Posts Tagged ‘Damai Beach’

Kuching is the capital city of the eastern Malaysian state called Sarawak. Kuching is the largest city on the island of Borneo with a total population of close to 640,000 people. Kuching was given “city” status in 1988 and is known as Cat City – Kuching being the Malay word for cat.

Sarawak belonged to the Sultanate of Brunei until 1841 when it was gifted to a British adventurer called James Brooke for his help in putting down a rebellion against the Sultanate. Kuching then became Brooke’s headquarters – with easy access from the river. The Brooke family ruled Sarawak until the Japanese occupation in 1941 during the Second World War. For almost 4 years the Japanese held power in Sarawak and Kuching which ended in September of 1945 upon their surrender.

For more than a hundred years the state of Sarawak belonged to the British. It was “gifted” to the explorer James Brooke for helping to quell a rebellion against the Sultanate of Brunei in 1841.

However, in 1941 the Japanese gained control early in the Second World War and maintained control until September 1945 when upon their surrender they handed power back to the British. Sir Charles Vyner Brooke then ceded control of the state to the British Crown in 1946.

Malay for cat, however there are other possibilities. It could be taken from the Indian word for “port” which is Cochin.
Indian traders are known to have settled in the area hundreds of years ago. Another possibility is that the city is named after the cat’s eye fruit or “mata kucing”. One more theory is that the name comes from “old well” in Chinese language.

No matter where its name came from or its history, the city currently does not offer the tourist a lot from the point of view that its far from beautiful. Its a really good base however for those who wish to travel throughout Sarawak, which is a beautiful and thoroughly forested part of the world. If you are keen on botany, there is a hugely diverse range of plant life.

If you really enjoy seeing and learning about animals such as the orang utans and crocodiles this is the place for you.

If you like wildlife and beautiful scenery and do not mind the heat and humidity then Sarawak is a wonderful place to explore and learn. If you enjoy diving there are some great scuba diving spots around the coast and the beaches tend to be golden and beautiful, ideal for sun worshippers and bathers a like.

Learn more about Kuching hotels and the beautiful Damai.