Kuching, Sarawak (II) - Day 1 (Kuching Town - Great British Circus)

We are back in Kuching, exactly two years later. We returned to Kuching to attend the MUSC Sarawak 5th Year Anniversary and United Malaysia 6th Anniversary Gala Dinner, which took place in the Riverside Majestic Hotel Puteri Wing, Sarawak Chamber Ballroom. My partner bought a return Firefly ticket for RM 308 per person from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) to Kuching International Airport (KCH). It was a noon flight, so we grabbed brunch at McDonald's once we checked in. I had nuggets with corn, while my partner had a double cheeseburger. My nuggets were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It has been some time since I had a tasty nugget.

Our flight departed on time at 12.25pm and we landed at KCH at 1.45pm. We met Barth and his team at the airport and snapped a group photo before taking Grab to our hotel. We stayed at the Sheraton hotel, approximately 16 minutes (9.8km) drive from KCH (Grab fare - RM 13). We checked in around 2.45pm and put our luggage in the hotel before heading out for a late lunch.

Kuching International Airport baggage collection

Grab pick-up zone (Arrival door 3)

We walked to Aladdin Chicken Rice Shop and ordered their roasted, steamed and fried chicken. We only got to eat their fried chicken two years ago because their roasted and steamed chickens were already sold out. This time around, we get to try three types of chicken. I don't really enjoy their roasted chicken sauce, as it tastes strange to me. Apart from that, their steamed chicken tastes ordinary to us. Instead of two servings of rice, we split one plate. I had the honey chrysanthemum tea and it was extremely sweet, almost like drinking sugar water. Overall, we still prefer their fried chicken. It's crispy on the outside, well-marinated and juicy on the inside.

Total bill - RM 44.30 (including 1 glass of honey chrysanthemum tea and iced water)

Aladdin Chicken Rice Shop

Shop ambience

Chili sauce, sweet sauce, honey chrysanthemum tea and iced water

Roasted, steamed and fried chicken

Chicken rice

Spicy chicken soup

Address:

Aladdin Chicken Rice Shop

16, Carpenter Street,

93000 Kuching,

Sarawak

We strolled via India Street Pedestrian Mall before reaching Desserto Sharifah. I tried French vanilla ice cream with gula apong and peanuts two years ago. This time, I had their French vanilla with mango sauce. Nestum, peanut, rainbow sprinkles, oreo crumbs and chocolate rice are among the toppings available (RM 0.50 each). Compared to two years ago, their sauce selection has tripled to 15 varieties, with prices ranging from RM 1 to RM 3.50. They also serve milkshakes and frozen yogurt. The French vanilla ice cream is creamy and smooth, with a slight grainy feel. It would be great if it didn't have a gritty texture.

Harmony Arch and General Post Office Kuching

India Street Pedestrian Mall

India Street Pedestrian Mall

French Vanilla (RM 6.90) with mango sauce (RM 1.50) - Total RM 8.40

Address:

Desserto Sharifah

No. 37, Jalan Gambir,

93000 Kuching,

Sarawak

On the way back to our hotel, we walked past India Mosque, Old Court House, Darul Hana Bridge, Square Tower, Kuching Waterfront and the cute kitty waste bin.

Sampan

India Mosque Kuching

Old Court House

Square Tower

Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak

Darul Hana Bridge

Kuching Waterfront

Cute kitty waste bin

Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak

Royal Kuching Cruise

We had our early dinner at the Ceylonese Restaurant. There is a line outside the restaurant, even though it is just 6pm. It took us over thirty minutes to get a seat in the queue. We ordered their banana leaf briyani lamb shank and Srilankan prawn curry. The lamb shank lacks flavour and is tough. However, the briyani rice is fluffy and aromatic. On the other hand, the Srilankan prawns are fresh, and the sauce is both spicy and sweet.

Total bill - RM 56.20 (including two iced water)

Ceylonese Restaurant

Iced water - RM 1 each

Srilankan prawn curry - RM 21

Banana leaf briyani lamb shank - RM 30

Banana leaf briyani lamb shank

Address:

Ceylonese Restaurant

23 22, Jalan Green Hill,

93100 Kuching,

Sarawak

Since we finished our dinner by 7pm, we still have time to get to the Great British Circus. We took a Grab ride from Ceylonese Restaurant to Sarawak State Stadium, car park A (Grab fare - RM 14). The Grab driver warned us that we might not be able to catch any rides back after the circus. He suggested that we contact the Grab help center to locate a driver or book a Maxim rides. The walk-in counter at the circus entrance only had rear seats available when we arrived. So, we had to buy the hot seats online. The hot seat ticket costs RM 70 per person on Thursday. There are five types of zones: rear seat, hot seat, VIP lane 3, VIP lane 2 and VIP lane 1.

I had never been to a circus before. The gate opens at 8pm and the circus show runs from 8.30pm until 10.30pm. There is no bathroom inside the circus tent, so we have to walk all the way to the Sarawak State Stadium public toilet. I'm glad there's air conditioning inside the tent. Before we enter the circus tent, the staff will check our tickets and give us a hand stamp. There's a small booth selling drinks, cotton candy and popcorn.

The show started at 8.30pm with an impressive laser show. However, it eventually became a little blinding when the laser light began to beam at us. The show continues with clowns, acrobats, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers and ends with a globe of death. The globe of death is a circus stunt in which motorcyclists circle around a steel ball at high speeds. They began with one motorcyclist and finished up with three.

There is a 15-minute break from 9.30pm to 9.45pm. Overall, it was entertaining, with the exception of the clown segment, which was a little boring for me. The clown invited three children onto the stage, where they played with water guns and sprayed the crowd before splashing the front audience with a small bucket of water.

You can purchase the ticket via 3 main options:

1. www.greatbritishcircus.com

2. www.ticket2u.com.my

3. Walk-in counter open at 11am-8pm on 6th June onwards (only sell rear seats)

Venue: Sarawak State Museum (Car Park A) from 8th Jun till 14th July 2024

Show time: Monday to Wednesday - 8.30pm / Friday to Sunday - 5.30pm or 8.30pm / last day - 5pm

We couldn't find a Grab driver after the show, but we were lucky to get one from Maxim rides. We waited approximately 15 minutes, and the fee back to The Junk was RM 14.

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Sarawak State Stadium

Sarawak State Stadium

Snack kiosk

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Hand stamp

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Great British Circus

Address:

Sarawak State Stadium (Car park A)

Jalan Stadium,

Petra Jaya,

93050 Kuching,

Sarawak

We wanted to eat our supper at The Junk, but it was closed by the time we got there at 11.10pm. So we walked to Ceylonese, which was open till 12am. We sat back at the same table and ordered cheese naan and tandoori chicken. The boss was pleased to see us twice that day. The tandoori chicken recipe has improved in comparison to two years ago. The chicken is flavourful, juicy, tender and not too spicy. Apart from that, the potatoes taste good and the salads are quite refreshing. The cheese naan is really cheesy and you get the best cheese pull ever. You must eat it when it's hot, or else the cheese will harden. Halfway through our meal, we saw Barth and his friends. They joined us, and we stayed until 12.30am before we walked back to our hotel.

Iced water and cheese naan

Cheese naan - RM 12

Curry sauce for cheese naan

Tandoori chicken - RM 12

Address:

Ceylonese Restaurant

23 22, Jalan Green Hill,

93100 Kuching,

Sarawak