Sarawak, Land of The Hornbills

SARAWAK or the Land Of The Hornbills, is known as one of Asia's Best Kept Secret as this is a place for history, mystery, romance and exotic adventure no matter on land, hill, or water. Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia, and is the home of the White Rajahs, the famous hornbills and the highly endangered orang utans.

The red color of the Sarawak Flag symbolizes the courage,  determination, and sacrifices of the people in pursuit to attain the course of creating a model state. The yellow color denotes the supremacy of Law and Order while the black color means the rich natural resources and wealth of Sarawak. This nine pointed yellow star denotes the 9 division of people that lives in harmony in their quest to improve their quality of life.

Interesting places in Sarawak are:

Kubah National Park

Kubah is one of Sarawak's most accessible national parks. It is only 20 kilometres from Kuching. Kubah is the recent addition to Sarawak's network of protected forest area, which was gazetted in 1988 and was only open to public in 1995. An overnight stay is highly recommended if you want to get the best of this handy and compact site.

The sandstone plateau includes three mountains, Gunung Serapi, Gunung Selang and Gunung Sendok, which can be seen clearly from Kuching. Within the park's 2,230 hectares you can find rare ferns and orchids. These were one of the reasons Kubah was gazetted as a national park in 1989. Popular with local people are the waterfalls and clear jungle streams where you can cool off after trekking through the jungle on well-marked paths.

The dipterocarp forest, interspersed with patches of scrub and unusually rich area of kerangas, is home to bearded pigs, black hornbills, squirrels, mouse deer and many species of reptiles and amphibians.

 

Kuching Waterfront

The Kuching Waterfront is the focal point of the town and features a graceful, European-style esplanade with views across to the Astana (the palace) and Fort Margherita. Formerly this 1 km stretch was home to many warehouses, which were closely associated with the mercantile trade of this city. The design of the waterfront has incorporated traditional Iban cultural motifs, evident in the mosaic tiles on the pavements.

The Waterfront has of course undergone several transformations since the 19th century - from a small settlement with a few atop buildings, to a busy port with warehouses and wharves, to the landscaped riverside walk it is today. The Waterfront is now also home to modern sculpture, an open-air theatre and a musical fountain.

The waterfront also features an open-air eatery and a theater. The theater is housed in the former Sarawak Steamship Company warehouse. The tourist information office is also situated here. Cultural activities are held here especially during Gawai (the native harvest festival) in June each year and Cat City Festival, held annually in August.

Lang's Cave

The Lang's Cave is named after a person who presumably discovered it. This is just opposite the Deer Cave. It is relatively young compared with the other show caves in Mulu National Park. It is the smallest of the show caves but its rock formations are well worth seeing. These are made all the more attractive by the strategically positioned spotlights, which highlight stalactites and stalagmites. As the cave is relatively small and well lit, it offers good opportunities to see some of its inhabitants such as bats, swiftlets and even cave-dwelling snakes.