It's easy to fast become enamoured with Kuching, sweeping you up in its warm, hospitable and clingy tropical embrace.
Sarawak's historic capital is quite simply one of Malaysia's most charming and laid-back cities, slung around the banks of the Sarawak River, with Mt Santubong brooding on the western horizon.
It was my first visit to this relatively under-the-radar destination and the city's historic core is where you'll want to centre your attention.
Before diving into the downtown delights, I joined a sunset river cruise, which serves up a superb introductory overview of the city's skyline and landmarks, while gliding along the sluggish beige artery.
You'll see brightly painted water taxis (tambangs) doing a brisk trade and intimate perspectives of the traditional stilt houses of Malay kampungs, edging the river.
On the north side of the river, statement architecture doesn't get more ostentatious than the gleaming State Legislative Assembly, lording over the river like a bling-bling golden spaceship.
After admiring a theatrically fiery sunset gild the cityscape, watching dragon-boats slice through the water like a knives through butter and marvelling over the on-board traditional indigenous dance performances, I disembarked at the jetty on Kuching's waterfront, lustily festooned in fairy lights.
A one-mile long pedestrian promenade snakes along the waterfront, making for serene and sensory strolls by day and night.
Sarawak's back story is indeed fascinating, in which those "White Rajahs" ruled the roost in this trading port for a century. They were a dynastic monarchy of the British Brooke family, who founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak, from 1841 to 1946.
It all began with James Brooke. As a reward for helping the Sultanate of Brunei fight piracy and domestic insurgency, he was granted the province in 1841 and received independent kingdom status. The dynasty continued through Brooke's nephew and grandnephew, the latter of whom ceded his rights to the United Kingdom in 1946.
The last legal heir, Anthony Brooke, died in New Zealand in 2011.
Following Japanese occupation during World War 2, Sarawak eventually became part of Malaysia in 1963.
Up early the following morning, the day had dawned bright, warm and fresh, as I gazed across the waterfront from the primo location of the Riverside Majestic Hotel.
Suitably fuelled up after devouring a heaped plate of Nasi Lemak for breakfast, I met my effervescent local guide, Tony, who had a smile as bright as the moon. I remarked to Tony how impressively clean the streets were, devoid of any eye-jarring litter. He observed that the city has two mayors, offering a sense of healthy competition as to what part of the city is the cleanest.
Over the course of several hours, Tony whisked me through the compelling historic core of Kuching, a true melting point of culture and religion, where Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam happily coexist.
Merrily painted in a rainbow of faded colours, these storied Chinese shophouses pepper the old town, row upon row of them, redolent with charm and time-honoured trading verve.
Chinatown's back streets and lanes form a honeycomb of incense-filled temples, cafes, street food stalls and miniature workshops abuzz with tinsmiths, cobblers, carpenters and tailors.
The aptly named Carpenter St is a revelation in old-school craftsmanship, as old-timers ply their specialist trades, kerbside. Body art is an integral part of indigenous culture in Sarawak, especially the Iban, once also known for headhunting. Today, dozens of tattoo studios lure travellers in Kuching.
The man to visit is the world-acclaimed Ernesto Kalum, whose Borneo Headhunter studio offers both contemporary tattoos using modern machines and tribal designs created with the traditional tap technique.
I perused a feast of colonial landmarks from the Brookes dynasty, including the elegant Old Court House with colonnaded terraces, which has become a culture hub. One venue not to miss is Sarawak Museum, which has barely changed since it first opened in 1891, with a rich collection of local flora and fauna, and vivid insights into the indigenous tribes of the Borneo rainforest.
Passing through Merdaka Square, the Sunday morning service was just wrapping up at the gorgeous cream-hued St Thomas' Cathedral.
The golden-domed City Mosque is another uplifting house of worship, just a short walk from the open-air market, which was popping with colour, energy and hustle. Old men manned souvenir street stalls while also guarding briefcases curiously stocked with a vast selection of sex performance and anatomical enhancements.
Kuching is an irresistible foodie paradise, particularly the street food, where most dishes cost less than $NZ2-$NZ3. I absolutely adored Chinatown's Seng Kee, a hawker-style food court, where there's a choice of fishball soup, pork satay, Sarawak laksa, Chinese rice porridge with salted egg and preserved vegetables, or for the extra-intrepid, kueh chap, a concoction of slow-braised pork ribs and intestines. I plumped for Sarawak laksa, which may well be the best laksa I have ever had.
The Sarawak broth is made with a mixture of sambal belacan, sour tamarind, galangal, lemongrass, coconut milk and herbs and spices. The laksa comes with egg strips, prawn, chicken slices, bean sprouts and lime garnished on top of the mee hoon. This creamy texture and mix of spicy and sour tastes pack a particular punch thanks to Sarawak's famed peppercorns, plus it comes topped with tiny calamansi limes.
Later that night, Tony led me to Top Spot on Bukit Mata St, an immense open-air seafood court on the roof of a car park. More than 500 diners sit at communal tables, ordering from neon-lit seafood stalls displaying live crabs, prawns, razor clams, wriggling squid, grouper, pomfret and parrot fish. Dine like a local.
Also on the foodie trail, the rediscovery of indigenous Sarawak cuisine is on-trend and a stellar specimen is the Dyak on Simpang Tiga Rd. Dishes include manok lulun (chicken stewed in bamboo with tapioca leaves and herbs), while the vegetables are headlined by midin (wild ferns).
These brightly layered cakes have now evolved into hundreds of designs, textures and tastes. They're delicious, moist and buttery - the ultimate eye candy. A sure-fire way to beat the sticky heat of the day is to savour Ais Kacang, Sarawak's shaved ice dessert. The bowl of ice is topped with a kaleidoscope of goodies, piled high with jellies, ice cream, condensed milk, fruits and colourings. Tapioca pearls pop in the mouth, chunks of fruit release their sweet juices, ice crunches - it all swims around like a liquid disco.
I certainly enjoyed my fill of satay on the streets of Kuching. The city's table is a generous one. Go hungry and tuck into everything and discover their delights.