Satok Market (Pasar Satok)

For the tourist, they should not miss going to the Satok Market also known as Sunday Market.

The Satok Weekend Market on Jalan Satok starts on Saturday afternoon when traders bring produce from their farms and continues on till Sunday. There are also many unique ferns and plants, wild honey, wild orchids, traditional herbs (used as medicine) and fruits from the jungles. Handicrafts and ethnic carvings are also available. There are a wide variety of snacks to be bought.

Margherita Fort (Kota Margherita)

Fort Margherita is situated across the Sarawak river near Astana, the official residence of the yang DiPertua Negeri Sarawak. Fort Margherita named after Ranee Margaret Brooke; wife of Charles Brooke was built in 1878 and completed 2 years later just in time to defend Kuching against the pirate attacks. The fort was built by Charles Brooke according to the style of an English Tudor castle and commanded a breathtaking and strategic position along the Sarawak river. Fort Margherita was very suitable as a place for defence against the enemies. The two rooms in the front portion of the fort was used as a control room. Constant vigilance of the fort was carried every hour throughout the day. The height of the stonewall around the fort which was about 5 meters high prevented the enemies from attacking the fort.

Therefore by the late 19^th century, Kuching was a peaceful and prosperous town. Nevertheless the Brookes maintained a constant vigilance of the fort. The first army battalion to occupy the fort after the it was completed was the Sarawak Ranger. However, during the Second World War, the fort was occupied by the Japanese and it was nearly destroyed. After the war the fort became a training center for police telephone operators. Later this fort became the Mess for the Sarawak Police Officers In 1971 the fort was renovated and became the Police Museum. The artifacts kept in the Museum included weapons, bullets, cloths, cooking utensils, furniture and other equipments used by the police while they were carrying out their duties in the fort.

Tourist Attraction

In the city of Kuching, there are several museums such as the well-known Sarawak Museum, Chinese Museum, Cat Museum, and more which are definitely not to be missed when visiting Kuching. Interesting landmarks and sites are the Astana (the Rajah's former palace), Fort Margherita, Tua Pek Kong temple and Main Bazaar. The Kuching waterfront, which is really a riverside esplanade, is situated right next to the main hotels and commercial heartland of the city, and offers a pleasant walk in the evening. When you are tired of strolling, the old shops on the opposite side of the waterfront will gladly sell you all manner of 'antiques' and tradecraft.

Some other interesting areas near the centre of town include Padungan Street, which is the main Chinatown area of the city. Shops here appear virtually unchanged from 20 years ago, and offer fascinating insights into life as it was then. Meanwhile, Carpenter Street and India Street still maintain their olde world charm, though the relentless process of globalisation is slowly encroaching. The old Courthouse building forms the link between Carpenter Street and India Street, and is well worth a quick stroll as you re-live the faded colonial splendour (now restored and modernised). The many well-manicured parks dotted around the city are also great to visit.

Kuching Festival

Kuching hosted an annual carnival known as the Sarawak Festival. During the occasion, there were colourful lantern processions with giant butterflies, school badges, grasshoppers and dragons of traditional Chinese designs. These were accompanied by a parade of colourfully-decorated and brightly-lit floats as well as inter-secondary school drama competitions making this a truly art-orientated event. Sadly, the period of emergency which followed, saw the death of the Sarawak Festival and killed off any enthusiasm to reenact the event after Sarawak joined Malaysia in 1963.

The idea of the Kuching Festival was first suggested in November, 1985 with the intention of reviving a similar festival, which was originally organized a couple years, prior to the formation of Malaysia, but which had subsequently been abandoned. The earlier festival was called "The Sarawak Festival" and aimed at promoting the development of arts. The Kuching Festival materialised the following year, and has been held annually eversince.

Cat Statue

Here are a couple of picture of the cat statue:-

These 2 statue are located in the middle of the city. It is the symbol of this city.

Kuching?

The origins of the city's name have never been clear. "Kuching" does translate into "cat" in Malay, "kuching" is an old Malay spelling, whereas the new official Malay spelling today would be "kucing" but both of them are pronounced the same. There is a separate theory whereby it may actually be a variation of the Indian name for "port" - "Cochin". Kuching was first settled by Indian traders who set up base at Santubong. Artifacts of Hindu origin can today be seen at the State Museum. In addition, large stone carvings and ruins found at Santubong illustrate the area being visited by large, bipedal cats, possibly aliens of feline origin. This is the most likely origin for the name.

One highly unlikely theory is a story based on miscommunication. According to the story, when Rajah James Brooke arrived in Kuching on his yacht, the Royalist, he asked his local guide what the settlement's name was. The guide, thinking that the English adventurer was pointing towards a cat, said "Kuching." However, Sarawakian Malay for cat is "pusa" and this theory does not hold much credibility.

Another theory is that the city was named after the "mata kucing" or "cat's eye" fruit. Trees bearing this fruit used to grow in abundance by the river banks - where the city's commercial heart, is located. There is a hill in the heart of the modern city called Bukit Mata Kuching, and was named after the fruit. Also, at the foot of the hill, there was once a stream called the Kuching River. The stream, located in front of the Tua Pek Kong temple, had large amount of silt deposit and during the 1950s, was filled in to make way for roads and the city's expansion eastwards.

Despite those theories, the city was named Sarawak under Rajah Sir James Brooke's rule. Under Rajah Charles Brooke's rule, the city was renamed Sarawak Proper in order to avoid confusion with the ever expanding Kingdom of Sarawak. Only in the latter part of his reign was Sarawak Proper renamed Kuching.

The city has never been noted for having a significantly large population of cats. In fact, the many cat statues, the Kuching Cat Museum and other association with cats have been largely a recent phenomenon, part of a modern effort of tourism. Many travel brochures refer to Kuching as "Cat City" or the "City of Cats". Otherwise, they hold no real meaning for the residents and are not considered by locals as romantic.

The History

Sarawak was a part of the Sultanate of Brunei 200 years ago but as a reward for help in putting down a rebellion, it was ceded to the British adventurer James Brooke who ruled it as his personal kingdom. Kuching was made his capital and headquarters. The Brooke Administration was given the status of Protectorate under Rajah Charles Brooke's rule and was placed behind the Indian Rajs and Princes. The Brooke family ruled Sarawak until the Japanese occupation in December 1941.

Kuching was surrendered to the Japanese forces on 24 December 1941, and Sarawak was part of the Japanese Imperial Empire for three years and eight months, until the official Japanese surrender on 11 September 1945 on board HMAS Kapunda at Kuching. From March 1942 the Japanese operated a POW and civilian internee camp at Batu Lintang three miles (5 km) outside Kuching.

After the end of World War II the third and last Rajah , Sir Charles Vyner Brooke ceded Sarawak to the British Crown in 1946. Sarawak and the British Commonwealth fought an "Undeclared War" with Indonesia to keep Sarawak from being absorbed into Sukarno's Indonesia. The British gave Sarawak independence in 1963 and together with North Borneo, Sabah and Singapore, helped form Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Singapore became independent nation in 1965.

City Information

The city of Kuching is located in the district of Kuching. The district covers an area of 1,863 square kilometres, and is one of three districts within Kuching Division. The district of Kuching is administered by three local goverments. The administration of Kuching city is divided into three local governments, with the two cities overseen by two mayors also known as Datuk Bandars in Malay.

The area north of the Sarawak River, parts of Old Kuching, Satok and the western CBD is within the jurisdiction of Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara (Kuching North City Hall) covering an area of 369.48 square kilometres. Kuching North City Hall is directly under the supervision of the Chief Minister of Sarawak. The area south of the Sarawak River, eastern CBD and towards the South China Sea is within the jurisdiction of Majlis Bandaraya Kuching Selatan (Kuching South City Council), covering a smaller but more densely populated area of 61.53 square kilometres.

There are those who believe that the divisions in power for the Northern (primarily Malay and Bumi residents) and Southern (primarily Chinese residents) districts came about due to ethnic reasons in the 1980s. There are also those who believe the administration is divided due to geographical reasons, as the Northern and Southern districts are linked by only two bridges spanning the Sarawak River.

The third local government is Majlis Perbandaran Padawan or Padawan Municipal Council, formerly known as the Kuching Rural District Council, which administers the rural areas within Kuching district, Batu Kawah, Kota Sentosa and Third Mile. It covers a large portion of Kuching district with an area of 1,431.82 square kilometres.