Holidays
Kuching, and Sarawak as a whole celebrate all Federal holidays except Deepavali. Sarawak has also declared holiday for Good Friday 1 day and Gawai Day 2 days. Unlike other states in Malaysia, not all Islamic events are declared as a holiday other than; Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2 days, Hari Raya Aidiladha 1 day, Maulud Nabi 1 day and Awal Muharram 1 day.
Avoid touring to the Santubong area during first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri as heavy traffic occurs at Petra Jaya. Tourists can expect a large local celebration for major holidays such as Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Gawai Day . Gawai is a local ritualistic celebration similar to a harvest celebration with proceedings commencing around sunset on the evening of 31 May. It is an officially recognised holiday only in Sarawak and the subsequent celebrations may last for several days.
Understand
Once the capital of the White Rajahs of Sarawak, now with a population of some 600,000, Kuching is small enough to walk around but interesting enough to keep you there for several days, and a good base for exploring Sarawak. It's safe and relatively clean. The name of the city, Kuching, is thought to derive from the Malay word kucing, meaning cat. Many of the locals refer to Kuching as the "Cat City" but it more likely comes from the Chinese word for port "cochin" coupled with the Malay name mata kucing cat's-eye for the longan fruit, a popular trade item. The people of Kuching take pride in being the cleanest city in Malaysia and their diverse cultures, so be prepared for a totally different experience from that of West Malaysia.
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 Empire for three years and eight months, until the official Japanese surrender on 11 September 1945 on board the Australian naval vessel HMAS Kapunda at Kuching. From March 1942 the Japanese operated a POW and civilian internee camp at Batu Lintang, 5 km 3 ml outside Kuching.
After the end of World War II the third the 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 an independent nation in 1965.
Climate
Kuching enjoys sunshine throughout the year as any other tropical cities. Rains and heavy showers occur occasionally which always due to precipitation and monsoon season. Hail might sometimes happen in Kuching. However, strong winds, tremors and heavy thunderstorms are very unlikely to occur. It is recommended to visit Kuching during hot season which is from March to October every year. Monsoon season normally occur between November to February. However, the monsoon does not hinder too much of the tourists' activities.
Orientation
Kuching city can be divided into a few areas:
Padawan
It's a small town at the outskirt of Kuching city. It's popular with its traditional Bidayuh kampungs and longhouses. This area is home for multiracial communities such as Bidayuhs, Javanese, Malay, Chinese and Iban & Orang Ulu settlers.Kota Sentosa
Before being named Kota Sentosa, Kota Sentosa was called now colloquially 'Batu Tujuh' or 7th Mile. This area is a commercial hub for people from Batu Kitang, Kg. Haji Baki and surrounding areas. Sarawak Mental Hospital is also located here. Kota Sentosa has also grown its importance due to it's vicinity of Army Camps.BDC
BDC was long time ago a remote housing area. However, today it has grown importance as a commercial hub for Stutong and Tabuan Heights area and also a growing elite housing areas.Tabuan Jaya
Tabuan Jaya, like BDC, was long time ago a remote housing area. Today, it has emerged into Kuching satellite city. It is also well connected to other important areas in Kuching such as Pending, BDC, Muara Tabuan Industrial Estate and Demak Jaya Industrial Estate.Pending
Pending is an industrial area with connecting wharf, ports & harbour. It is a mostly Chinese majority populated area of the white & blue collar middle working class, living in sub-areas of Kenyalang Park & Bintawa. Major industrial players here with their factory setup, among them are Komag, CMS Concrete, Taiyo-Yuden, Kuching Plywood, Gold Coin Fertilizer and Sarawak Clinker Plant. Pending is connected to Kuching city centre via Padungan.Batu Kawa
Batu Kawa got its name from volcano crater found at Gunung Serapi. It has now emerged into important satellite city of Kuching, which consist of MJC Commercial Area with condominium housing, elite housing areas and shoplots, Sg. Maong and Pekan Rantau Panjang.Matang
Matang is another emerging town under Kuching. Among its prominent attraction is Matang Jaya and Gita.3rd Mile
An emerging commercial area once the home to Sunny Hill School, Sarawak's first private school, and also an old-fashioned cinema, Capitol Cinema. 3rd Mile was once an important train route in Kuching.Padungan
Padungan is the oldest commercial & shopping hub in Kuching. Chinatown is located here. It's also an important area for nightlife and clubbing, 4-5 star hotels such as Crowne Plaza, Grand Margherita formerly Holiday Inn, Hilton, Pullman, Somerset Gateway and Novotel, popular tourist spots such as Kuching Waterfront and Cat statues.Simpang Tiga
Simpang Tiga is famous with its federal government complex, Swinburne University and newly opened "The Spring" shopping mall.Satok
Satok is the most widely spoken place among tourists for its weekend market. It is also the smallest DUN State Legislative area in Sarawak.Petra Jaya
Petra Jaya is home for majority of Malay population in Kuching, and most probably in Sarawak. It has a lot of Malay kampungs, low-cost housing schemes, housing estates and it is also a headquarters for Sarawak state government, which is an idea later copied by Federal Government for their Putrajaya. Petra Jaya consist of area from Kg. Tupong to Semariang to Demak Laut Industrial Estate.Santubong
Santubong is located 30 km away from Kuching. It is a tourist spot for beach and annual international events such as the World Rainforest Music Festival.
People
Kuching prides itself on being one of the most multi-racial cities in Malaysia. The Chinese speak Hokkien, Hakka and Foochow. Other notable "dialect" groups among the Chinese include the Cantonese, Teochew, Hainanese and Heng Hua. The Malays, who are comprised of Kuching's original inhabitants as well as migrants from neighboring Indonesia, form only slightly less of the population than the Chinese, while Ibans form about 5% of the population. There are also original Indian migrants who have lived in Kuching for many decades. The Indians are divided evenly between Tamils, Sikhs and Punjabis. The remainder are other indigenous races, most notably the Bidayuhs, Melanaus, Javanese and Orang Ulu settlers. What makes Kuching city unique from other towns in Sarawak is, Kuching city population does not reflect the true demography of the whole Sarawak.
Most people of Chinese descent live in South Kuching area, like Padungan and Pending. The Malay mostly live at North Kuching area, and are spread evenly throughout South Kuching area. Other races like Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau and Orang Ulu are spread evenly throughout Padawan and some at South and North Kuching. Indian communities of Tamil descent mostly live at Batu Lintang and Gita area, while Javanese communities mostly live at Mile 20 Kuching-Serian Road, Rantau Panjang Batu Kawa and Kg. Kolong at Matang.