Kuching Ten Days: From Santubong Rainforest to Sarawak Riverbank

In early August, I took my child to Kuching, Malaysia. The ten-day trip was half in the rainforest and half in the city. For the first five days, we stayed at Permai Rainforest Resort—a place embraced by jungle and adjacent to the sea. During the day, we walked along a peaceful shallow beach over a hundred meters wide, with warm water reaching our knees, and time softened by the sound of the waves. We ventured deep into the Santubong Rainforest, identifying the textures of vines and moss under the watchful eyes of proboscis monkeys. At night, the balcony of our wooden cabin was a private box for listening to nature: gibbon calls, insect chirps, and tides composed the wild overture of Borneo. For the next five days, we moved to the Hilton Hotel in the city. On the sixth night, we went to Kubah National Park to see nocturnal animals. The guide led the way with a flashlight; the rainforest at night was another world. We saw many frogs, snakes, and lizards, and were lucky to spot a slow-moving slow loris with round eyes. My child held my hand tightly, both curious and delighted. On the seventh day, we visited the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Semi-wild orangutans are fed fruit twice daily, morning and afternoon, and the number that shows up depends on their mood. We were lucky to see a mother and her two children swinging leisurely. Watching them climb trees and eat fruit, their eyes were very calm. On the eighth day, we went to Bako National Park. After buying tickets, we found a guide who was a native local. We took a boat across the sea and hiked through the forest. This trip was very rewarding—not only did we see the famous proboscis monkeys, but also many other creatures: leaf monkeys nimbly jumping on rock walls; snakes coiled by the roadside; lizards darting quickly; at the mudflats, mudskippers “walking” on fins, and a one-clawed crab holding up its single claw; suddenly a flash butterfly flew by, its wings shimmering blue-green; in damp places, pitcher plants hung with little bottles. This rainforest is truly full of life. On the ninth day, we visited the Borneo Cultural Museum. The museum is large, with five floors, telling the history of this land and the stories of different ethnic groups. Even a quick tour gave a sense of its depth. Every evening, we took walks along the riverbank next to the hotel. Standing on the Waterfront Bridge, we looked at the mosque across the river, its colors changing with the sky. When the lights came on, they reflected in the water, shimmering golden. This walking time became a very relaxing part of the journey. Kuching is a place without hurry or noise, just right for spending slow, peaceful days.