BBQ Chicken Wings at Satok

You can get hundreds and hundreds of barbecued chicken wings at Satok night market where there are plenty of hawkers selling local food delights available every night (6.00 pm - 12.00 pm)

Satok Busy Hours

It's the daily late afternoon jam when office workers rush to return home. This is the section of Satok Road leading towards the Bridge that connects Satok to the main administrative centre of Sarawak called Petrajaya.

Flowering Trees of Kuching - July

This month of July I see that the Bungor or Queen's Flower ( Lagerstroemia speciosa) that lined Palm Road are exhibiting very showy and bunchy flowers of pink and purple. There are isolated planting of this tree across river ( Petrajaya) but the best location to see them is at Palm Road where they are planted on both sides of the road for at leat a half kilometer long. Besides Kuching city the other good location is found along the lengthy stretch of road from Santubong Bridge to the village of Buntal where they are planted on both sides of the highway.

Purple variety

Pink variety

The above picture is taken on the long stretch of road from Santubong Bridge to Buntal Village. The Bungor tree originated from the humid jungle of Burma, Sri Lanka and India. In Malaysia they are primarily seen as landscaping plants on major or broad roads. Their beautiful flowers that are held on panicles could last for weeks. Peculiar to this tree species is the shedding of the tree barks which leave a yellowish mottled surface on the trunks. Generally it is best to plant these trees in areas where the water table is high, damp or wet locations.

Dark Clouds

Dark Clouds over Kuching Waterfront area ( to the right)

Public Toilet

Well, I'm talking about public toilets here. In my hurry to enter and leave public toilets in Kuching, this one is an exception. It is nicely decorated with the Japanese Bambo plant and the floor is always dry, thanks to a blower. Guests are charged 20 sen (RM 0.20) per entrance. Location : Satok Market Area.

Kuching Waterfront Shophouses

I went to the Kuching Waterfront yesterday and took pictures of a few section of the shop houses that lined the waterfront area. These shop houses are filled with lots of souvenirs and handicraft works from Sarawak. It's a main tourist attraction area. Before I took shots of these colourful shophouses and can be seen here. Back from the city, I had the itch to try painting them in mixed media ( felt pen and water colour) . Well, feast your eyes!!

Kuching Waterfront Shop house, 18x14cm, mixed media.

Funky Kuching Bugs

My camera phone managed to kilkzz in time these tiny funky bugs at my garden in Kuching. I have yet to find out the name for these insects. For those of you out there who knows, pplease drop a line.

Views of Kuching Waterfront

Views of the Kuching Waterfront.

Colourful Sampans

What strikes me today was the strong coat of new colours these 'sampans' or small river ferry boats at the Kuching Waterfront. So let the colours do the talking.....

Hot, Flat and Battered

The World is Flat. It's Hot and Crowded for some. But today's menu is no less different. The chicken breast after being deep fried is hammered or battered, hit and flattened and served hot. Hot as in recently fried and hot with a most appetising chilli hot sauce. This new menu about town is called "Ayam Penyek". In Malay 'ayam' means chicken and 'penyek' refers to the act of hitting or battering causing something to be flattened as in this instance, the chicken breast meat. Thus how the menu gets its name. With a lunch plate costing RM 6 it is a popular choice here judging from the crowd that normally request for it. The menu consists of half-boiled vegetables as salad, rice and a tiny bowl of soup. But really to enjoy it you've got to eat with your right hand and fingers for that extra finger-licking good experience. I tried and loved it.

Colourful Hibiscus

Walking around the Sarawak Musem Garden this afternoon, I was able to capture a few more samples of flowering hibiscus plants as shown above. Hope they can be a source of inspiration for today. Have a beautiful weekend.

The Quest for Difference

This is something uniquely Kuching. They call it a 'Cat's City ', after all Kuching means cat in Malay. In fact, Kuching has 2 ( two ) city mayors for that matter. They build scooters like the one above in Kuching and sell them for the domestic as well as export market. These scooters are marketed under the name of "Demak".

Then, while driving home from the city yesterday I was in time to take this picture of the 'Beetle' car, with its tail exposing its engine power. Interesting exposition, I thought.

Colourful Buildings

In the distant is the Kuching Mosque where I attended Friday prayers today. The colourful building on the right is a multi-storey car park-cum-food court.

Shady Park

I parked my car here while I performed the Friday prayers at a Mosque near by today.  The rain trees have created a cool and shady micro-climate in the mini park.

Driving Rubber Road, Kuching

What's Looking Up?

THe web of branches against the blue sky made me run for my camera handphone.  Here's the view looking up the Yellow Flame tree. Location: Car Park near Kuching Mosque.

Kayan Burial Hut

About 150 years ago, the Kayans of Sarawak used to inter ( bury ) their dead ones in big burial huts called "Salong" .  Though the custom is not practised now,  the 'totem pole' in which the bones are kept ( in special jars) can be seen around the Sarawak Museum gardens in Kuching.  They can come in single trunk or double-trunk poles.  The picture above shows one that is double-trunk.  Standing about 10 meters from the ground the "Salong" can last for hundreds of years due to the enduring 'belian' wood that is used to carve the designs.  

Flowering Trees of Kuching - Jun

I notice the Trumpet trees are beginning to flower profusely in some parts of Kuching this month.  This picture I took along the road facing the RTM building .  There are two varieties grown in Sarawak now viz the white and pink flower varieties.  The Trumpet trees ( Tabebuia)  have big flowers that are trumpet to bell-shaped and have spectaular colours in shade of white, pink, red or yellow.

Tabebuia alba bearing white flowers.

Location: Road facing RTM Building, Kuching.

Flowers of Kuching - Hibiscus

Flowering Trees of Kuching - May

Below are pictures of flowering trees in Kuching for  the month of May,2009.

Rain Tree flowers in Close Up ( Enterolobium saman ) 

Rain Tree in Long Shot

Flowers of the Tembusu in Close Up ( Fagraea fragrans )

Tembusu Tree in flower

Flowers of the Golden Shower in Close Up ( Cassia fistula )

The Golden Shower Tree in full bloom

Flowers of Kuching - Varieties

Below are the flowers that I have planted at my Kuching garden. For your eyes only.

Sepenuh ( Eurcycles amboinensis)

Costus woodsoonii

Pink Canna hybrid

Pink Frangipani ( Plumeria rubra)

Flowers of Kuching - Hibiscus