ITB Berlin News 2021 - Day 2 Edition
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TRANSPORT & INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
Taxi boat<br />
approaching the<br />
new Golden Bridge<br />
with State Assembly<br />
in background<br />
Despite the completion of<br />
the spectacular Golden<br />
Bridge, the new highlight<br />
of Kuching’s riverfront in<br />
2017, Sarawak’s “perahu<br />
tambang” or river taxis,<br />
remain very much the icon<br />
of the Sarawak River; a relic<br />
of the past; still very much<br />
part of the city’s daily life.<br />
Over two centuries, since the first<br />
White Rajah, Sir James Brooke, set<br />
up an early settlement combining<br />
two populated Malay Kampungs —<br />
Boyan and Surabaya — on the left<br />
bank of the river as his administrative<br />
centre, this part of the river figured<br />
prominently in the life of the city,<br />
contributing to the birth of downtown<br />
Kuching.<br />
Today, the new 335m S-shaped<br />
bridge is a key tourist attraction,<br />
connecting the south bank’s highly<br />
popular waterfront walkway (main<br />
bazaar and golden triangle) to<br />
the north bank, where the State<br />
Legislative Assembly building, the<br />
historic Fort Margherita, and Astana<br />
residence are to be found.<br />
The Sarawak River -<br />
life blood of Kuching<br />
“Perahu tambang” still the icons<br />
of the picturesque waterway<br />
Sungai Bedil Besar, it is still much<br />
quicker to take a boat - only two to<br />
three minutes, while pedestrians<br />
wishing to use the bridge will have<br />
to walk for 15-20 minutes. Some<br />
boatmen eat and sleep on their<br />
boats during the week… so don’t be<br />
surprised to see a blanket or two<br />
rucked under the stern. According<br />
to Jeman, most boat men work one<br />
week on and three weeks off – in<br />
rotation with others – while they<br />
work in on farms the remainder of<br />
the month.<br />
To fully tap the river’s tourist potential,<br />
the Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB)<br />
recently endorsed a masterplan to<br />
further develop river transport along<br />
a 24km zone between Batu Kawa<br />
and the Borneo Convention Centre<br />
Kuching (BCCK).<br />
A river cruise on<br />
the MV Equatorial<br />
CRUISING<br />
THE RIVER<br />
For those wishing to visit Kuching at a<br />
leisurely pace – viewed from the river,<br />
cruising aboard the “Sarawak River<br />
Cruise” on the MV Equatorial gives a<br />
different perspective of the historic city.<br />
The cruise takes visitors past historical<br />
landmarks such as the Kuching<br />
Waterfront, Square Tower (formerly a<br />
prison), a multi-purpose market, the old<br />
State Mosque with five onion-shaped<br />
domes, a Malay house on stilts and<br />
the Satok Suspension Bridge before<br />
heading the other side of the river to<br />
see the Astana (former palace of the<br />
White Rajahs), Fort Margherita (now a<br />
police museum) and a fishing village<br />
“My job still keeps me busy”, said Pak<br />
cik Jeman (Jeman the boatman),<br />
who prefers to row his passengers<br />
across the river than to use the<br />
motor. Generally running a boat from<br />
the jetty at Jalan Gambir to Kampung<br />
www.sarawaktourism.com<br />
SMART GUIDE 21