

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Sarawak Laksa

Sarawak laksa (Malay: Laksa Sarawak) comes from the Malaysian state Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. It is actually very different from the curry laksa as the soup contains no curry at all. It has a base of sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemon grass and coconut milk, topped with omelette strips, chicken strips, prawns, fresh coriander and optionally lime. Ingredients such as bean sprouts, (sliced) fried tofu or other seafood are not traditional but are sometimes added.

Laksa Sarawak is usually served with sambal belacan and lime

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Gawai Dayak

The festival begins on the evening of May 31 with traditional music and Muai Antu Rua - a ritual aimed at keeping the spirit of greed from ruining the celebration. During Muai Antu Rua two men drag a basket along the longhouse; families in each room throw clothing and household items into the basket. The basket is later dumped on the ground as a "sacrifice" to prevent interference from evil spirits.

The Dayak performing the Ngajat dance

At sundown, the festival chief sacrifices a chicken to show thanks for a good harvest and to ask the same for next year's rice harvest. Dinner - usually accompanied by bamboo-steamed rice and sweet cakes made from coconut milk - is served after the sacrifice. Just before midnight a procession known as the Ngalu Petara passes by seven times to welcome the friendly spirit gods to the festival. At midnight, the festival chief holds a toast with tuak - locally-brewed rice wine - for long life. The festival turns into an informal free-for-all following the toast with dancing, singing, and drinking.

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