Good morning from Kuching! The breakfast at this Hilton Hotel is incredible! I have never seen such a wide variety of food at a hotel breakfast. There is lots of fresh fruit, juices, traditional Malay, Indian, and Chinese food. There are also great pastries and some American food like pancakes and french toast. After an incredible breakfast, we started the drive to the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. On the way, we passed by the Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd that was a Japanese internment camp during World War II. During that time, prisoners were marched to Kuching. While on the bus we were briefed more about the wild orangutans that we may be able to see. There was no guarantee that we would be able to see an orangutan even though it is a sanctuary. The orangutans are still wild, but the sanctuary has two feeding times a day where they call the orangutans and let them know that food is available.
The sanctuary rangers use a special call to bring the orangutans out from the forest. The orangutans at this sanctuary are the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus). The rangers have given the orangutans at this sanctuary names as they range in age from newborn to 51 years old. When an orangutan becomes a strong male, the skin around their mouth grows meaning that it is a competing male. Orangutans live very solitary lives except during mating season. Female orangutans are the smartest and weigh about 60 kg. Male orangutans weigh about 100 kg and are 8 times stronger than the best wrestler in the world. In 2016 orangutans were declared critically endangered.
We arrived at the orangutan sanctuary and had to take a shuttle van to the entrance. They allow visitors to stay for one hour during feeding time. There is the main feeding viewpoint and then another one that you have to hike to in the jungle. We started out at the main feeding entrance but the orangutans were nowhere to be seen. After about 20 minutes, we hiked to the jungle viewing area and quietly waited while the rangers called to the orangutans. These rangers walk through the jungle and try to use their voices to direct the orangutans to the viewing platform. After a while, we were told that an orangutan was making its way to the main viewing platform. Back at the main viewpoint we were able to see one orangutan sitting at the top of a tree.
Shortly after, the orangutan swung down a rope and made her way to the fruit on the platform. She first took some bananas and then made her way back up to the treetops. We were all very fascinated by her ability to swing so quickly and effortlessly. Next, the ranger placed a coconut on the platform. The orangutan was able to effortlessly break open the coconut.
After the orangutan sanctuary, we made our way to Kuching South City Hall. This building is very unique and contains the mayor’s office. Inside, there is a small historical museum that contains pictures and artifacts. We were able to learn more about Kuching history and see pictures of what the city looked like centuries ago.
After this brief stop, we had a group lunch at King’s Curry, an Indian restaurant. Rather than taking the bus back to the hotel, we opted to walk and exchange some money on the way.
When we arrived back at the hotel, we were given free time for the rest of the day. Melissa, Amber, Fiona, and I decided to do laundry and walked to a laundromat just a couple blocks from our hotel. The laundry was very cheap and only cost 7 ringgit to wash and 5 ringgit to dry. While we were waiting for our laundry, we walked across the street to a mini mart. As soon as we entered, we met the sweetest man working behind the counter. We talked about where we were from and why we were visiting Malaysia. We were fascinated by how much he knew about US geography. He was able to name the states in geographical order as well as cities and capitals inside the states. After buying some snacks and talking with him for thirty minutes, we headed back to get our laundry.
After dropping our laundry off back at the hotel we decided to try KopiCut located across the street from our hotel. This restaurant and coffee shop is known for their coffee ice cubes and hot milk used to pour over the ice. The coffee was delicious and very refreshing. Our group (Melissa, Amber, Fiona, and I) decided we wanted to spend our evening walking along the waterfront. There are many shops located along the water selling souvenirs and food. While walking along the waterfront, we noticed that we could take a sunset cruise for 19 ringgit ($4 USD). We decided that this would be a great way to see the river and a beautiful way to end the day. This was by far the best decision we could have made. We got onto the boat, which was a very traditional wood boat, and were alone except for one couple. This one hour cruise is something I will never forget. Seeing the buildings on the side of the river, the local houses, and waving to other boats going by was so much fun. After watching the sunset and cruising along the river looking at all the lights, our journey came to an end.
We disembarked from the boat and decided to try some local ice cream that had been recommended to us by our tour guide. On the way, we passed by many street performers. One of the most common costumes was transformers. We were able to get some pandan ice cream with corn flakes and then went to eat along the river. Kuching puts on a light and water show every night at the river. We were able to watch the show while eating ice cream near the bridge. It was another great day of new experiences. I particularly enjoyed this day because we were able to explore on our own.
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