You walk into a strange city, a place foreign to you. You know this as soon as you arrive. The people, they look different. Their faces are friendly but they are strangers. You are, my friend, far away from your home.
Welcome to the City of Cats. Welcome to Kuching.
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The Cats
This city is ruled by councils of cats. Not one, but two councils. The North Council and the South. Different breeds of cats, these. For they rule in harmony instead of discord. Strength isn’t simply in numbers, but in the knowledge that our differences are what will get us up the hill and over the waters. Cats are wise and they don’t drown, even if they rarely fancy a dip.
No, they don’t like the water. But throw them in, and they won’t sink. They always learn to swim when they have to. Fail at their own peril; fail and never again shall they see their hills.
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The River
How will you cross the river, my friend?
I shan’t swim for I fear I shall drown. I shan’t fly for I have neither the feathers nor the wings. I shan’t walk for there is no bridge or path that is safe from the waters. I shall take a boat and the boatman shall ferry me across, he shall.
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How will you pay the boatman, my friend?
I have no gold or silver on me; I am no target for highwaymen and robbers alike. I don’t even have pennies. I don’t have the hand of a daughter whose beauty and wisdom is famed across the lands to offer in marriage; indeed, I lack even the daughter to call mine.
I have no voice blessed by the heavens; no songs of legends and epics shall I sing for my safe passage. I am sombre and serious; no humour nor wit have I to amuse my trusty transporter. I amuse no one, not even a boatman who must have heard a thousand jokes that are one and the same, over and over again.
I will pay the boatman with a rose, a flower I shall pluck from the banks of the river where he conducts his commerce. I shall give him the wild blossom, local and native and fragrant, and deep with thorns hidden and deadly. I give him life wrapped in danger and in death, and may he have care in handling this gift, as we all have to, in our own ways.
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The Temple
And at the end of the road, your road that you have to walk, stranger in a strange land, there awaits you the temple. Past the moss-covered trees, past the advertisements and the accents mingled in a curious cacophony, the temple is. An oasis, a store of serenity. What prayers will you indulge in, I wonder? Are you devout and are you a believer, or simply a tourist, passing time — your hours and your years?
I do know the answers. They are not mine, my friend. The answers are yours alone, stranger, as are your prayers.
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City of Kuching • Sarawak, Malaysia/Borneo
Note: “Kuching” means “cat” in Malay, hence the City of Cats moniker.
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Copyright © 2010 Kenny Mah Ying Fye.
~ BORNEO: Tales, Trails and Travels in Sabah & Sarawak ~
Part 1 • Sabah I: Merman
Part 2 • Sabah II: From Dusk Till Dawn
Part 3 • Sabah III: Kinabalu
Part 4 • Sarawak I: Kuching
Part 5 • Sarawak II: Tua Pek Kong
Part 6 • Sabah IV: Mamutik Island
Part 7 • Sabah V: A Town Called Tuaran
Kenny Mah believes in the good in people. He has been blogging for over ten years. No, his hands aren't tired. Yet.
such an elegant prose !!! really loved the way u described the city… :)
have a rocking week ahead Kenny !!!
@vimesh: It’s a myseterious city to me, even now. I can’t quite make head or tail of it but I do know there is something about Kuching, this eternal city of cats that draws me back every time.
One day, I may even figure that out but not too soon, I hope. Some mysteries are best left that way. Half the magic is in the exploring, not the discovery.
Have a great week ahead too, bro!
Sarawak Tourism Board should give you some incentives like free accommodation/meals for promoting Kuching. :D
@jemima: Oh I wouldn’t mind that, haha. The food here is amazing. Pity I keep forgetting to take my camera out each time I’m having a meal here.
I’ve only visited Kuching and Miri thus far. Can’t wait to travel to other places in Sarawak like the Mulu Caves and Sibu.
Some day… *fingers crossed*
Have a good week! – enjoy all the yummy kolok mee n laksa…
(Mmmmm. Can ta pau for me ah?)
@J the chocoholic: Wish I can tapau for you, dear… but I have already left Kuching and am now in Sabah! I think I spend more time on the road and in the air then in my own bed at home! *groans*
you pay the boatman wiv a rose ar? if me.. i chuck ur rose into the river hehe.. GOLD darling GOLD! gimme gold.. but i take diamonds too MWAUHAHAHHA! love the post.. welcome back kenny mah!
i like to think of myself as being geographically-smart but i had to look up Kuching to find out where you are!
if all tourist guides where written in this style i think they would do so much better; you discribe this city so beautifully!
@ciki: My poor rose. Muahahaha…
@mr sekimachihato: Oj, good point! I didn’t even mention that Kuching is a city in Sarawak, which is on the island of Borneo. Will go fix this. Thanks!
so that explains the lack of writing these days. away again! gosh. wat a frequent flyer *hehe* (i like ur last sentence btw.)
@Jun: Aye. That’s usually the reason when I disappear from the face of the blogosphere. And more travelling to come before the month is over.
On the bright side, if Nov & Dec turn out to be light months (where travel is concerneed), it means I have plenty of material for new posts!
*hugs and misses my fave (formerly) adelaide girl*
Yes, mysterious indeed is the boatman who will accept a single wild rose as currency. But I like to think that in some parts of the world not yet completely consumed by the chase of cold hard cash, a rose and a world of good intentions for a trip across the river is barter true and valid!
@minchow: A world of good intentions? But, my dear, my only intention was to get to the other side!
*cue: lame pun cymbal clashing*
Tee hee.
i’ve only ever visited sabah and sarawak for work too, back in my early years when i was freakishly gung-ho about packing my bags and flying off to strange terrain.
i remember kuching as this really peaceful place, where everyone seemed so calm and good-natured, almost to a stepford-wives extent. but ultimately, i realized i just wasn’t accustomed to meeting genuinely nice people. :D
can we conclude that in truth, nobody in kuching is catty? heheheheheheheh.
oh btw, i have cramps in my fingers from replying to your 14 comments, and i think some of my brain cells killed themselves too. :P
@Sean: Ouch. That is one pussy of a pun, my friend! But it’s true, folks are so much more laidback here. Nothing seems to ruffle them much.
Then again, they don’t have to deal with KL-level traffic jams, do they now?
P.S. Well, I was away for half a month. Had to catch up on all your posts, didn’t I?
Anyway, aren’t you glad you only have ONE post here to comment on? Heh heh.
I’ve submitted this post’s link to the Sarawak Tourism Board. Hopefully, they will respond soon. ;)
*KEEPING ALL MY FINGERS & TOES CROSSED* :D
Ouch. This reminds me that I have not been to Sarawak. Ever.
Pathetic right? Being a Malaysian (ahem, 1Malaysian) and all.
@jemima: You’re kidding, dear. Tell me you’re kidding. Haha, I don’t think this is their cuppa tea…
@J2Kfm: Not at all. It just means you oughta book a flight soon to the Land of the Hornbills. You won’t regret it!
I ain’t kidding, kiddo. :P
Regardless of whatever tea they serve in their cuppa, we’ll never know until we try.
Make It So, rite??? :D
@jemima: Hahaha, it’s hilarious how you are throwing everything back at me! Touché, mon ami!
Yup, we shall make it so.
incidentally, a friend of mine who lives in near kelana jaya is currently on a six-month job posting in sepang. the effort it takes to travel back and forth every day seems to really sap his energy (and once a week, when i drag him to somewhere like hartamas for dinner, it takes him nearly two hours to get there!).
so yeah, here’s hoping that the MRT that’s supposedly meant to be completed by 2020 (according to the current budget) will help improve all our lives. and maybe then, we’ll be as cool and collected as the kuchingites. or is it kuchingians? or kuchingish?
p.s. welllll … even when i was away on vacation, i tried not to allow a backlog pile up. all it takes is 10 minutes at the end of every day, y’know :D
@Sean: I feel for your friend, I really do. The amount of driving, commuting, flying, whistling for cabs that I do…
But hey. Whatever brings home the bacon, right?
According to Wikipedia, it’s Kuchingite. Not sure how exactly that is pronounced though. “Koo-ching-aight”?
P.S. Alas I lack your talent for speed and brevity in composing blog posts…
wow wow wow funny to read through :) and i like the temple part the best :) hohohoho good good!!!
@fufu: If you like the temple the best, then you are gonna love the next part – it’s all about the temple! (Oops, did I give the surprise away?)
but all that traveling seems to have really honed your gift as a sharp observer of people and landscapes. so that’s a silver lining right there … right? :D
my obsessive nature has forced me to try to compile a list of what the residents of malaysian states and capital cities might be called. we know we were malaccans. penangites and KLites is easy. u’ve answered the question about kuchingites. but is it serembanians? putrajayaites? kuantanese? kangareans (or even kangaroos)? the mind boggles!
p.s. oh, i meant 10 minutes to respond to other people’s blog posts. on days when u don’t have any new entries, that’s all it takes me, tops :D
Hi Kenny, its me equilibrium2008. Btw, I change my blogsite already. And also, I have an award for you http://chica-fabulosa.blogspot.com/2010/10/versatile-blogger-award.html
@Sean: Hmm, I wonder if it’s not also true that the people and landscapes have also been a sharp observer of me? Hmm.
As for the citizens of Malaysian states/cities, I guess at least there are Ipohans and Kedahans but what are the good folks of Terengganu called? Terengganese? Terenganoes?
And the King/Queen of Tough State Name to Citizenize: Negeri Sembilan! Try that on for size.
P.S. Bah!
@Chica Fabulosa: Oh cool! Haven’t heard from you in a long while, dear. Glad you’re back, with a new blog at that. Will drop by soon!
nice, you make Kuching way better than what i’ve experience there
@rokh: Oh really? Do share with us what your experience of Kuching is? For me, there is still so much more to explore. *beams hopefully*
if u’re watching the people and the landscape, while the people and the landscape are watching you, then who’s watching the watchmen? :P
oh, i was watching this movie, and there was this tongue-twister that a character muttered: ‘on a sultry saturday in september, the saints saved seventeen souls.’ not difficult at all to say once, but try that seven times fast (and get every syllable perfectly right … the ‘saved’ gets a bit tricky after awhile) :D
i suggest the good people of negri sembilan, kota kinabalu and shah alam should organize a joint two-day conference and decide what to call themselves.
p.s. and this comment took me nearly seven minutes! :D
@Sean: Uhm, the Watchers (from the Marvel Universe) are watching the Watchmen (technically non-canon DC Universe)?
Why 17 souls? Why not 18? I always like 18, it’s a nice number.
Why two days? I like one-day conferences, less bloated.
P.S. Why seven minutes, nearly? Ten would be a nice round number and probably the amount of time you ought to spend here. Heh.
i’ve always thought of the watchers as being these really creepy voyeurs who only PRETEND to be interested in observing pivotal events across the universe, but in truth, they’re watching scandalous, titillating scenes. which is why they’d never be watching me. sigh.
“18 souls” ruins the tongue-twisting effect of the sentence lah. alternatively, try saying “soldier’s shoulder” 10 times fast.
two-day conferences means get at least two free lunches, a breakfast and a dinner. whereas one-day conference means only one free lunch :P
p.s. this comment took only five minutes! i guess i type faster when i’m not drunk :D
@Sean: Haha, come to think of it, if that’s your definition of a Watcher, then one of my ex’s is a Watcher too…
Hmm, tongue twisters. I prefer the non-verbal variety, honestly speaking. Ahem.
All those free meals can only go into the expansion of my waistline. Tak nak!
P.S. Indeed. Perhaps a typing course could improve your speed further. Heh.
But you know what? I don’t think Andrew Llyod Webber’s CATS was all that nice. In fact, I’m not a fan. I think cats are evil. And spoiled and gross. From what I hear, pussies are smelly. I dunno, I don’t have one to call mine.
I prefer a cute lil puppy any time. But yea, Kuching is a nice and quaint. I’ll be back there again soon.
oooh, was he a watcher AND a video-taper? :D
hmmm, well, to quote ryan seacrest, “i’m sure your tongue is much more talented than mine.” :P
i’ll be languishing for the next few days at pwtc, covering the annual general assembly of a certain ruling party. there’ll be a free flow of nasi lemak for brekkie, mass-produced rendang for lunch, with kuih lapis and curry puffs for tea. all of it shockingly oily, so i’ll try to restrain myself from eating any at all.
p.s. slow and steady wins the race. i can last all night, if truly necessary. ahem.
@A Lil Fat Monkey: Are you sure you don’t really wanna pretty pussy? *guffaws*
@Sean: Who said anything about videotapes? Or is that something you’re familiar with, paired with talented tongues and all…
And good luck with the languishing. I am sure you will do just fine, what with your apparent love of slowness and steadiness.
Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos and fun information on Kuching! My family and I are planning a trip there next year after reading “Borneo Tom,” by Tom McLaughlin, who wrote and sketched about his travels there and other parts of Malaysia. The book opens a new and fantastic world in very remote places and is worth checking out if you get the chance.
@Audrey: Thanks for the recommendation – I shall look out for McLaughlin’s book when I next hit the bookstores!
Lovely …have linked you to Sarawak Travel fan page …@michael
@michael: Thanks for the link and for dropping by! Coolness.
love the picture of the cats. and what an exotic place. i would love to visit some day. it fun that you brinig your readers along on your trips! :)
@luuworld: If you ever come to this part of the world, let me know in advance and I’ll be your happy guide!
And what’s exotic to you is home to us; and your home is probably very exotic to me! (And so it is.)