Sarawak Regatta

    

Over the years, Sarawak Regatta which had its colorful past since the Brooke era back 1872 is indeed a very much anticipated event in my Ministry’s Tourism Calendar.

Come this 6th - 8th September 2013, once again the iconic Kuching Water Front will come alive amidst all the excitements, where people from all walks of life will converge not only to support their favorite teams but also to interact and enjoy the atmosphere of the day.

Introspectively, Sarawak Regatta which was traditionally associated with traditional water sports involving local participations has since undergone tremendous transformation, particularly in terms of service delivery and scope.Yes, it has always been my Ministry’s inspiration to promote this premier event as a potential tourism product. As such, proactive measures have been taken by the organizer to incorporate regional and international elements in the tournament. In line with this aspiration, the organizer spearheaded by Resident Office Kuching has incorporated special categories such as the Perahu kenyalang 7 paddlers involving participants from BIMP-EAGA countries, the “Perahu Tambang for tourists”, the Iconic Perahu Kenyalang 20 paddlers International(open) and just to name a few.

To enhance our service delivery system, especially in terms of information sharing and coordination as well as customers’ needs and expectations, the organizer will set up an Information Kiosk and a Corporate Boxed Seat which is especially tailored for those who want to see the event in comfort and relaxing atmosphere. In addition, wide arrays of fun filled programs are also in the pipelines such as Regatta Talent Search, “Kebaya” Fashion Shows, Trade Expo and Food Fair, Science and Innovation Carnival by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), the inaugural Brooke Swim and just to name a few. The climax of the event will see all the best team of the day compete in the prestigious “Raja Sungai or King of the River” category which will see the title holder WANGASAMAS defending the title.

The above programs all rolled in one, not only will add more excitements, memorable and delightful experiences especially for the tourists, but will also add value to their stay in the Land of the Hornbill. I hope the experiences gained will serve as a prelude for our preparation of Sarawak Regatta 2013,i.e in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary Sarawak Independence within Malaysia which is expected to be more grandeur and exciting. As fringe event, we plan to incorporate the International Dragon boat race.

Lastly, I would to take this opportunity to congratulate and thanks the organizers, relevant agencies including the corporate sectors for their invaluable contributions, thus making this premier event a resounding success. For the tourists, participants as well as spectators, we hope you enjoy the occasion and have memorable stay here in Kuching. Thank you.

Special food in Sarawak

Some of the best varieties of local cuisine can be found in Kuching. . On your visit to Kuching if you did not try the Sarawak Laksa, you would have lost an opportunity to have some authentic Kuching dish. It is prepared of rice vermicelli and mixed with prawn paste, topped with fried eggs cut into thin slices, bean sprouts, soft chicken slices and juicy prawns.You will do a great disservice to yourself if you leave Sarawak without tasting the Kolok Mee. Prepared of dried yellow egg noodle with barbequed slices of pork and minced meat, it is mixed with vinegar and meat sauce to give it a salty taste. Moreover it is topped with chicken slices or prawns depending on your choice. This dish is available for breakfast, lunch or dinner as it is a very common dish in Kuching. So simple to prepare and so delicious that you will not want to miss this one.
Next, you are bound to see people savouring Mee Sua Chicken with red wine. This foochow dish originated from Sibu. That’s because it does not let your stomach grumble for a long time. The dish is prepared by wine residue that has already been fermented and then mixed with chicken pieces and ginger stewed to blanced thread-thin rice noodles.
Another popular dish among the Iban people is the Manok Pansoh, a well known Iban dish. Pieces of chicken, mushrooms, tapioca leaves and lemongrass are stuffed into bamboo and then heated over open fire. It is a natural way of preparing chicken which becomes surprisingly tender and the bamboo seals in the natural flavor. Moreover the gravy produced gives a sweet scent of bamboo and lemongrass.
Umai is a traditional delicacy prepared out of raw fish and consumed in the form of salad. Several different types of raw fishes are used for preparing Umai. Umai preparation can be of two types- one where you can have plain sliced fish with spicy chili sauce and the other where small pieces of raw fish are mixed with lime juice, sliced onions, chilies, sugar and salt. This dish is common among Melanau fishermen who tend to eat it in their boat.
There is also another dish called bilin, milin or midin. This dish can only be found in Sarawak. You can eat it stir fried with shrimp paste or with anchovices, wine or garlic.
A locally produced biscuits made of desiccated coconut, sugar and sago is the Tabaloi. There are various flavors of this biscuit which includes vanilla and cocoa. You can buy it in most supermarkets or at departure hall at the airport.
Also try out the bamboo clam dish, a unique Sarawakian dish. It looks like worm hidden in a bamboo shell. It is cooked in curries, black pepper or steamed in Chinese wine.
Another popular dish among the local folks is the salted Terubok fish.
People here are dam crazy about salted Terubok Fish and its craze cannot be compared to any other preparation. Lot of visitors takes these salted fishes for their family and friends to various places of the world. The dish is prepared by roasting Terubok, a kind of fish very popular among the local population and having it with salt.
If you are a buff of Chinese food you must try out the yummy Kueh Chap which means mixed cake. It is prepared out of rice flour and mixed with pork parts. It is cut into rectangular or square parts and is served with herbal soup. Another local favorite is the Tomato Kuey Teow only found in Sarawak. Rice noodles called Kuey Teow here are fried and tomato sauce is mixed with it so as to give the gravy the flavor of tomato. It is served with sliced charsiu, vegetables or prawns.
Belacan Bee Hoon is another popular dish but not as easily found as compared to Sarawak Laksa or Kolok Mee. It is prepared out of Bee Hoon and served with cucumber, cuttlefish and belacan sauce. If you want to taste authentic dish of Sibu try out the Sibu’s king prawn noodles prepared out of noodles, Asam tom yam soup and prawns. The asam tom yam soup is prepared of lemon grass, fish sauce, chili peppers and tamarind.
On your visit you may hear about Mee Jawa, and you may wonder what it is all about. It is an Indonesian dish prepared out of sambal cuttlefish, vegetables, eggs, tofu and crackers.
If you wish to have some barbecue or grilled chicken, pork, beef, mutton, fish or goat why not try out the Satay, popular during celebrations or events.
Kacang Ma, popular among the Chinese population in Kuching is a chicken preparation fried in sesame oil mixed with ginger juice and rice wine.
Other local favorite delicacies include Kuching Orh Chien cooked with pizza and crispy ommelet with toppings of oyster with coriander leaves and served with soy sauce. Roasted Sago Worms made in a spit which tastes like meat or bacon and are cooked along with sago flour is another preferred dish especially among the western tourists. Moreover, you should not miss out the Bubur Pedas, a favorite local meat dish prepared of the paste of bambu burbur, meat/prawns, baby corn, long bean, bean thread vermicelli, coconut milk and bamboo shoot.
Additionally, you can also try out a traditional dessert prepared from shaved ice, palm sugar, food colors, starch noodle, grass jelly, glutinous rice, red beans and coconut milk. Don’t forget to take some Pearl Sago which you can either bake to make some bread or pancake or make delicious plum pudding. If you want to have some bread with your morning tea or coffee, try out the Kom Pia. Its taste is similar to French bread but sesame seeds are added at the top. It is made of wheat and is mixed with water and then baked over charcoal.
On your way back don’t forget to take some Dabai, the native fruit of Sibu and can only be found in Sarawak. Soak the Dabai in hot water for some time till the flesh becomes soft after which you can have it with salt, sugar or soy sauce. Moreover, pineapples in Sarawak are famous due to its high sugar and low acid content.
Thus Sarawak in general and Kuching in particular is a great place to have some excellent food and enjoy your time out. Once you have one of the favorite delicacies of Kuching you are bound to keep asking for more.

Sarawak Gambir

Gambir Sarawak, is an amazing natural herbal product that is swiftly rising in popularity to replace the Jamaican Stone for premature ejaculation treatment or cure. This all natural herbal remedy gives you effective, vigorous, long endurance intercourse and the hardest erection you will ever have in your life. In other words, Gambir Sarawak makes you last longer in bed and will cure the sexual problem of premature ejaculation, making you far more sexually appealing naturally, without the use of drugs or uncomfortable treatments. The herbs found in this remedy work with your body, meaning that you get an all natural, organic erection with no strange side effects afterwards.

Gambir Sarawak owes its name to its place of origin- Sarawak, Borneo. The main ingredient, Gambir which is found in Sarawak is actually an astringent substance extracted from a Gambir plant of the Madder family. Traditionally Gambir was popular for chewing with betel nut among the natives in Sarawak. There is even a street named after it, Gambir Street, as Gambir and other spices were actively traded back in the early 1900’s because it was such a popular herb and remedy for Borneo’s trading partners. Nowadays, it is being used and sold (even on eBay) worldwide for premature ejaculation treatment.

Gambir Sarawak is widely used as natural herbal

Gambir, also known as Uncariae Ramulus et Uncus in Latin, is mostly found in South East Asia. It is an extract prepared from the leaves and twigs of Ourouparia Gambir (Gambir Plant).

Medical research shows that gambir is a powerfully astringent. It restrains excessive discharges, overcomes relaxation and congestion, and checks local hemorrhages. Gambir is also used in relaxed sore throat, relaxed uvula, and the relaxation and congestion of the fauces common to speakers and singers.

In traditional Chinese medicine, Gambir is used to calm wind to relieve convulsions; calm the liver; and remove (or clear away) heat.

Locally in Sarawak, Borneo, Gambir Sarawak has been widely used by the native people to cure gum and toothache, insect bites and minor cuts. Gambir Sarawak also has been widely used as sex enhancement aid to cure premature ejaculation. The results are found to be better than Jamaican Stone.

Gambir Sarawak gives your penis the menthol and tingling sensation pleasure that really add more fun and excitement in your sex life which the Jamaican Stone cannot offer. This mean Gambir Sarawak is more superior to Jamaican Stone because Jamaican Stone makes one loose sensation and sex does not remain as much fun afterward. However Gambir Sarawak is different. Gambir Sarawak is absorbed by the skin and does not numb the skin but instead has very potent anti-serotonergic activity, which means that it delays the orgasm reflex without effecting the normal sensations.  Sex life remains fantastic and excited!

Although Gambir Sarawak is mainly used by men for premature ejaculation cure or to last longer in bed, there have been reports that women using it love the burning sensation on their clitoris/labia and have achieved multiple orgasms due to the tingling sensation and the prolonged performance by their lover.

Ethnic Races 1

DAYAKIBAN

THE IBANS ARE A BRANCH OF THE DAYAK PEOPLES OF BORNEO. IN MALAYSIA, MOST IBANS ARE LOCATED IN SARAWAK, A SMALL PORTION IN SABAH AND SOME IN WEST MALAYSIA. THEY WERE FORMERLY KNOWN DURING THE COLONIAL PERIOD BY THE BRITISH AS SEA DAYAKS. IBANS WERE RENOWNED FOR PRACTISING HEADHUNTINGAND TRIBAL/TERRITORIAL EXPANSION AND HAD A FEARSOME REPUTATION AS A STRONG AND SUCCESSFUL WARRING TRIBE IN ANCIENT TIMES.

SINCE THE ARRIVAL OF EUROPEANS AND THE SUBSEQUENT COLONISATION OF THE AREA, HEADHUNTING GRADUALLY FADED OUT OF PRACTICE ALTHOUGH MANY TRIBAL CUSTOMS, PRACTICES AND LANGUAGE CONTINUE. THE IBAN POPULATION IS CONCENTRATED IN SARAWAK, BRUNEI, AND IN THE WEST KALIMANTAN REGION OFINDONESIA. THEY LIVE IN LONGHOUSES CALLED RUMAH PANJAI[1].

NOWADAYS, MOST OF THE IBAN LONGHOUSES ARE EQUIPPED WITH MODERN FACILITIES SUCH AS ELECTRICITY AND WATER SUPPLY AND OTHER FACILITIES SUCH AS (TAR SEALED) ROADS, TELEPHONE LINES AND THE INTERNET. YOUNGER IBANS ARE MOSTLY FOUND IN URBAN AREAS AND VISIT THEIR HOMETOWNS DURING THE HOLIDAYS. THE IBANS TODAY ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY URBANISED WHILE RETAINING MOST OF THEIR TRADITIONAL HERITAGE AND CULTURE.

                           

                                                       

Kuching Waterfront

Kuching Waterfront View

Kuching Waterfront, which lines the south bank of Sarawak River, is THE place to sample the city's cosmopolitan vibes. During the daytime, it offers scenic views of the Astana, Fort Margherita and the Malay kampungs across the river; but night-time is when it really comes alive! It seems like half of the city is out meeting friends, watching a show, or just shooting the breeze. For something different, why not try jetty-hopping along the river on the local Penambang boats, and savour the different sights, sounds (and delicacies!) between the two riverbanks. 

A result of a major restoration and land reclamation project, Kuching Waterfront today is the most popular meeting place in the city. Drab warehouses have been replaced with an almost 900m long esplanade, beautifully landscaped and dotted with wooden benches, food stalls, restaurants and entertainment facilities. A number of older buildings have been preserved and incorporated into the design, including the Chinese History Museum, the Sarawak Steamship Building, an open-air theatre and the Square Tower. Modern additions to the Waterfront include a restored Chinese pavilion, colourful musical fountains, and a number of modern sculptures.
for more information, visit http://www.kuchingwaterfrontlodge.com/

MATANG WILDLIFE CENTRE

Matang Wildlife Centre, part of Kubah National Park, houses endangered wildlife in large enclosed areas of rainforest or spacious cages. The main attraction is the orang utanadoption programme, where young orang utans, who were either orphaned or rescued from captivity, are taught how to survive in the wild. As well as orang utans, the centre includes spacious enclosures housing sambar deer, crocodiles, sun bears, civets and bear cats, and three large aviaries featuring hornbills, eagles, kites, storks and a host of other birds native to Sarawak. 

There are some pleasant riverside picnic spots a short walk from the information centre and four jungle trails. The Pitcher Trail, which follows a circular path through the forest, takes approximately two hours and trekkers should not have too much difficulty in spotting the various specious of pitcher plants that litter the forest floor at the sides of the trail. The Rayu Trail leads to the Kubah National Park headquarters and takes 3-4 hours. The Sungai Buluh Trail leads to two secluded waterfalls and takes 2-hours (one way). 

There is an information centre, accommodation facilities and a small canteen just a short walk from the car park.

TIPS: Park accommodation can be booked online. Carry enough water, a change of top, a small towel, strong insect repellent and a light pancho.

hornbill

Sarawak Cultural Village

Sarawak Cultural Village

Known as the 'Living Museum', the Cultural Village was set up to preserve and showcase Sarawak's cultural heritage. Located at Pantai Damai, Santubong, just 32km from the state capital, Kuching, it is the perfect place to get introduced to local culture and lifestyle. 

Sprawled across 17 acres, there are about 150 people living in the village, demonstrating traditional daily activities from Sarawak's diverse tribes like the processing of sago and the making of handicrafts. They wear traditional costumes and also put on dances for visitors. 

The village residents provide information on their various traditional cultures and lifestyles. You can see replicas of buildings that represent every major ethnic group in Sarawak; longhouses of the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu, a Melanau tall-house and a Chinese farm house among others. 

The village also has a theatre, where you can enjoy multicultural dance performances. Besides this, there is a restaurant and handicraft shop. You can even get married at the Sarawak Cultural Village, in traditional Iban, Malay, Bidayuh or Orang Ulu style. 

The Iban longhouse has separate rooms placed side by side, all of which open to a long communal hall, used for leisurely activities like wood carving and basket weaving. 

Guests are often invited to attend nightly ceremonies and drink a potent rice wine, tuak, which the Iban make themselves. Comfortable guesthouses are also available for visitors.