Kuching is the capital of the East Malaysian State of Sarawak. It is situated at the banks of the Sarawak River on the North-Western part of the island of Borneo. The population of about 500,000 is made up of a mixture of Malays, Chinese and some Indians and other ethnic groups. The climate in Kuching is tropical, reasonably hot and receives significant rainfall. The wettest times are during the North-East Monsoon months of November to February. Kuching is the 7th largest city in Malaysia. Much of Kuching used to be green, with tall overarching trees offering shade at the sides of the roads. The origins of its name have never been clear. Kuching does translate into cat, in specific reference to the domesticated cat, but it may actually be a adaptation of the Indian name for port "Cochin". Kuching was first settled by Indian traders who set up camp at Santubong. The city has never been remembered for having a notably larger populace of cats when compared to others. There are other theories which attribute the name to a fruit called "mata kucing" or "cat's eye"; it would seem that trees bearing this fruit used to grow in great quantity by the river banks where the city lies today. There was a hill in the middle of the old city called Bukit Mata Kuching which could have been as responsible.
Kuching, Malaysia has many museums to visit such
as the Sarawak Museum, Chinese Museum, and Cat Museum.
They also have interesting landmarks and sites to see like the Astana (the
Rajah's former palace), Fort Margherita, Tua Pek Kong temple and Main Bazaar.
Another can't miss activity is the Kuching waterfront which is really a
riverside it is located right next to the main hotels and commercial heartland
of the city, and offers a lovely walk in the evening. When you are drained from
strolling, the old shops on the opposite side of the waterfront will cheerfully
sell you all manner of antiques and tradecraft.