Kuching Kuching hot lah weiii

Sorry, just couldn't resist the title. Never was a fan of Hindi movies, but just couldn't pass on that one. If you miss what I'm referring to, the title of this entry is a play on the Hindi movie "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai."

Anyway, on with the posting...

I was in Kuching to give a talk on organ donation in a programme organised by Hospital Umum Sarawak. At 7.20 a.m. on Saturday, I already arrived at KL Sentral to check in. At the counter, I was told that the flight was going to be late by 40 minutes. So, that'd mean that my flight is estimated to depart at 10.50 a.m. Oh, well, what to do, since the delay was beyond anybody's control.

So, I went and bought a return ticket for the KLIA Express, and boarded the 7.30 train. I arrived at KLIA and had breakfast. Then slowly walked to the gate, even though it was still early. Sat at the gate and nearly fell asleep. Then I took my laptop out and started doing some work. Before I realised it, it was already time to embark on the plane.

The flight was good, the weather was good... even the person sitting next to me is friendly. It turned out both of us have a common friend. What a small world.

I noticed that there were a lot of foreigners on the plane. Then I realised that the Sarawak's annual Rainforest Festival is on. That explains the full plane.

I arrived at Kuching International Airport at 12.50 p.m. and by the time I got to the hotel it was already 1.30 p.m. I checked in at the hotel, performed my Zuhur and Asar prayers, then rushed down to the hall where the talk was held. My session began at 2.00 p.m. and I got there just in time.

I gave my talk to about 175 medical personnel from all over Sarawak. The participants consisted of medical doctors, specialists and nurses. I gave it my best. The talk itself was an hour. I anticipated some questions, but there was none. Suddenly, a gentleman got up and introduced himself as a doctor, and he asked, "May I know, are you a medical doctor? The reason I asked is that you seem very comfortable and well versed with medical terms and conditions." I was surprised to say the least by the question, but I was pleased nonetheless, because at least I know that what I presented to the doctors, specialists and nurses was appreciated.

I noticed that it was very hot in Kuching. The temperature was lingering at around 33-34 degrees Celcius. Despite the heat, later that afternoon after my talk, an old friend from Glasgow who is now working in Kuching, Ismahalil, came and picked me up for a spin in Kuching. I'm no stranger to Kuching, as I've been there several times before, but it has been 3 years since my last trip. Anyway, I asked Isma to take me to Pasar Satok, because I wanted to buy some ikan terubuk masin. After that, Isma took me to Petrajaya, and we stopped at a roadside stall to have tea and chatted a bit. The last time I met Isma was 3 years ago when I was in Kuching, so it was good to be able to catch up with him after all this time.

I came back to the hotel around 7.15 p.m. just in time to join a dinner arrangement made by the host of the programme. We were taken to a place called "Rooftop" and we had seafood dinner there. I particularly enjoyed the fried soft shell crabs dipped in sambal.

I got back to the hotel around 9.30 p.m., and was already exhausted. My return flight on Sunday was scheduled at 11.05 a.m. It was not difficult to sleep that night. I got up on Sunday, had my breakfast, and by 10.00 a.m., I was already at the airport.

While it was a short trip to Kuching, it was quite an enjoyable one. It was sweltering hot, but I will cherish the memories of, perhaps, one of the cleanest cities in the country.