Kuching

Post review

good

open

raining

desk

cold

solo

weeks

closed

motorbike

commit

waterfront

vibe

community

group

couchsurfing

meet

travelers

locals

lunch

Kuching is a quiet and affordable city with decent infrastructure and good access to outdoor activities like national parks and cultural sites. It's easy to find low-cost hotels and motorbike rentals, and you can get decent accommodation for under 600ドル/month. The city is very walkable and the waterfront area has a pleasant evening vibe. Internet in coworking spaces is reliable, though mobile internet is often sluggish depending on provider and location. A few modern coworking spaces exist but are usually empty and offer very little in terms of community or networking opportunities.

The biggest downside is the lack of a digital nomad or traveler community. If you’re traveling solo, it can feel isolating. Meeting locals or other nomads is difficult, and online platforms for meetups are inactive. Kuching also lacks nightlife and cultural vibrancy compared to other Southeast Asian cities. The weather, especially in May, includes near-daily rain starting late afternoon, which affects your ability to explore or socialize in the evenings. Beaches are distant and underwhelming, and most tourist highlights can be covered in a couple of weekends. In short, Kuching might work for those seeking a simple, quiet base with low costs—but probably isn’t ideal for solo nomads looking to connect or stay more than a few weeks.

Some feedback how Kuching looks like from my perspective these days (because I guess city vibe changed a lot since covid):

Place has a lot of potential but as of right now (mid-2023) it is just OKAY but kind of boring for staying longer than 1 month and having a base here for solo nomads. I was ready to bail after 2 weeks but committed for 1 month anyway

1. SOCIAL/COMMUNITY
This was the biggest drawback for me.
- There is no any community right now (or is dead by now), I'm not talking only about DN community but also there is no any FB Hiking Group, Board games group, Couchsurfing group etc.
- Get ready you won't meet ANY nomads within 1 month even if really trying hard and asking on different FB groups, Slacks etc.
- There is barely any couchsurfing travelers. Most people come here for 3-7 days, most of them are couples. Couchsurfing hangout is dead - met only one local girl and she told these days maybe 2 people a month wanna hangout
- If you travelling solo you will get bored after 2 weeks.
- there are some expats but mostly those are 50/60+ years old retired people and all expats even those younger mostly only active in their inner circles
- found it hard to make any friends with locals. Even when starting conversation yourself feels like pulling teeth...
- dating apps (tinder/bumble) also not helpful to get someone to have a coffee or lunch - looks like everybody has long covid, depressed or lazy to get out of home and do anything during weekends

2. COWORKINGS
There are 2 good coworkings (as a space): thegrounds and icube but:

Shared CONS:
- both are mostly empty (most of the time only 1-2 locals in open space, other locals in private offices -> you won't have much interaction with them)
- both open only from 8.00-18.00 and closed during weekends.
- zero initiative - no any members lunch or trying to make community alive

==Icube
- has WIFI speed only around 10MB/10MB (seems limited per user)
- only allow to login to WIFI with one device
- it's more far away from oldtown (but no problem if you have motorbike)
- hot desk are big NO NO - those are tiny circular desk and plastic chairs that are only OK to have a tea and chitchat
- cold desks are good but they have only 13 sits for those - most are rented by locals/companies but not used for 90% of days in a week -> I was only one nomad, place looked empty but still it was the last cold desk I could rent. During my 2 weeks on average there was 1-3 other people in open space

+ on the good side cold desk is very cheap and the price per week is pretty much the same -> don't need to commit for 1 month. But I don't like fixed desk -> harder to get to know someone if cowork is mostly empty
+ downstairs lots of shops for having a lunch
+ having more startup vibe look

==The Grounds
- freaking cold air-con (had to go with long pants and shoes instead of shorts + flip-flops and still felt cold)
+ pretty much inside downtown - don't need transport if living nearby
+ more modern look than icube
+ have 5 days flexible pass

2. INTERNET
I would say overall mobile internet is slow in Kuching. I tried both Digi and Yoodo (by Celcom). Even though speed test was showing 10MB/10MB often everything was very sluggish even when signal was strong (just simple website browsing, restaurant images in google maps, etc.)

3. ACTIVITIES/NATURE
- closest beach is ~40min away on motorbike (too far away to randomly each day go to see sunset and it's raining most of the evenings anyway), all beaches are very 'meh' (I though Penang or even Langkawi beach is meh but Kuching was even lower league). Probably not safe to swim (they have warning sign about "watch out crocodiles")
- even if you busy most of the week you can tick off most places worth to visit within 2 weekends
- nothing spectacular, sure there is wildlife center to see orangutans (if you lucky) but that's event only for like 2h
- national parks are ok but e.g. bako national park has only 2 routes open (those more interesting are closed)
- borneo culture museum or sarawak culture center was ok but nothing mind blowing (and not cheap)
+ the only thing that I liked is waterfront area during evening, musical fountain and vibe around there.

Now go search instagram for hashtag #Kuching or #sarawak for inspiration -> probably you won't find many interesting spots that are "must see"

4. WEATHER
- at least in whole May was raining a lot! pretty much every day mostly after 17.00 though. Raining is not like raining in thailand or indonesia that after 15-30min it stops and after another 30min everything is dry. When it's raining it will be raining probably for 1-2h minimum. This makes evenings more boring and need to force yourself to get out especially if you are on motorbike

5. COSTS
- not easy to find some decent accomodation on AirBnB for 1000ドル or less. I stayed in Kozi Square (many airbnbs there) for ~550ドル. Room was ok but tiny but a little better than most average hotels. I recommend to just rent Hotels weekly around waterfront instead

- motorbike for 1 month is around 600 RM but that's semi-automatic, if you want automatic it's 800 RM. Can drive only around Kuching. The semi automatic was very good though (waterproof phone holder, and waterproof storage in the back)
+ lots of hotel choices for around 20-30$ in downtown so don't have to commit for 1 month

As a rule of thumb cost of living is similar to Penang (though in Kuching accommodation rental cheaper) and around 2-3x of cost in Chiang Mai

6. TIPS
a) don't commit for 1 month upfront, better just commit for 2 weeks, see how much you like it or if you click with someone and then decide if worth to stay longer or go to e.g. Sabah instead
b) choose accommodation in walking distance to waterfront (oldtown/chinatown). This is where city is most alive in the evening and even if you are 5min away on motorbike like me was, it's still better to be there because often raining and easier to meet some random travelers randomly walking
c) this is not Thailand. Many places closes at 15.00 or 17.00. Other only opens at 17.00 but stay open until 22.00. Most places outside of waterfront area will be closed very early (before 18.00). Even most food places around iCube cowork closes before 18.00. The good things is that easier to find place open for breakfast.
d) you will probably have better experience if not traveling solo but with partner or travel-mate and co-living (can share nicer flat and car, feeling less boring)
e) consider first 2 days staying maybe in some nicer social hostel - at least you can maybe meet some travelers and do something together. Or even maybe renting better single room in some nicer hostel if you are solo nomad (even if it's less comfortable than having own studio/condo)
f) many AirBnB places have not good WIFI (because using mobile internet instead of wired) - double check it before renting since remember coworking spaces are only open between 8.00-18.00 and closed during weekends.

Kuching is a great place to base yourself, it's a vibrant yet quiet little city with access to all sorts of outdoor activities. I stayed at the Borneo Seahare Guesthouse for about 5 months. It is run by a western guy called Ben and his wife Syeda, they really helped me out with everything I needed and gave me a very reasonable rate on a private room. The internet was good and the place had everything I needed including a full kitchen for me to cook. Based right in the city center with loads of shops, restaurants and bars close by. I can highly recommended Kuching its a wonderful city and I will be returning next year for sure!

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