A Day at the River

Spent some time with friends at a river about 2 hours outside of the city. It was so good to get out in nature!

AMAZING root system. 

Old grandpa tree.

Kuhcing! Sunset and Goodbye

When we were finally able to go to the beach, the sun had started setting. It was so beautiful.

 Goodbye, Kuching! It's been fun.

Kuching! Orangutans!

I was so excited to visit the Semenggoh Wildlife Center about 25 km outside of Kuching. They have over 20 semi-wild orangutans that have been rehabilitated and released into the forest reserve.

We visited during their normal feeding time, but were told not to get our hopes up about seeing any orangutans. They appear less and less as they adjust to life in the wild. We were so happy when, right when we arrived, there were already five orangutans eating!

I could not believe the amount of bananas this guy fit in his mouth. At least 15!

Kuching! Sweet Sweet Mart

Does Sweet Factory still exist? I always felt like the luckiest kid when my parents would let me fill a plastic bag with shark gummies, jaw breakers, and Jelly Bellies. I was so excited to discover, on the very bottom level of a mall in Malaysia, this Sweet Factory-ish store called Sweet Sweet Mart.

 Not only did they have a wide selection of wrapped candy, they also had dried fruit,

nuts and chips, 

and wafers and cookies.

Hong had a difficult time choosing. 

 Mmmmm such a fun reminder of childhood!

Kuching! Elephant Beetle?

Is that what this guy is? He was on his back when we found him and we thought he was dead. Then we saw one of his legs move and Hong flipped him over. Not dead!

For scale, here's a picture of Hong taking a picture of the beetle. 

I kept thinking that I should be afraid of him, but I wasn't at all. He was so strange and pretty and I wanted to touch him. But I didn't.

Kuching! Tradition

While we were in Kuching, we were able to see some traditional houses and dances. 

This guy was intense. That long stick in his hand is actually a blowpipe used for hunting. His uniform was also quite impressive.

 In this dance, there was a pole. Then a guy climbed and sat atop the pole.

Hong tried out some dancing, 

blowpipe shooting, 

and instrument playing, 

though both agreed that each of those activities would have been greatly enhanced had he been wearing a feather headdress and black underwear.

Kuching!

Despite my desire to take a rest from traveling, I left Vientiane once again and headed to Kuching, Malaysia on Saturday morning.

Apparently, the airport in Vientiane had not removed the patriotic bunting for the Secretary of State's visit earlier in the month.

I was surprised by the neat rows of palm trees as we flew into Kuala Lumpur,

and also by this interesting river in Kuching.

I'm excited to share more adventures and pictures!