Views of the new Sarawak Museum Campus

Note: All the pictures above taken on 17 March,2020. A day before Kuching city was under "lockdown" dure to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ''lockdown' is effective from 18 March till 31st March.
This post revived this blog after a lapse period of a few years.

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.  

The Rajah Brooke Birdwing Butterfly

On the front wall of the Natural History Museum building at the Sarawak Museum garden I saw this giant replica of the Rajah Brooke Birdwing Butterfly ( Ornithoptera brookeana). The butterfly was named after the first white Rajah of Sarawak- Sir James Brooke by Alfred Wallace while on his travels to Sarawak in the middle of the 19th century.

Walking around the Sarawak Museum Garden

View of the Sarawak Museum from the garden located at the back of the building.

The Sarawak Museum is an institution in Sarawak.  Ask anyone who has gone to Kuching if ever he or she has gone to see the museum. If the answer is in the negative, it means that his or her  visit is not yet complete.

Built in 1891 by Sir Charles Brooke, the White Rajah of Sarawak it was initially meant to house the handicrafts and stuffed exhibits of the rich wildlife of Sarawak.

Today it a famous tourist destination in Kuching city. Many other attractions are added lately to make the visit longer and more memorable in terms of learning the history, culture, anthropology and natural resources of Sarawak.

This is a LS view of the cascading fountain at the museum's garden.

Both sides of the water cascade are lined with  a small collection of the official flower of Malaysia i.e. the Hibiscus  sometimes commonly known as the shoe flower ( Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) which I managed to take a few shots of them in full bloom and in various colours.

Finally, before leaving the grounds I came across this group of statues located at the entrance to the aquarium.

"Now, let me guess?"