KUCHING (Sarawak)

Kuching (which means "cat") is the capital of Malaysia's largest state, Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, and its beautiful 19th century colonial buildings and Chinese shophouses lie along the graceful curves of the Sarawak river. The waterfront has been pleasantly landscaped into a cool and peaceful esplanade for locals and visitors to stroll along. Exploring the nearby fresh market and shopping streets is fun. The Sarawak Museum is also nice (just next to the evening cruise park) and there is also a museum (the world's largest) devoted to cats.

Like nearby Sabah, the population is very mixed here with lots of indigenous ethnicities, and Muslims are in the minority. Kuching has a decidedly small town atmosphere so even though there are lots of local gays around, aside from a few mixed clubs and cruising spots, they tend to make connections online using Sarawak chatrooms, particularly on Dalnet IRC. If you plan to visit, start looking for local friends well in advance of your arrival.

The population of Kuching is around half a million (that's 20,000 Utopians).

• Questions about AIDS/HIV care? Current medical treatment offers a normal lifespan for those living with HIV. A Harvard-trained Physician and Infectious Disease expert in Kuala Lumpur offers compassion and strictly confidential advice about health matters and state-of-the-art HIV treatment. Email the Doctor with your questions.
• Kuching Gay Scene Updates message forum
• Men in Kuching message forum

The updated and expanded 2nd Edition of the Utopia Guide to Malaysia surveys the gay and lesbian scene in 17 cities. Listings include gay scene maps, organizations, bars, discos, spas, accommodations, restaurants, and more. A special section highlights venues that are especially welcoming for women. Click here to order

• The Cottage
  Jln Permata, just next to Eagle's Nest. Lots of friendly gay staff, most of them students.
• Bristol Latino (mixed)
  Jln Bukit Mata, next to Hilton. Lots of foreigners here.
• The Gallery Arts and Café (mixed)
  Riverbank Suite. Mostly young crowd. Popular on weekends.
• Victoria Arms (mixed)
  Mostly locals.

• Khaturistiwa (mixed)
  Kuching Water Front. Crowd mostly young Chinese.

• Planet (mixed)
  3rd Mile, Jln Rock, Sarawak. Crowd is mostly mature Chinese.

• Borneo Traditional Massage
  Muara Tabuan, appointments: 016-888-9956, email. Native traditional massage by well trained male masseurs, helping to ease stress and tension. Call before you go. The boss is very friendly, especially when it comes to giving road directions. In and outcall.

• Kuching Waterfront, foreigner cruising area, after 9pm nightly.
• Lake Park
  Kuching Reservoir Park (Jln Taman Budaya). Open T-Su from 3-11pm. A social spot for local gays who hang out and relax with friends. Inexpensive food and drinks.
• Sarawak Museum, back garden, track up hill. After 7:30pm nightly.
• Shopping Centers
  • Sarawak Plaza, ground floor facilities.
  • Wisma Satok, 1st floor facilities.
  • Wisma Saberkas, ground floor facilities
• Swimming Pools
  • KMC public swimming pool
    Padungan area of the city. Mixed crowd (be discreet). Evenings best.
  • Setampak Swimming pool.
  • Waterworld
    In the housing estate of BDC Stampin area. Formerly Stampark swimming pool. Mixed crowd (be discreet). Very cruisy in the evenings.

• Starbucks Coffee
  The Spring. Opened in Jan 2008 and quickly drawing a gay crowd.

• Grand Spa (mixed)
  Grand Continental Hotel. A spa with dry and wet saunas. Some gays frequent the sauna, in the afternoon mostly, but you have to be discreet as it is basically a straight spa.
• Hilton Kuching Gym
  Steam Room is great, but be discreet.