We now make the long five hour boat and bus journey in reverse from Batang Ai back into Kuching, but this time are staying in the city away from the rainforest, we both have overdosed on green over the last few days and are in need of some urban renewal. We booked a hotel by location, right on the waterfront, and at first sight, thought we had, in the words of Julia Roberts made a big mistake, huge. The Kuching Waterfront Lodge is an old Chinese house, divided into rooms without windows and dorms. Full of dusty dark furniture, chandeliers. But actually the rooms were fine, clean with much needed aircon. And of course the shower that floods the whole bathroom....
Our first move is to wander down the waterfront and are pleased to find a James Brooke's (he of the last White Raja in Sarawak) Cafe and Bistro that served alcohol, a rare find in this part of the world, so we decamp for the evening. Local food and non local beer and wine make for an enjoyable evening. But this is where the kerching in Kuching began.... Food in these parts is really cheap, alcohol is not. The drinks bill was five times that of the food bill, but we are heading for dry Brunei so need to alcohol load.... just like marathon runners before the big day, who need to carb load - same principle, makes sense?
We wander, or was that stagger, back along the Sarawak River Waterfront, a place where familes, young couples and very few tourists are promenading in the balmy evening. A good night's sleep and time to immerse ourselves in the local culture. Well, time for Ant to immerse himself at least. He takes a local Chinese breakfast at a busy little stall. He eats noodles, broth and various animal parts, some of which were identifiable, some of which were not.... Gill went to another cafe for a very identifiable latte and Danish.. No change there then!
We do the walking tour of the Chinese area, the Indian area, the old British area. The kerching kicks in again as Ant spots an optician. No cheap Vietnam reading glasses here, suffice to say, we move on a pair of fab glasses and another pair of sunnies later.... Gill also purchased a couple of pairs of glasses but the two for a fiver type in the Indian market amongst the fragrant spices. One of the pairs is Burberry, real of course, what a bargain...
But most of the shops were the usual tat so we move up a gear to the Kuching Spring Mall. Big, modern, cool, Starbucks, amazing food court - you get the idea. Here a very non Asian pizza followed by more shopping as Ant drops a few more quid in Esprit. Back at the Waterfront before dinner we drop into an antique shop selling some beautiful antique Iban masks. But unable to make a decision, Ant decides to sleep on it, the shop opens at 10 am the next morning, we need to leave for the airport at 10 am, no problem. We are there at 10 the next morning to look again and they are two beautiful pieces, so yet again out comes the card. Talk about distress purchase, one guy wrapping, one on the credit card machine, Ant saying get a move on, the taxi chomping at the bit. We finally flop into the cab and race to the airport. But Kerching in Kuching was such a success that Ant then has a voicemail from his credit card company to verify this, even for him, rather unusual spending pattern.....
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