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 PICTURE : The Kuching
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SARAWAK
EAST MALAYSIA
Sarawak
, covers an area of 124,000 square kilometer, is the largest state
in Malaysia with the population of 2.5 million people, consisting
of the Iban, Malay, Chinese, Melanau, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and the
Penan. The state is made up of 9 districts namely, Kuching, Sri
Aman, Sibu, Miri, Limbang, Sarikei, Kapit, Samarahan and Bintulu.
Sarawak has a coastline of some 800km facing the South China Sea.
Lying on the northwest coast of Borneo, the third largest island
in the world, Sarawak shares its boundaries with Kalimantan (Indonesia
Bomeo) in the south, Brunei and Sabah in the north. Nearly three-quarters
or 8.7 million hectares of Sarawaks surface area of 12.3 million
hectares are covered with natural rainforest developed over a million
years ago. Much of it is mixed dipterocarp forest which accounts
for 7.3 million hectares stretching from the coastal lowlands to
highlands of over 1,500 m. Two-thirds of its land area is still
covered in jungle and the rest is a network of rivers, plains, undulating
hills and rugged mountain ranges.
Most of the population have settled along its rivers and many of
these live in ‘long houses’ or ‘villages’
where the entire clan lives under one roof. Each longhouse has separate
rooms leading onto one long, communal veranda. Sarawak too has a
good selection of National Parks worth visiting. The most popular
of these are Bako, Lambir Hills, Gunung Mulu and Niah all of which
give the visitor an excellent opportunity to experience the wilds
of Sarawak and explore the tropical rainforest which is alive with
fauna and flora.
Sarawak remains one of Malaysia’s ‘best kept’
secrets. The land of the hornbill'. Sarawak is also known as 'The
land of many rivers'. The rivers provide natural means of transportation
and communication. The 590km long Sungai Rejang is the longest river
in the country. The rivers together with the wide spread trunk roads
and well connected domestic air links make traveling to interior
destinations easily accessible.
HISTORY OF SARAWAK EAST MALAYSIA
Prehistoric paintings found on the walls of Sarawaks limestone
Niah Caves and the discovery of human bones, pottery shards and
stone tools indicate that Neolithic man may have once roamed Borneo.
However Sarawak's current borders and national status date from
1839 with the arrival of the young English adventurer, James Brooke,
to Kuching, the present capital, located on the banks of the Sarawak
river. Kuching in those days was called Sarawak, stemming from the
Malay word serewa, meaning antimony which was widely mined in the
area. Since the 15th century, Sarawak was a dependency of the Sultan
of Brunei, who would appoint a Rajah to rule on his behalf. In the
19th century, some Land Dayaks and Malays living on the Sarawak
river carried out a revolt and declared themselves independent in
protest against the unpopular Rajah, Pengiran Mahkota. The Brunei
Sultan appealed to Brooke for help in quelling the rebellion. When
he successfully did so, the grateful Sultan installed him as the
new Rajah in 1841. This set in motion a chain of events that saw
the Brooke Dynasty establish a despotic but benevolent rule of successive
White Rajahs over Sarawak for a hundred years. James Brooke's initial
jurisdiction was over a small land area. When he died in 1868 his
nephew, Charles Brooke became the second White Rajah. He established
Kuching as the capital and expanded Sarawak to its present state
boundaries. The Brooke dynasty ended in 1941 with the occupation
of Sarawak by Japanese military forces during World War Two. After
the defeat and surrender of the Japanese, Sarawak became a British
Crown Colony in 1946. On September 16, 1963, Sarawak together with
Sabah, Singapore and Malaya formed Malaysia. Singapore subsequently
left and became an independent nation.
PLACES OF INTEREST IN SARAWAK EAST MALAYSIA
KUCHING
Kuching, the state capital, sits on the river bank of the Sarawak
River, 32 kilometres from the sea. Sarawak Riber is the focal point
of the town and features a graceful, European-style esplanade. Take
a boat ride and float down the river either by day or night-the
sunset is fantastic. The narrow, bustling streets near the river
are crammed with ornate temples, markets, historic buildings and
traditonal Chinese shophouses selling local handicrafts. Kuching
also lays claim to nine museums, many within walking distance of
each other.
NIAH AND MULU CAVES
The Niah and Gunung Mulu national park situated close to Brunei
houses the Niah Caves containing prehistoric remains dating back
40,000 years. There are also quite a lot of National Parks scattered
in Sarawak such as Bako, Similajau, Kubah, Lambir Hills, Gunung
Gading, Batang Ai, Tanjung Datu and Loagan Bunut National Park.
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THE
REJANG RIVER
BINTULU
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SARAWAK
MUSEUM
The Sarawak Museum, located in Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, is
one of Asia's finest. It houses a collection of Bornean ethnological
and archaeological items and an exhibition featuring a reconstruction
of the great Niah Caves, with remains of the Neolithic people
who lived in the Caves. Closed on Fridays and public holidays.
KUCHING SKRANG RIVER SAFARI
The safari takes you on a four-hour journey along the Skrang River,
occasionally shooting the rapids, to the Iban longhouses. Their
traditional ceremonies include an offering of rice wine to their
guests.
PEPPER PLANTATIONS
Sarawak is Malaysia's largest exporter of pepper. Pepper plantations
can be seen along the Kuching-Serian Road.
THE SARAWAK CULTURAL VILLAGE AND HERITAGE CENTRE
A living museum located at Santubong, the Sarawak Cultural Village
conserves and portrays the multi-faceted cultures and customs
of ethnic groups such as the Ibans, Bidayuhs, and Melanaus. The
Heritage Centre is an integral part of the cultural village, which
offers traditional arts of Sarawakians.
Opening hours: 9.00am -5.00pm. Cultural Show: 2.00pm-3.00pm. Fees:
Adults:RM45; Children (6-12 years) - RM22.50. Below 6 - Free.
SANTUBONG FISHING VILLAGE
Santubong is attractive not only because of its good beach resort;
it has also captured the interest of archaeologists who have discovered
Hindu and Buddhist influences around the Santubong River estuary.
Also, history reveals that the discovery of gold made it an important
trading center during the "golden" era of the seventh
and thirteenth century AD.
CORAL REEFS
Just 30 minutes off the coastline of Miri, there are several diving
spots where natural reefs provide diverse marine life. You can
explore old shipwrecks and spectacular coral reefs. South Luconia
Shoals, Eve's Garden, Anemore Garden, Royal Charlotte Atoll Grouper
Patch Reef, Sri Gadong and Atago Mari Wrecks are just some of
the newest attraction for diving enthusiasts.
OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST IN SARAWAK
Other places of interest worth visiting includes Fort Margherita,
a magnificent whitewashed colonial building built in 1841, it
houses weapons and life-sized dioramas of figures from important
military conflicts, the Main Bazaar where you can find some of
the oldest Chinese shophouses in the country, Sarawak Craft Council,
The Sunday Open Market offers vast variety of handicraft, woodcarvings,
beadwork, bamboo and rattan products, and woven cloth, hats, baskets,
sleeping mats and pottery, all created in the distinctive designs
peculiar to each ethnic group, Damai Beach, Islamic Museum, Living
Museum, Longhouses, Kuching Waterfront, Sarawak Handicraft, Semenggoh
Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Sibu, The Pinnnacles, National
Parks such as Bako National Park, Mulu National Park, Niah National
Park, river safaris such as The Lemanak River Safari and The Skrang
River Safari.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Accommodation facilities available in the state of Sarawak includes
Somerset Gateway Kuching, Sarawak, Regency Pelagus Resort, Regency
Bintulu and Regency Rajah Court.
CLIMATE
Sarawak has a tropical climate. It is hot and humid throughout
the year with a mean daily temperature ranging from 23 deg.C to
32 deg.C. It experiences two monsoon changes. The north-east monsoon
brings heavy rainfall from November to February. The south-west
monsoon is usually dry and less wet. Except for monsoon changes,
the climate remains fairly stable throughout the year. Annual
rainfall varies between 330 cm to 460 cm for the greater part
of the country.
GETTING TO SARAWAK EAST MALAYSIA
The national air carrier Malaysia
Airlines has daily flights from Kuala Lumpur, Penang,
Johor Bharu, Kota Kinabalu and Miri into the Kuching International
Airport. There are also direct flights from Brunei, Singapore
and Hong Kong into Kuching.
Other
types of local public transportation depending on budget available
includes buses, taxis, air charters, car-hire, etc.
MALAYSIA HOTELS DOT CC
Malaysia Hotels Dot CC, brings you some of the best
hotels in the state of Sarawak, East Malaysia. We bring to you
Somerset Gateway Kuching, Sarawak, Regency Pelagus Resort, Regency
Bintulu and Regency Rajah Court. We present them here comprehensively
with factual information on all our participating hotels and
resorts in the state of Sarawak, East Malaysia.
Welcome
Malaysia Hotels Dot CC |
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