Kuching’s Cat Museum- an entertaining oddity

Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak is often referred to as ‘Cat city’. This is mainly due to the fact that the name of the city is thought to have been derived from the Malay word for cat, ‘kucing’.  However, some folks state that the name ‘Kuching’ came to be derived from the Chinese word ‘cochin’ which means port. While yet  others state that the city’s evolved from the word ‘mata kuching’ which translates as ‘cat’s eye’, a term used to describe the  green longan fruit which grows in abundance in Kuching.

Whatever may be the origin of the name, it is evident that the tabby is much venerated in Kuching, for the city is littered with statues, paintings and sculptures of cats. The fact that cats are much loved in Kuching city makes sense, for most Malaysians believe that cats bring good luck and felines often play an important role in the everyday lives of Malaysians.

One of Kuching’s most prominent attractions is the odd but entertaining Cat Museum.  This must-do attraction for cat lovers is housed on the ground floor of the Kuching North City Hall headquarters and is managed by the said organization.  Kuching’s Cat museum was founded in 1988 and contains more than 2000 exhibits feline-related displays. Much of the museum’s permanent collection was obtained from the National Museum in Kuala Lumpur where it had been on display until 1987.

Kuching’s Cat Museum is quite an intriguing attraction, for not only does it aim to entertain; it also seeks to educate visitors about the evolution of cats and provide information about the beliefs associated with them. For instance, in Malaysia there exists a superstition that if you drown a cat you will probably succeed in bringing much needed rainfall to a destination.

The display at Kuching’s Cat Museum features a mix of historically important exhibits along with various kitschy forms. Among the most impressive exhibits at the museum are a mummified Egyptian cat dating back to 3500 BC and the only stuffed specimen of the world’s rarest cat, Felis badia, an inhabitant of the jungles of Borneo.

Aside from these taxidermy samples, the museum hosts several cat statues, paintings, posters, stamps and even cat-shaped headstones, all of which never fail to enthrall and enchant the many visitors who pass through the museum’s strange gigantic fang-shaped doorway.

Love cats? Then the odd but entertaining Cat Museum in Kuching should definitely feature on your visit Malaysia itinerary.

 

Hari Raya Aidiladha

Hari Raya Aidil Adha or Hari Raya Haji as it is known in Malaysia is a festival celebrated by Muslims all over the globe. The festivities associated with Hari Raya Aidil Adha usually extend over three days. The Islamic calendar Hiraj, stipulates that the festival commences on the 10^th day of Dhul Hija, the last month of the Islamic calendar. Typically, Hari Raya Haji is celebrated seventy days after the holy month of Ramadhan.  Hari Raya Aidil Adha for 2013 is slated for 15^th October.

Hari Raya Adil Adha has much religious significance as it essentially commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Prophet Ismail in accordance with the will of Allah. The incident is mentioned in the Holy Quran, which also adds that just as Prophet Ibrahim was about to deliver the fatal blow, Allah appeared and replaced Prophet Ismail with a ram. Hence, Hari Raya Adil Adha is regarded as a ‘festival of sacrifice’ and is also known as Hari Raya Korban for the term ‘Korban’ means sacrifice.

The festival also marks the end of ‘Haj’ the largest annual pilgrimage in the world. During Haj, thousands of Muslim pilgrims from all over the world congregate on the Holy land in Mecca to perform a series of rituals. The annual Haj pilgrimage is thought to be the fifth pillar of Islam and every able-bodied Muslim man or woman who is equipped with financial means  is expected to undertake this journey to Mecca at least once during his/her lifetime.

As the concept of selfless sacrifice is integral to the festival of Hari Raya Aidil Adha, families or even local communities in Malaysia come together to sacrifice animals like lambs, goats, cows, bulls and camels as they celebrate the festival. On the day of Hari Raya Aidil Adha, congregational prayers are held at the local mosque, after which the animals are sacrificed according to the diktats of Islam. Most well-off Muslims in Malaysia tend to sponsor these animal sacrifices for Hari Raya Aidil Adha.

The meat so obtained is distributed in three parts. The family or the local community which supplies the animal retains one third of the share, another third is distributed amongst friends, relatives and neighbors while the rest of the meat is given to the poor and needy.

After the sacrifice, the congregation disperses to spend the rest of the day with friends and relatives as is customary during any festival. The celebrations associated with Hari Raya Aidil Adha in Malaysia may appear to be rather solemn but the festival nonetheless has much religious significance as it reminds Muslims to reaffirm their faith in God and thank him for his many blessings.

Kidzania- Sneak Peek into an Adult's World

If you are traveling to Kuala Lumpur with your kids in tow, then a visit to the activity cum entertainment center Kidzania is definitely recommended. Kidzania is an indoor info-entertainment space that aims to teach young ones the art of dealing with the real world. Kidzania in Kuala Lumpur is located within the city’s Curve mall and is a franchise of a world-wide chain, which operates in various locations around the world.

Once children enter KidZania, they encounter a child-size replica of a real city consisting of buildings, stores, cinemas, street-lights pedestrians, vehicles, and more.  The entire enterprise encourages role-play of all sorts, as it urges children to try their hand at a profession they seem naturally inclined to or then are curious about. At the Kuala Lumpur outpost of KidZania, sixty diverse establishments offer 90 entertaining activities suitable for children aged four to twelve.

However, before the children can start off with these various activities, they have to open a saving account at the KidZania bank and receive Kidzos or the official currency used in the world of KidZania. The kids receive Kidzos in the form of cash and working debit card and they use these Kidzo to pay for a particular activity or class. For example, at the chef’s station the kids are offered Oreo-making or sushi-making classes which are both paid activities. Each establishment located within Kidzania has a listing of the amount of Kidzos needed to be dispensed with, if a child wishes to participate in the particular activity offered by the facility. The listing also has details about the expected length of time of each activity, the suitability for various ages and the amount of Kidzos, that the child will earn when he or she completes the role play at that particular station.

Armed with their Kidzos, the young ones then head towards the various KidZania establishments to try their hand at the very real-world professions like being a chef, a fireman, a TV presenter, a dentist, a pilot, a doctor, a midwife, a hairdresser  and even a CIA agent. As they perform each role, for e.g. check teeth while role-playing at being a dentist, they earn Kidzos. The kids can then choose to spend their Kidzos or then save their Kidzos for their next visit.

Accompanying parents are not allowed into the various establishments while their kids perform their ‘tasks’, though they are allowed to watch from the outside. Kidzania Kuala Lumpur is also outfitted with an  air-conditioned parent’s  lounge equipped with food and free Wi-Fi, which is located on an upper floor, where you can relax and wait while your young ones have  the time of the lives playing at working in a grown up’s world.

http://www.kidzania.com.my/

 

Malaysia Moto GP

If Moto GP racing gets your adrenaline pumping and your pulses racing, then perhaps you should make your way to the Sepang International Circuit this weekend for the 2013 Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The event which is slated for the 11^th to 13^th October 2013 will feature all the big guns of Moto GP as it constitutes round 15 of the 18-leg MotoGP World Championship.

In fact,  the 2013 Moto GP title hunt is currently poised at a very exciting stage as there is an ongoing tussle between the competition’s two leaders Tuenti HP 40’s Pol Espargaro who is in hot pursuit of championship leader, Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding. Twenty points separate them at this juncture and with Redding having suffered a loss to Espargaro at Aragón, the Brit will no doubt be looking for victory at Sepang in an effort to cement his grip on the title.

The 22^nd edition of the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix hosted at Sepang in 2012 was a grand success so much so the event was declared the MotoGP event of the year by Dorna, the main marketing company for Moto GP. The 2012 event drew huge crowds on every day and this year, the numbers are expected to be even higher as tickets for the event have been selling very rapidly.

Aside from Espargo and Redding, spectators will have the chance to witness the exploits of various other championship drivers like Aspar Team Moto2’s Nico Terol, Espargaro’s teammate Tito Rabat, Alex Mariñelarena who is racing for Blusens Avintia this year and Thai rider Decha Kraisart, who is with the Singha Eneos Yamaha Tech3 team.

Malaysian Moto GP fans will be keenly following the achievements of home-grown talents like Hafizh Syahrin who is racing for Petronas Raceline and who narrowly missed a podium finish last year. Also competing in the tourney is local hero Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairuddin and the home crowd is  also pinning its hopes on him for a podium finish in the Moto3 Category. Other local talents creating a buzz amongst fans include Malaysia’s latest racing outfit, the Touchline SIC AJO Racing Team, which will have Amirul Hafiq & Husni Aizat, as Moto3 Wildcard Entries; and current SuperSports 600cc category ARRC championship leader, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, who qualified for the event on his own merit.

Apart from heart-stopping racing action, the 2013 Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix will also offer a number of entertaining  side attractions like the Ducati Club convoy scheduled for  race day, 13th October along with approximately 60 kiosks featuring various vendors including the best bike manufacturers from around the world. Also on offer at the 2013, Malaysian Moto GP will be an autograph signing section scheduled for 12^th October 2013 at the Welcome Center. At this event, ticketholders will have the once in a life opportunity to interact with their idols in persons.

 

More information about the race program, public transport, contests and more is available at the official website of the event at http://www.sepangcircuit.com.my/race/7.

Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon

Malaysia’s highest peak the magnificent Mount Kinabalu, which rises from the midst of Sabah’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kinabalu Park presents a wondrous sight. The pinnacle, which ascends to a height of 4,095 meters (13,435 feet) above sea level, also ranks as one of the highest peaks in South East Asia.

However, in spite of its great stature, Mount Kinabalu is thought to be quite an easy peak to conquer. So much so that even climbers with little or no mountain climbing experience can clamber up to the summit of the peak and take in in the gorgeous views of Kinabalu Park and its environs. It is believed that as many as 40,000 climbers attempt the climb up Mount Kinabalu every year.

The Sabah Tourism Board realized the tremendous tourism potential that Mount Kinabalu offered and it therefore decided to take over the administration of the park’s Climbathon with the intention of converting it into a competitive event. The Mount Kinabalu Climbathon was instituted in 1987, as an exercise to speed up the rescue efforts of park rangers, who are often called upon to climb up the peak in order to rescue stranded or injured climbers. For the first few years, this competitive Climbathon was open only to domestic participation but in 1995, the tourism board threw open the event to international participation as well. The event quickly began to feature amongst the world’s leading mountain climbing events and continues to be regarded as a premier mountaineering competition until today.

The Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon will this year be held over two days, 19^th and 20^th of October. The event will also feature two different races, the Summit Race and the Adventure Race.

The Summit Race

Slated to be held on the 19th October, the Summit Race will feature only 110 elite male and 40 elite female qualified runners. Qualified runners wishing to participate in the race will need to meet one of three criteria listed below:-

 
1.      They have previously successfully competed in one of the Climbathons held since 2008.    
2.      They have participated in  their home country’s own official mountain race and have proof  of their participation
3.      They have a letter of recommendation from their country’s mountain race / athletic body or any other body recognized by the organizers of the Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon.

The Summit race will kick off from the Kinabalu Park entrance. Runners will then have to go up to the summit of Mt. Kinabalu (4,095.2 m). After this, they will be required come down to the Mesilau Nature Resort and finish the course at Kundasang town.

The challenging Summit course extends over 33 Km and will require runners to navigate 15 Km of tarmac road, 18 Km of forest trails and the rock face of the summit.

The   Adventure   Race

The Adventure Race will feature greater participation as it is open to all fit men and women aged 18 years and above. The Adventure race is scheduled   for   20th October 2013 and features a newly altered race course. The runners participating in the Adventure Race will have to navigate this newly altered course. They will start off at the Kinabalu Park entrance and then go up to Layang-Layang Hut (half way up Mt. Kinabalu at 2760.3 m). The runners will then have to come down to the Mesilau Nature Resort before finishing the race at Kundasang town

The course of the Adventure race extends over 23km and requires runners to run over 15 km of tarmac road and 8 km of forest trails

Registrations for the 2013, Mount Kinabablu International Climbathon are currently closed but if this has piqued your interest, you can always plan to take part in next year’s event.

For more information do visit -http://www.climbathon.my