Day 50: 20 Years Back on Memory Lane: Into the Wild

Our first trip together after we met took us to Sarawak. Older German readers might recall Sandokan, the legendary Malay prince who lost his kingdom and title due to British annexation. He became the leader of a band of pirates, waging relentless attacks against British forces, until he was eventually lured into a trap in Sarawak. Inspired by those memories, I decided to revisit our past and fly to Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, located on the island of Borneo.  

Borneo, the third-largest island in the world, is known for its vast stretches of virgin rainforests, headhunters of the past, and an array of wild animals—evoking images similar to the Amazon.  

We left early in the morning for Kuala Lumpur’s airport, not the main terminal, but the Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) terminal. Entering the building felt surreal. Instead of the usual airport setup, we found ourselves navigating through a massive restaurant and shopping area before finally entering a small gateway that led to the check-in hall. At 7 a.m., spotting a "Potato Corner" food booth immediately made me feel oddly at home.   

Not only popular in Germany: the potato

Moody cow with vacancies is hiring

After a short 90-minutes flight, we arrived at Kuching’s modern airport. Due to the political structure, even Malaysians need to apply for a 90-day tourist visa to enter Sarawak, despite it being a part of Malaysia. Sarawak (along with Sabah) joined Malaysia in 1963 and retained significant control over certain areas, including immigration laws. This autonomy was intended to safeguard Sarawak's interests, culture, and resources when it became part of Malaysia.

Driving into Kuching, the city immediately struck us as a bustling hub typical of Southeast Asia—modern, vibrant, and full of life. However, there were no crocodiles or headhunters in sight. What we did find were colorful houses and walls adorned with vibrant murals. 



Parliament of Sarawak on the right

Ferries for pedestrians connect the river banks.

The city center was particularly lively that day due to the birthday celebrations for a Chinese deity. Surprisingly, nobody knew its name. Many streets were closed to traffic, and the highlight of the festivities was a lion dance performance. Fortunately, we found a spot for dinner right along one of the roads where the procession was about to begin. The festivities reminded us of the Carnival celebrations in Cologne but featured an abundance of drums and cymbals, enthusiastically played by teenage boys and girls.  






Hong San Si Temple

Sunset on Sarawak river

The show was energetic and captivating, though we were grateful when the drumming finally softened after nearly an hour. Later, we strolled back to our hotel along the Sarawak River, beautifully lit with colorful lights.  

What an eventful and unforgettable day!  

Today's flight


Location: Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 0: Embarking

Image
Check-in Our check-in time is set for 3:00 PM. After checking out of the hotel, a taxi takes us to the cruise terminal, where we catch our first glimpse of our 'home' for the next 33 days. It's enormous! If you find the check-in process at MUC airport challenging, a cruise check-in is even more complex and feels less streamlined. After about 40 minutes though, we are able to enter our cabin, and it immediately feels like home. The cabin reminds us of Ronda, our trusty camper van from our 2014 journey through Scandinavia—the same compact bathroom but with a much better view from the balcony! Happy couple in their new home The adventure begins: Where is my luggage? Shortly after settling into our cabin, two of our three suitcases arrive, and we start unpacking our belongings into the many small drawers and closets. But where is suitcase number three? After three hours, I start to get anxious and head to the reception to check. There, I find a long line of people with various ...
Read more

Day -2: Above the clouds, everyday worries and troubles seem smaller and far away

Image
Flying ... ... has fascinated me since childhood. When I was six, my cousin moved to California, and every time I saw a plane in the sky, I imagined myself on it, flying there. For a while, I even had to go to the airport almost every week, and what once felt magical began to feel like a burden. Since 9/11, with heightened security and long queues, the experience of flying has become even more challenging, turning the dream of air travel into something of a nightmare. Condor: our preferred carrier to sunny destinations It’s been almost a year since my last flight, and I feel a deep longing to see the clouds from above once more. Today, we spent the night at the airport. Check-in and security were surprisingly easy, so we got to enjoy a relaxed breakfast before our flight. I love window seats, and luckily, my wife prefers the aisle—so we both get exactly what we want. As the engines roar to life, that old dream of flying comes alive once again, making all the hassle worthwhile. Las ...
Read more

9 more nights left

Image
My mother used to say "Internet is dangerous" I can confirm this. Recently I was lured into dangerous activities and wasting money. But let's start at the beginning. In June my wife and I were in Passau and walked on the pier next to the river cruise ships. As we have no experience in any kind of cruises I googled "river cruise Danube" and explored the unknown world of  cruises. Suddenly an advertisement popped up:  "36 nights - world explorer route: Las Palmas - Singapore" I was about to dismiss it when I remembered that we wanted to go to Malaysia in January. This would be a crazy but also interesting alternative. This was in June.  Now we have 9 more nights before the adventure begins. Our first cruise. We have concerns: Will we be sea sick? Any tsunami predicted? Elephants or lions attacking us in Africa? Too much disco fever in the long nights? Will the credit card hold? If you're curious to see what happens next, subscribe to the blog by leav...
Read more