| Sarawak Regatta is Kuching's top boat-racing | | | | outboard motors, and they curl along with |
| event, and has 15 different race categories. | | | | surprising speed and agility. The experience of |
| Traditional Chinese dragon boats, along with other | | | | riding in one, while the impossibly dense jungle wall |
| colourful models, are paddled through the waters | | | | breezes past, is unforgettable. Join the crowd for |
| of the Sarawak River along Kuching Waterfront. | | | | a weekend of watery boat races, sweaty |
| The Sarawak Regatta is an annual event held at | | | | paddlers and enthusiastic crowd which thronged |
| the Kuching Waterfront at the Sarawak River. | | | | the banks of Sarawak River in the wee hours of |
| This year Sarawak Regatta will be held from 31st | | | | the morning to watch paddlers battling their |
| July till 2nd August 2009. | | | | strengths and skills amidst the shouts and cheers. |
| Sarawak is known to international visitors primarily | | | | Watch out for the crowd's favourite races and |
| because of the extraordinary natural wonders of | | | | the 'must watch events', where the 'Bidar' boat |
| its national parks, including Gunung Mulu, the Niah | | | | races take centre stage. Adding to the variety |
| Caves, and Bako. Sarawak's cultural treasures are | | | | and excitement are the 'tambang' boat races, |
| also fascinating, reflecting the influence not only of | | | | jet-ski races, kayak races and the traditional |
| the state's many ethnic peoples, but also the odd | | | | water sports events. The highlight of these races |
| western influence of Sarawak's "White Rajahs." | | | | will be the King of the River title for His |
| The capital of Sarawak is Kuching. Malaysia Airlines | | | | Excellency's the Governor's Challenge Trophy. The |
| flies regularly to Kuching International Airport as | | | | tourist category of a 15 paddlers team and 20 |
| well as to Miri from Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, | | | | paddlers International category are available to |
| Singapore, and Kota Kinabalu. Boats are a | | | | foreign tourists to compete in the race. |
| common mode of transport in Sarawak, as its | | | | A wide array of side events such as tourism, |
| the dense vegetation of its interior is crisscrossed | | | | handicrafts, science and technology exhibition |
| with rivers. Travel in areas not reachable by boat | | | | trade fairs, cultural and food extravaganza, are an |
| is often by light aircrafts and helicopters. Major | | | | added attraction for this year Regatta. These will |
| towns are serviced by buses. | | | | certainly bring in more crowd, more excitement, |
| Sarawak's endless rivers form the vast state's | | | | more thrills and spills to the Sarawak Regatta |
| transportational backbone. The most common | | | | 2009. It will definitely be an event you will not |
| crafts used along the rivers are called perahus; | | | | want to miss. |
| they are low-lying pencil thin canoes equipped with | | | | |