Any recommendations? It's a while since we've been to cat town.

Sorry, maree, but it's been too long since we were there to give good, current recommendations.

By the way did you ever get your e-visa for Myanmar?

I was in Kuching for five nights, in September 2015. I suspect not much has changed since Kathie's visit, but I'll go through what I did anyway.

I stayed at the Basaga Holiday Residence, which was really nice. It was not located within the town, but taxis are only about $4 each way. The best feature of the hotel is the owner named Brandon, who arranges all sorts of semi-private tours every day. He tries to put guests together for these tours, so even solo travelers don't feel left out.

I went to Bako National Park with the intention of staying three nights, but it was so humid, and the lodge so disgusting, that I called Brandon the first morning, and he met me at the dock, so I stayed at his hotel for five nights, instead of my intended three nights. I found out later that he takes groups to Bako for the day, and that would have been a better strategy.

On my first partial day in Kuching, I took a short boat ride across the river to the orchid gardens, based on Kathie's recommendation. It's a really nice place, the orchids were beautiful. I didn't have cell reception on Bako, so I found a bench there, and had a nice, long talk with my husband back home. Eventually, I got myself off that bench and walked all around the city. There was a festival going on with dancers and singers, so I ended up watching the show for a couple of hours.

The next day, I went in the morning to see the orangutans at Semenggoh Natural Reserve. I thought it was disappointing after having seen them in the wild along the Kinabatangan river, but if you aren't going there, then I guess it's fine. I spent the afternoon seeing some of the museums, and more dance and singing performances at the festival.

On the third day, I went to on a kayaking trip with Semadang Kayak, and the river was beautiful and peaceful. We had a wonderful lunch in a local village. That evening, I went to a modern mall, and I walked around the grocery store, which I always consider quite interesting.

On my last day, Brandon arranged for three of us to go to the Sarawak Cultural Village. I was reluctant to go, as I remember Kathie saying it was not recommended. At breakfast, Brandon asked me if I wanted to go, and he assured me that he was going to talk extensively about the history of the area. He did exactly that, and it was interesting, so I would only recommend going there with someone who can tell you the history, as there are no signage anywhere. On the way back, we stopped at the cat museum, which was a little weird, but nonetheless interesting.

All in all, Kuching is an eclectic city--many of the buildings are a bit run down, but there is enough to keep you busy in the area for a few days.

I also spent an afternoon seeing two caves on a private tour arranged by Brandon. The caves were near the Indonesian border, and they were fascinating, since I like bugs and bats. On the way back, we stopped in a little town for a snack, and I did some serious people watching.