This is a small but beautiful, vibrant east-meets-west city. It has a distinctive colonial style of architecture mixed with narrow, old Chinese alleys filled with the smell of white pepper and spices which are made here.

The streets are wonderfully clean, it has some great little streetside restaurants and the local people are friendlier and more polite (not pushy) than you could imagine. It has a strong sense of culture, with arts, music and dance being performed regularly and a beautiful riverside promenade from which to watch the sunset over the distant mountains.

It is where Malaysian people take their holidays and westerners have yet to discover its secrets, although English is spoken nearly everywhere. The tourist information centre is well equipped and provides everything you need to know. A great place to honeymoon; if you want to see jungle, orangutans, primitive culture and the biggest flower in the world, come to Kuching! I loved every minute here.