Sarawak
Sarawak is one of the two Malaysian states on the Island of Borneo.
Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia and lies to the Southwest of Sabah, the other Malaysian state on the island. Its capital is Kuching, with a population of over 500,000 people. Sarawak is a multicultural state with no ethnic majority.
Environment
Visitors to Sarawak will be most attracted to the lovely natural environment that the state has to offer. Sarawak is divided into three natural areas. There is a coastal region with lots of swamps and other lowlands. It is a very wet environment. There is a hill region which is more habitable. Many of Sarawak’s towns and cities have been built into this environment. The ports have been built a ways into the rivers because of the swampland near the ocean. The third environmental region is the mountainous region that lies along the border between Sarawak and both Kelabit and Murut.
Kuching
Kuching is the capital city of Sarawak and can be a place to visit in and of itself. Some places to visit are the Boulevard Shopping Complex, expected to open in December of 2007. It will be a great place to shop and will have numerous stores within it. Another good shopping area is the Grand Centro shopping complex. The Green Heights mall is a smaller neighborhood mall with an international cold storage market. The Isthmus Hypermarket mall is another shopping facility for modern shopping. Several large four and five star hotels are available, including the Novotell Interhill Kuching, a four star hotel with a three story market and shopping center. The Spring is the largest lifestyle shopping center in the state and includes a department store.
Tourist attractions
There are several places for tourists to visit, particularly in Kuching. Several excellent museums such as the Sarawak museum, the Chinese museum and the Cat Museum can be visited. Other landmarks are the Astana, which is the Rajah’s former palace, Fort Margherita, the Tua Pek Kong temple and the main bazaar in Kuching. The waterfront is also a lovely place for a stroll, particularly at night.