Kuching and Sarawak - A Sparkling History

Sarawak belongs to the island of Borneo and is one of two Malaysian states on the island. Also known as Bumi Kenyalang ("Land of the Hornbills"), Sarawak is situated on the north-west of Borneo. Sarawak is actually the largest state in Malaysia while the second largest is Sabah - the neighboring state.

The capital of Sarawak is Kuching which has a population of around 600,000 people - mostly Malays and Chinese. The name Kuching literally means 'cat' (kucing) in the Malay language, although there are two other lines of thought. Kuching comes from an Indian word which means port; or Kuching comes from Chinese Cantonese word for "old place".

Back in 1841 Borneo was ceded to the British by the then owner and ruler - the Sultanate of Brunei. The new ruler was named James Brooke, who was known as an adventurer of the time. I suspect thats a bit of an understatement. James Brooke helped the Sultanate to over-throw a rebellion, thus gained the lands for himself as a gift. The Brooke family ruled there for almost all of the forth coming 112 years.

Not long after Japan became involved in the Second World War however, they took possession of Borneo in 1941 and it remained under their control until September of 1945. The territory was officially handed back to the British by the Japanese on September 11th, with all papers being signed in Kuching.

The final British ruler of the territory was Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, who took over as Raja on his fathers death in 1917. He "escaped" to Sydney, Australia just before the Japanese invasion and remained there until 1945.

Sarawak became an independent state in 1963, and along with Sabah - its neighbor, and Singapore it joined to form Malaysia. Singapore was then expelled from the Malaysia and became its own Republic, which it still is now. The union between Singapore and the other Malaysian states was rocky from the beginning. Distrust and ideological differences between leaders of the State of Singapore and the federal government of Malaysia resulted in frequent disagreement in politics, economic, financial and social policies.

The conflict spread to the populace, resulting in major racial riots in 1964 in Singapore. In 1965, Malaysia Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman decided upon the secession of Singapore from the Federation, leading to the Independence of Singapore on 9 August 1965.

Highly successful with regards to financial control and extremely low crime rates, its hard to believe that before European rule which began back in the 1600's, Singapore was a simple Malay fishing village.

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Learn more about the south east island of Malasia and stay in one of the Kuching Hotels. Check out one of the very best hotels at Damai.

Exploring Borneo Tropical Rainforest

The Tropical Rainforest is earth's most complex biome in terms of both structure and species diversity. It occurs under optimal growing conditions: abundant precipitation and year round warmth. There is no annual rhythm to the forest; rather each species has evolved its own flowering and fruiting seasons. Sunlight is a major limiting factor. A variety of strategies have been successful in the struggle to reach light or to adapt to the low intensity of light beneath the canopy.

The Tropical Rainforest has always been one of the most mysterious and adventurous place to visit. Throughout the whole world, only a few tropical countries are lucky to have tropical rainforest with them, these are Amazon tropical rainforest, Cameroon, Congo, Nigeria, Indonesia and Malaysia.

When travelling in the tropical rainforest, it's adventurous and mysterious; we definitely want to think about our own safety. Amazon and Africa Tropical rainforest system are similar to the one in Malaysia and Indonesia, but for safety reasons, we always encourage visitors or tourists to visit the 3rd largest island in the world - Borneo.

What is in Borneo?
Sarawak in Borneo, the best place in the world for visitors or tourists to explore the wonderful Tropical Rainforest, you get to experience living inside the tropical rainforest, seeing Orang Utan, experience the local tribes and their local cultures and even to experience the tropical rainforest weather.

How to get to Sarawak, Borneo?
Sarawak is part of Malaysia. You can use any airlines to reach the 2nd largest airport in Asia - KLIA, and use either Malaysia Airlines or Air Asia to transit to Kuching, the capital of Sarawak.

How to get around Sarawak, Borneo?
One of the reasons to travel in Sarawak is because of their multi culture, majority of their populations speaks good English. They do have Taxi and public transport, or you can rent a car or even appoint Borneo Explorer Travel Agency to plan everything for you.

Is it safe?
Yes, Sarawak, Malaysia is safe enough for you and your loves one to travel. Remember to ask about the visas before entering the country, read more at the resource box below.

What is the exchange rate?
Currently the exchange rate is around USD 1 = RM 3.2. There are plenty of Banks and legal money changers around town.

How are the hotels and conditions?
Sarawak is one of the best developing states in Malaysia, they are the 2nd most tourists visited state as well. You get to see some big names like Hilton, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Somerset Gateway etc, they are all rated at 4 stars and above. You also get to enjoy local resorts which is not too far from Kuching at very reasonable price.

What are the attractions in Sarawak, Borneo?
Borneo Sarawak tropical rainforest - The most complex tropical rainforest in the world, very safe for travelers.

Mulu & Niah Cave - One of the world's largest cave systems and one of the oldest known human burial sites in Southeast Asia.

Orangutan Sanctuarys - The orangutans are two species of great apes known for their intelligence, long arms and reddish-brown hair. They can only be found in Borneo Island and Semengok orangutan sanctuarys are the best place in Borneo to watch the semi-wild orangutans.

Bidayuh Longhouse tour - Take a visit to the local tribes, known as the Borneo head hunters, but they stop doing that decades ago, so don't worry about them. Learn their cultural and how they live in the tropical rainforest for centuries.

Satang & Talang Island - Other than the tropical rainforest, Kuching is famous for the beaches, stay in one of the best resorts in Sarawak for a few days before ending the trip in Sarawak. Go explore the turtle conservation and hatchery area, this is one of a few places in the world that allow tourists to visit.

Sea Kayaking, diving or snorkeling - While staying at the resort, always remember to go for sea kayaking or diving. Borneo has always been one of the best place to dive in the world, no shark, warm water, it's just perfect for a romantic, adventurous and mysterious trip.

Who's suitable and is it expensive?
The living standard in Sarawak, Borneo is cheap. You only pay USD0.50 to get a 325 ml of Diet Coke, that's how cheap it is. Anyone is suitable to explore the tropical rainforest in Sarawak. We use romantic, adventurous, mysterious, fun, relaxing to describe Sarawak, Borneo.

Always feel free to browse the link at resource box to see more photos of the tropical rainforest and Sarawak. Plan a trip there and experience the beautiful mysterious tropical rainforest.

Jayden has been living in Borneo for more than 25 years and he has always been sharing Borneo to everyone around the world.

Article by Jayden Yap