Yes, I still have more posts about Kuching! I think I have a few more before I close this Kuching diary. I must get back to regular/present posts. So many things to write about, not that I have had that many CNY adventures.
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If there is one thing odd about Kuching, it is the very few Indians you see there. Oh sure they have a street called India Street that’s right smack in the heart of the city.
There’s an India Street with an Indian Mosque Lane.
But really, don’t expect much. Even when you’re walking down this street, you still won’t find that many Indians.
What you will find are probably more Chinese shops manned by local girls. A few eateries owned by Indian Muslims. Many temporary stalls selling snacks like fried nuggets or the occasional Chinese snack (and my fave) siew pau.
And you will also see lots of temporary one-table stalls selling the famous gambir Sarawak.
I wanted to go nearer and take close-ups of these stalls but only men seemed to crowd around them.
Yup, gambir sarawak used by men. I remembered Nic buying a tiny piece of this tree bark for a friend many years ago. I wondered if my friend used it! (He now has 2 young children so maybe he did use it!).
One does not swallow this gambir sarawak though. It’s used externally on the male organ. Aside this interesting gambir bark (which is rather expensive for one supertiny piece, about 1/8 of the size of a postage stamp), there’s also an assortment of stuff for enhancing bedroom activities.
I am not sure if the bulu mata kambing (goat’s eye lashes) are really eye lashes from goats. If they are, pity the goats! Anyway, the goat’s eyelashes are sold as a ring of lashes to be slipped over, you guessed it, the male member. It supposedly helps increase fun and pleasure!
Hmmm. The kinds of things for the male specie! (How do I know these things? Well, being married and having an inquisitive husband who is born and bred in Sarawak helps!)
If I were braver, I would go nearer and ask the Malay men more about these things. But I can’t keep a straight face and I don’t think my parents-in-law would be very amused. And I think seeing a Chinese ah-moi asking these things can be rather offputting, no? They might snigger. Or then again, they might not. They might just be too shocked to answer.
There’s more to Little India aside from these “interesting” stalls.
If you look closely, you will find an archway to a mosque right in the middle of a row of shops. But where’s the mosque? Ah! That’s the best part. The mosque can only be accessed via a little lane. And the archway points to the lane, called The Indian Mosque Lane.
I did not manage to go near either this time as it was raining.
Anyway, a walkabout of India Street is an experience I recommend for everyone, even if you think you have seen all of Kuching by now.
And if you get tired, there’s always the food court opposite Electra House. This is where I tasted my first Sarawak siow bee, a rather large ball of steamed minced pork encased in a wonton skin. The siow bee is washed down with a sweet soya bean drink, which is still something I am not used to. I think of siow bee and Chinese tea as a good pairing, not siow bee and soya bean drink!
