I was in Sarawak recently for Gawai Dayak, an annual festival celebrated by the Dayak people in Kuching... think of it as their thanksgiving festival.
Every year, kids who have come to age of 10 will parade in their traditional costumes that symbolises adulthood for them.
Besides all the performances, drinking, and mingling with the local villagers, one of the highlights for me was the food. The food was actually prepared by everyone who stays in the longhouse. It's like a massive potluck. We actually got to try a lot of the local food cooked by the locals. You know what they say about the best way to know a country's culture is by their food right? To make things better, this is actually homecooked food!
Annah Rais Longhouse
So how does visiting a longhouse work? The longhouse we visited is known as the Annah Rais Longhouse. There is no hotels nearby and it ain't going to be a real longhouse experience if you were to stay at a hotel anyway. So we stayed at a local homestay - AirBnb made very local, very traditional, and with very friendly homeowners who will even make breakfast and tell you a story or two. And because it was Gawai, the kids were all back visiting from the city which added a lot of life to the longhouse.
If you're planning to visit, be prepared to expect lots of local snacks, local stories, local rice wine and/or rice whiskeys, lots of bonding time, and no WiFi. They have their own satellite dish that allows you to use your 3G but the truth is, it's not THAT strong. It's really one of the reasons why everyone bonded so well during the trip I guess. And then of course, there's the local alcohol, also known as Tuak.
What can I do at the longhouse?
Well, it's no 5-star hotel so I'm not going to tell you that you will have that dream infinity pool, or gym, and obviously there is no clubhouse services. The longhouse is a place of culture and stories. You can talk to any of the locals and they welcome you like family. One of the must-visits is their trophy room where they kept skulls there. All these skulls are real. If you have not heard about it before, headhunting is part of their history. It's symbolises power for their warriors from yesteryears.
If you are into photography, the longhouse sure is a place for good shots especially if you are into mural hunting. The photograph above is just one of the many murals that was left behind a famous mural artist when he visited the longhouse. Which mural artist? Sorry, I was busy stuffing my face with local snacks when the tour guide was talking. #SorryNotSorry actually.
And yes. Lots of stray cats and dogs around. They are really cute, friendly and harmless, but if you are like the girls who visited the longhouse with me, well, you have been warned.
The rest of Sarawak, Kuching
Despite it being a rather short trip, it felt like we visited so many places. Here's a list of the places that you shouldn't miss!
Sarawak State Museum
If you are into the history of Sarawak, then this is the place to be. Get ready to learn all about Sarawak's history as well as seeing some of the wild (ex)life. Dead whales, gorillas, snakes etc. It's not exactly a state of the art museum like those in Europe but it sure is informative.
Things to look out for? Real human skulls. This is probably the only place you will see them if you are not visiting the longhouse.
And also if you are looking for a spot to get your OOTD fix. You have it here.
Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, Taman Budaya, 93400 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 9am - 4.45pm weekday 9am - 4pm weekend
Mira Cake House
Looking to buy something home as a gift? Not into fridge magnets? Why not get some of the famous local cakes. Better known as Kek Lapis which means thousand layers cake. It comes in so many flavours I've no idea what to choose from to be honest. But hey, it's all colourful and pretty so I'll take it. It's like eating rainbows!
43, Jalan Brooke, Kampung Gersik, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 8am - 11pm
Sarawak River Cruise
Want a quick overview of Sarawak Riverbank? This 90-minute cruise ride pretty much covers most of it. You also get to see some of the most beautiful houses which belongs to the most important people who live in Sarawak. If you are lucky, you will get to see a pretty orange sunset because the cruise only sets off at 530pm. Sadly for us, it was a rainy and cloudy day so no sunset for us.
It's still not too bad because you get free flow of juice and kek lapis on the cruise. LOL.
RM 65 for Adults (Ages 13 and above)
RM 32 for Children (Ages 4-12)
Complimentary Entrance for Children 3 years and below
1st Floor, Lot 42, Section 33, 124, Jalan Tabuan, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Opening hours: 5.30pm - 7pm
Oh, and we actually get a very good view of the hotel we were staying it. The Imperial Riverbank Hotel Kuching!
Big White Cat Statue
I kid you not. This IS the name of the statue. It's a word play on the word Kuching which means cat. It's located right in front of Kuching's very own Chinatown.
82, Jalan Padungan, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Semenggoh Wildlife Centre
One of the few places in Asia that you can actually see Orang-utans living in the wild. They actually live deeper in the forest and it all boils down to luck to be able to spot them. According to our tour guide, it's easier to spot them during certain months of the year when there are less food in the jungle and they have to make an appearance at the reserve to get food.
93250 Siburan, Sarawak, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 8am - 11am, 2pm - 4pm (now we know what's the usual feeding time for Orang-utans eh)
Food - Topspot
If you are looking at some seafood for dinner, this is the place. It's a short walk from our hotel and you can have a rooftop full of seafood restaurants. From crabs to fish and almost everything else. The must-try? The oyster pancake-looking thing which is featured above. It's really interesting and I've never had it anywhere else. Just google Crispy Kuching Oyster Pancakes. It's all over the internet. I hope someone just brings it into Singapore already.
off, Jalan Padungan, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 5pm - 11pm
Food - Kolo Mee + Ketchup Noodles
Kolo Mee is like the equivalent of Chicken Rice in Singapore. It's a must-try. This stall's Kolo Mee is supposed to be one of the best. Strangely, it's not exactly what I was expecting given I've had very good Kolo mee in Singapore but this is still a very good bowl of noodles.
And coming in 2nd after Kolo mee is Ketchup noodles. It's like a Chinese version of spaghetti but with crispy fried Chinese yellow noodles. Both stalls are just opposite each other. How convenient is that?
And no, I'm not kidding, that road's name IS Jalan Power. POWER LAH SIOL!
Jalan Power, 93000 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 5.30pm - 11pm
Food - Sarawak Laksa
Laksa is one of the more common noodle dishes we can find in Singapore but trust me, you have got to try their version of it. It's a totally different dish altogether if you ask me. Can't tell you which is better since they are so different but I still prefer the Singapore version one which is a lot more lemak with coconut taste. Maybe it's just because I'm used to it.
2e, Jalan Song, 93350 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 10am - 10pm
What else?
This is Xian Rong. My friend for the past 15 years at least? We have worked on so many projects together but surprising this is the first time we went out of town together.
This guy? This guy is Anthoni. He is not our model for the trip although he looks more like one than anything else. He is the guy behind all the fun we had. Our awesome tour guide who is with CPH Travel. I can't thank this guy enough. Not only is he knowledgeable and accommodating but he is really really fun. It felt almost like our trip was guided by an old friend instead of a stranger.
It's funny how one of my favourite pictures from the trip has almost nothing to do with the trip. It's actually a picture of the Satay I had while I was onboard the plane. This Satay dish is newly launched by AirAsia. I mean it's quite obvious they didn't have charcoal and a banana leaf fan at the end of the plane BBQ-ing it but this is surprisingly delicious. The meat was thick and juicy. I think it has just replaced Nasi Lemak as my favorite dish onboard AirAsia flights. For the unaware, AirAsia serves pretty kickass Nasi Lemak as well.
Typing all these just made me miss Sarawak sooo much. This trip is seriously one of the very few trips I've made with a group of strangers and really really enjoyed. Not only was visiting the longhouse really an eye opener but the travel mates for this trip really made a big difference.
Can't wait to fly with AirAsia again! #basicbitch shot I know.
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