Kuching, Sarawak

In November, I went to Kuching to give a workshop. Kuching is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Sarawak.  It is on the island of Borneo.  Here are some of the things I did:


1.  Kuching means 'cat' in Malay.  Naturally, I had to visit one of the many cat sculptures in Cat City.

2.  I walked along the riverwalk and sampled some of the local delights.  These cakes smelled and tasted amazing.

 Here is a glimpse of the river that winds through the middle of the city.  

These sculptures are on the river walk.  They look like giant prawns to me.

5.  I went to see orangutans at the Semenggoh Wildlife Center.  We got to see a mama and her baby come for a feeding.  I was lucky because in some seasons when there is abundant food in the wild, no orangutans come.

6.  I got to visit a traditional village of the Dyak Iban, one of the ethnic Malay groups of Sarawak.  They have their own indigenous language and living style.  For example, these connected homes are called longhouses. The Dyak Iban used to be headhunters.

 Here are some traditional tools and instruments used by the Dyak Iban.  The blow dart is one of them.

8.  These lovely ladies from Sidma College generously hosted me and took excellent care of me.  They showed me around Sidma College and we ate awesome food.  We took a boat ride across the river.

The other side of the river gave us this lovely view of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly Building.  

9.  This is a view from the Cultural Village.  The Cultural Village teaches about the traditions of the many ethnic Malaysians.

For example, the different types of housing,

artistry, tools, and clothing.

Sarawak is a beautiful, special place.

Scenes From Thailand...From Back in November

I visited another ELF, Kristen, in Thailand.  We visited one of the schools where she observes teachers. 

This is the class we visited.

These are some of the fruits and vegetables sold at the local market.  I really enjoyed the passion fruit.

This vendor was ready with her cute mini-scale.

 This trip into the hill country was just beautiful.

Later I visited the White Palace. 

This pagoda was next to the lady Buddha.  I didn't quite make it to the top, but I got pretty close. 

Here is the lady Buddha.  

I also visited the Blue Temple.

Kristen was a fabulous hostess.  I really enjoyed my visit to Northern Thailand.

Scenes From Singapore...From Back in November

1.  This is a view of the Singapore Skyline from Gardens by the Bay.  The giant wheel is the Singapore Flyer.

2.  These man-made trees actually catch sunlight to power the Gardens by the Bay.  There are skywalks to go from tree to tree, and at night, they light up and there's a show choreographed to music.

3.  These are some of the awesome sculptures interspersed among the flowerbeds at Gardens by the Bay.

   Gardens By the Bay is an amazing place.  I could've stayed longer.

 4.  This is the famous Merlion.  It's the symbol of Singapore. 'Singapore' means lion city. 

5.  This is a glimpse of Little India.  There was some nice shopping to be done here.

6.  I tried dragonfruit juice in Chinatown.  It has a strong flavor, but it's not very sweet.  A nice way to cool down at the end of a day.