Museums, Kuching

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The National Museum and Art Museum are built side by side. And the entrance is FREE. I do think that National Museum is attractive by the rich information on their culture and their local plants and animals. If my travel mates were not pushing me, I could have stayed there for hours.

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Kuching's city centre, on the Southern bank of the Sarawak River, is compact, easy to walk and with a variety of sights which makes the visit a very enjoyable experience.

The soul of Kuching is in the Sarawak River and from the river you may want to start exploring this lively and charming city. The riverwalk, with its view of the river, its cafes and food stalls (and where by the way you can catch a tambang and reach the Northern bank or cruise the river), the colonial buildings, chinese shophouses, markets, temples, mosques, and museums.

With the exception of some of the museums, none of the other historical attractions are by themselves remarkable; there are more significant landmarks of colonial heritage in Malaysia as well as more impressive examples of chinese architecture, temples and mosques, but all those sights in Kuching blend to form a well-balanced, interesting and pleasant area to explore. Other than strolling on the riverwalk, I particulary enjoyed my wandering in Jalan Carpenter, with its chinese architecture and shophouse, as well as the bustling area around the wet market and Jalan India (the Indian Mosque is very particular if you manage to find it!).

As far as museums are concerned, the Sarawak Museums, exhibiting history and culture of the region, is renouned to be one of the best Malaysian museums. You will also find a Chinese History Museums, with historical information on Chinese immigration in Sarawak and the Islamic Museum with history and aspects of Malay Islamic culture. I found the Islamic Museums VERY VERY interesting, the best islamic museums I visited amongst the many in Malaysia and it is my first choice among Kuching's museums.

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This is one of the most famous museums in Malaysia.

There is the older Victorian style building and the newer building connected by a pedestrian walkway over a major road.

Enjoyed the exhibitis of Sarawak natural history, varied flora and fauna. As well as the various tribes including the ins and outs of a long house and look-alike shrunken heads as Dayaks were known to be head hunters.

Daily: 9am-6pm. Admission is free.

When you're visiting Kuching, you ought to visit Kuching Museum. This is a structure for orca (killer whale) that washed ashore long time ago. You?re not supposed to take photos inside the museum.

I took this picture before I noticing the no photo taking sign.

The museum is a fun place to spend a couple of hours exploring the history that is Kuching. It has great photos of years gone by as well as information about the tradition of the town.

However, the exhibits of the tribemen and the real human heads that they collected is quite breathtaking... but in a queasy kind of way.

If you're in Kuching it's one of the must places you have to go to.

I don't have an inferiority complex. Although I can appreciate the person who carved this though.

This is outside Kuching museum. And unlike inside the Museum, it's not decorated with dried human heads.

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This museum occupies the former State Archive and Library section, opposite Sarawak Museum. It contains a wide collection of paintings and sculpture from the Brooke period to present day.

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Located behind the Sarawak Museum, this monument is dedicated to all of those who have fallen during various military conflicts.