Prior to visiting Peraya Homestay, we actually spent one day and one night in Kuching, guided by another awesome Sarawakian, Melintan anak Ina.
Melintan is of Orang Ulu descent. After he picked us up from the airport, he began sharing stories and the history of Sarawak. As proud SPM students, we found ourselves remembering many of the syllabi we studied in Sejarah, especially the parts about how the Brooke family helped shape Sarawak in the early days.
We had our lunch at Lepau Restaurant, tasting flavours that we were unfamiliar with. We absolutely love its special fried rice that was cooked with tapioca leaves.
Following that, we visited the Main Bazaar and Carpenter Street, both of which are located next to the Kuching Riverfront.
There, Melintan explained everything we needed to know about the former trading port. He told us the history of the Old Court House, which has now turned into a cafe.
Back in the 1900s, he said the shop lot facing the port was where the frontline businesses were set up to serve traders voyaging through the strait of Melaka. He told us that the shops were numbered back in the days, with the first shop being a coffeehouse.
Melintan also showed us the architecture of the shops, explaining how they were designed to load, carry, and move goods through a unique ceiling pulley system.
Once we were tired of walking, we took a dessert break at Gula Apong, which serves ice cream made out of sap from nipah palm trees. At just RM9.90, I got to enjoy a cup of bubble tea and Gula Apong ice cream. Definitely a must-try while you are there!
We then spent our evening chilling on the Sarawak River Cruise, which had speakers to give out an audio-guided tour experience.
The next day, we visited Semenggoh Orangutan Centre, and we were lucky to meet two orangutans at the rehabilitation and research centre.