Having now been away from home for a while, I decided it was time for some laundry! So the few socks that I had worn and my smalls (in my case they're quite larges) I decided to wash in the bath with some special soap powder that we'd brought with us and hang them to dry in the room - mistake! Because of the air conditioning and the distinct lack of sun our room gets it has taken 3 days for the said items to reach a state of mild dampness. My shirts and shorts however, which I sent to be done by the hotel, came back not only dry but folded and ironed neatly and on the same day!
We decided to cross the river last night to eat in one of the Malaysian food outlets. The boat ride across in the dark was interesting - 17 people packed onto a small sampan that seated 12 with a boatman who steered the thing with two large paddles at the bow and an engine which he started by yanking hard on a rope which was linked by a series of pulleys to a starting winch at the back! The gunwales were almost under water as we glided serenely across the Sarawak river and the locals were looking at me as if it all my fault - in fact one couple offered to pay for me to get off, 1 ringgit!
Safely on the northern bank we sort sanctuary and sustenance in the nearest food area - a vast canopy covering plastic benches and tables and a series of stalls behind. We ordered (with a little help from a friendly man from KL) Chicken and rice and a vegetable Tom Yung Soup. By the time I had eaten half the soup my lips and mouth were on fire - Sue managed a little of the soup but not much! What was of notice was that there were no other Westerners in that area - maybe they knew something we didn't? Our journey back was less adventurous but we were pleased to arrive back at the hotel to retrieve our camera which we had left in the bar!
Monday morning and were off at the crack of dawn having booked a trip to see the Orang - Utans at the Rehabilitation Centre about 1/2 an hours drive out of Kuching. The Centre was set up to reintroduce Orang - Utans back in to the wild who had been orphaned as a result of the timber trade or poaching. After a thorough briefing of what to do and what not to do we sauntered up a track into the jungle to a feeding station. Instantly, several of these magnificent creatures appeared in the tree tops and one by one they waited until Richie, the largest and dominant male had had his fill before they took their turn to eat the remaining fruit. We spent a good hour watching them swing and climb - brilliant!
On our return to the city we ambled down the river side again and visited the Chinese history museum and China Town before returning for a swim and cocktails! We managed to dodge the deluge of rain on the way to Top Spot for dinner, another sumptuous banquet from Lim Loongs!
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Look at the size of those prawns!
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Tomorrow it's back to Penang for a night, so another early start.
I hope my pants and socks will be dry by then!
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| Sue and friends |
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