If you are ever in Malaysia, do make a trip to Kuching. which is situated in Sarawak, not far from The Equator, on the island of Borneo. I was there recently for the first Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival and I was amazed at how much Kuching has changed since I was last there many years ago. The area where the festival was located near the famous Cat Statue, is a short walk from Kuching Waterfront and the Sarawak River.

The walks are scenic and the sunsets spectacular. There is a lot of activity on the Sarawak River including boat trips ferrying tourists up and down the river. There are streets full of eateries, streets full of souvenir shops, temples, shopping centres, and CATS!

YES! Cats! Kuching (kucing) is the Malay word for ‘CAT’ and you can see cat statues, visit a cat museum, buy cat souvenirs and generally see ‘cats’ as the symbol of Kuching in many places.

There are also great market places where you can browse through local produce, local handicrafts and more!

The food, of course, is exceptional and cheap, just take a walk through the streets and you will be spoilt for choice.

The Bako National Park is not too far from Kuching so is also worth a visit.

My favourite memory (apart from the festival and all that went with it) was the Mooncake Festival celebrations in Carpenter Street, which had food and drink stalls, people singing, Sape (local musical instrument) playing, dancers and a very great feeling of happiness and festivity.

We stopped for a while to listen to Julien Cotett who is a Sape maker, player and teacher who lives in Kuching. Beautiful music!

I am looking forward to returning next year.