Stop and Smell the Rafflesia
The decision to go to Kuching was both a spontaneous and a long considered one. We had a serious case of post-holiday blues after our epic South America trip and thought the best way to counter these blues would be to book another holiday. The topic of seeing the famous Rafflesia had popped up from time to time throughout the years. So a spontaneous weekend in Kuching, just a short 1.5-hour direct flight away, to see the Rafflesia was settled on.
That proved to be a great decision.
Gunung Gading National Park where the Rafflesia can be found is a 90-minute drive from Kuching. The Rafflesia has no fixed flowering season and would bloom as and when it likes, only to wither and decompose in less than a week. Every time a bloom is spotted the Gunung Gading National Park would post it online and crowds would show up. By sheer luck and with the very passionate subject matter expert park guide, we were the first to see the one flower in full bloom before anyone else and before the National Park got wind of it. Oh it was quite a sight. Not least because we were elated at seeing the elusive flower but also because of its almost alien-like brilliant red amongst the drab-coloured rainforest floor. Being rewarded with a bloom after trekking through the incessant rain, climbing over wet moss-ridden boulders, manoeuvring overhanging vines and crossing fast flowing swollen streams was particularly satisfying. The bloom we found, contrary to popular belief, did not smell at all despite us sticking our faces right in front of it. Go figure.
There it is, nestled between the buttress roots of a giant tree.
The brilliantly coloured bloom on the drab rainforest floor gave the Rafflesia an alien-like aura.
This is all there is to the giant flower, it has neither leaves nor stems, just one giant bloom.
Kuching was a pretty and charming city. We were not able to partake of its full splendour as most of the shops along the famous Carpenter Street were closed before noon – seeing how we arrived on the first day in the afternoon, went Rafflesia hunting early on the second day and had a morning flight back home on the last day. That said, we still managed a taste of the quintessential Sarawak Laksa and Kolo Mee, and whiled the rest of our time away along the waterfront.
When in Kuching, overdose on the famous Sarawak Laksa and Kolo Mee.
The Masjid India Bandar Kuching, more commonly known as the floating mosque, strikes a pose on the Sarawak River.
Thank you Kuching for your generous gift of the Rafflesia. This was our first time ever in East Malaysia and it was a blast.
