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� The Waterfront � Main
Bazaar � The Sarawak River Cruise �
� Civic Centre and Planetarium � Tua Pek Kong
temple �
The Waterfront
Restored on a reclaimed land by the Sarawak River, the Waterfront is
the focal point and a popular popular meeting place in Kuching. The old
drab warehouses have been replaced with a 900�metre long esplanade with
wooden benches, food stalls and restaurants, an observation tower, a tea
terrace and musical fountains.
 A
number of old buildings have been preserved and incorporated into the
design, including the Chinese History Museum, the Sarawak Steamship
Building, an open-air theatre and the Square Tower. During the daytime,
the Waterfront offers excellent views of the Astana, Fort Margherita and
the Malay kampungs which line the north bank of the river, but at
night-time the waterfront really comes alive; it seems that half of
Kuching is out meeting friends, watching a show or just taking the air.
Main Bazaar
If you are looking for unique handicrafts and antiques, the Waterfront�s
Main Bazaar also facing the Waterfront, has rows of arts and curio shops
packed to the brim with fascinating Borneo crafts. The Bazaar is made up
of a row of two storey shophouses on one of Kuching's oldest streets which
dates back 1864. The area is considered an 'antique arcade' not only for
the row of old shophouses and their old-fashioned facade but also for the
variety of handicrafts and antiques can be found here. It's worth going
inside for a look, as a lot of the shops have larger, more authentic and
even more bizzare collections hidden upstairs or at the back room.
 The
Sarawak River Cruise
The Sarawak River Cruise is a fantastic way to turn a page back in history of Sarawak, through a
cruise along the river that brings you past historical landmarks of
Kuching.
A traditional �tambang� yacht will take you past places of
interest like the Kuching Waterfront, Square Tower (formerly a prison), a
multi-purpose market, old State Mosque with five onion-shaped domes, a
Malay house on stilts and the Satok Suspension Bridge before heading the
other side of the river to see the Astana (former palace of the White
Rajahs), Fort Margherita (now a police museum) and a fishing village.
Civic Centre and Planetarium
The extraordinary looking Civic Centre building is Kuching�s south side
stab at the avant grade. It offers the best panoramic view if the city
with the picturesque Mount Sentubong in the background. It houses a
Planetarium, a viewing platform; restaurants, cafes as well as a bar.
Special features include a 22m diameter dome structure above the
planetarium theatre, 47m long facade columns supporting the restaurant and
observation floor at high level, and elliptical steel trusses with
polycarbonate roofing above the tower.
 Tua
Pek Kong temple
The ornately decorated temple is located on Jln Tunku Abdul Rahman,
opposite the Waterfront, and is the oldest Chinese temple in Kuching.
Built more than two centuries ago, long before James Brooke the first
'White Rajah of Sarawak' arrived in Kuching, it is one of the city's
prominent landmarks. Tua Pek Kong temple also known as Siew San Teng was
built in 1876. Evidence however shows that the site has been in use since
1740, . A Chinese temple was certainly here as early as 1770, the first
structure being erected by a group of Chinese Immigrants thankful for
their safe journey across the South China Sea.
The Chinese pay homage to the Tua Pek Kong deity here for peace and
prosperity. The Wang Kang festival commemorate the dead is held here. It
is particularly famous for its Wang Kang celebration to commemorate the
spirit of the dead.
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