![]() Steam rises from the floor as water evaporates and fat, spiked yellow fin tuna glisten on their slabs. Concrete floors twinkle in the morning sunlight as welly-shod men wash down fish counters with giant shower heads. The wet markets are more of a spectator sport for tourists, since unless you’re staying in accommodation with a kitchen it’s pointless buying anything to take away, but they’re endlessly fascinating still. There is a wet fish and meat market, plus many fruit, vegetable and spice stalls. People don’t speak much, if any, English here, but the tried and tested method of pointing and holding up fingers works just fine. Okay so the fringes are lined with a few stalls peddling woven shopping bags, hand fans and fridge magnets, but the core of the action is focused on meat, fish, vegetables, herbs and spices. This huge market is a must-visit for tourists, although you won’t see too many of them the stalls here serve the local population and you’ll see people doing their regular shopping. Here’s what you really mustn’t miss when visiting Sarawak. The cuisine focuses on the use of the many abundant native ingredients such as spices, seafood and vegetables, and flavours are full whack, intense with a certain clarity that mirrors the vibrancy of the people, the wildlife and the environment. Wherever you go here however, there is good food. The word Kuching is thought to derive from the Malay word kucing, meaning cat, and felines are everywhere, immortalised in statue form and prowling the streets looking for food or a tickle behind the ear. The capital city of Kuching is a huge contrast, then - inhabited by approximately 325,000 people, it buzzes with modern life and a heck of a lot of cats. The remote areas are home to many indigenous tribespeople too there are 28 ethnic groups in Sarawak, each with their own distinct culture and language. Riverbanks are lit by fireflies above and prowled stealthily by crocodiles in the waters below. In the canopy, wobbly-nosed proboscis monkeys swing, and fuzzy, graceful orangutans glide between trees, bending branches and grabbing fistfuls of fruit as they go. ![]() Thick jungles are home to so much life it’s faintly terrifying trees teem, roots squirm, flowers drip with nectar and carnivorous plants set traps. It’s a spectacular paradise dominated by dense, lush vegetation, vast caves, white sandy beaches and intense, powerful sunsets. Sarawak, part of East Malaysia, stretches along the north west coast of the tropical island of Borneo.
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