Things to to in Kuching during RWMF (Part 4)

Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is fast approaching, so here's recommended activity #4 to do in Kuching:

Visit the Beach

Kuching isn't famous for its beaches because you do not find white sand with blue waters here. Most people would recommend Damai Beach resort because it's the more commercialised one, but if you have the time to spare, you're better off going to nicer ones which are further out of town:

Pandan Beach (pictured below) is roughly 2 hours drive from Kuching and is a lot more beautiful than Sematan or Damai Beach because there are more coconut trees and the beach is clean. There is a canteen selling coconut juice and other refreshments which is great if you're spending the afternoon there.

Sematan Beach (pictured below) is approximately 30 mins drive from Pandan Beach. You'll find a pier which locals use to fish. Ideal to have a sunset dinner by the few coffee shop style restaurants there.

I would recommend to head to Pandan Beach first arriving at around 3pm, then head to Sematan Beach at around 5pm for a sunset dinner.

Sematan Beach location map (click here)
Pandan Beach location map (click here)

Business Review 3: Massage Centres

What's the difference between a massage centre and a foodcourt? At first I didn't think there were any similarities until I was enlightened by how massage centres operate from a friend...

My friend told me that massage centre bosses usually get their employees from referrals from their current employees. He would help to arrange the travel documentation and provide them accommodation. I used to think that accommodation and food would be included in their employment agreement, but according to my friend, it isn't. Accommodation rental is charged to the masseurs, together with other services like food catering and transportation. This is where I think is the brilliant aspect of this business.

The massage centre bosses have 2 income streams:

1. paying customers who come for a massage
2. their own staff who pay - royalty for each massage transaction, rental for accommodation, charges for transportation, food, travel documents, etc

So even when a massage centre has zero customers, income derived from his own staff can offset some of the fixed charges he has to pay. The massage centre boss is basically creating an environment for the employees to work and make money, while charging "rental" as an income stream. Once again, the concept of helping others make money applies here.

If you put this in the context of a typical foodcourt, the masseurs are renting the place like renting a stall which requires them to pay a rental to the foodcourt owner. The foodcourt owner sells drinks and the volume of drinks he can sell is dependent on the quantity of customers who patronise the foodcourt. The quantity of customers is dependent on the pulling power of the stalls collectively. This foodcourt drinks business is like the royalty the boss earns from every massage service carried out by the masseurs. The boss has to ensure the quality of massage remains at a high standard to pull in crowds because this will not only increase the amount of money he receives from the royalties ("drinks" business), but also the chargable services ("rental" business) he earns from the masseurs. When masseurs can make money, they will recommend friends or family members to come work for the boss, which increases the income derived from his "rental" business. 1 action can grow 2 streams of income. You can consider it unethical or inhumane the way some of the bosses run their businesses, but as an income-generating business model, it is simply brilliant...

Italian Buffet at Ristorante Beccari, Merdeka Palace

There are not many Italian food outlets around town, let alone Italian buffets, but Ristorante Beccari at Merdeka Palace Hotel puts on quite a good spread. Ambiance is warm and cosy, place is nicely decorated and food quality is surprisingly above expectations.

There is a good range of tasty Italian appetisers which I won't even bother trying to spell...
Open-concept kitchen with fire-oven baked pizzas which adds to the authenticity...

Pick your pasta, then pick your sauce, and have it cooked on the spot by the restaurant chef. I thought all bolognaise sauces were the same until I tried theirs which was surprisingly different...

Desserts galore...Overall, a great dining experience. Not the type of buffet where you go and see how much food you can stuff in your stomach cos you'll be pretty full from the pasta and creamy sauces. The buffet is only available on Sunday evenings starting from 6.30 pm till 10 pm. It costs rm 59++ per person which is rm 67.85 after the stupid service and government tax.

Merdeka Palace Hotel can be reached at: 082-258000
(location map)

Things to to in Kuching during RWMF (Part 3)

In the 3rd of my RWMF series, here's another recommended touristy thing to do in Kuching:

Go Kayaking in the Rivers of the Rainforest

Other than visiting the caves in Bau, going kayaking along the rainforest rivers is a very good way to soak up the Sarawak experience. The waters are calm so it soothes the mind when you want to get away from your hectic work lifestyle.

You get magnificent views along the river journey such as rock formations, untouched greenery and scenic landscapes. This activity takes almost a full day and it's well worth doing if you have a day to spare in Kuching. It is a safe activity for all because it is supervised by experienced guides and the waters are not rough and wild. You need to have the tour pre-planned with the company that runs it. For more information and contact details, visit the owner's blog at:

http://www.fh2o.kuchingkayak.com/

Business Concept 5: Humans Vs. Systems

No, I'm not referring to Terminator here... I'm talking about the relationship between humans and systems in a business. Consider this scenario:

The accounts department gets confused by the many pricing structures of a company. There are:

• limited-time price promotions
• free gift with purchase
• quantity discounts

If you asked the accounts department to bill a customer based on his previous invoice, how can you make sure it is not billed based on a promotional price? When a mistake is made who do you blame - The person or the system? There is a difference and it is important for a business owner to understand the difference. The lazy, easy and common way is to give the accounts clerk a good scolding and hope that the mistake doesn't repeat itself. But what happens if the clerk is on leave and another person has to take over the job and makes that mistake?

The alternative to a good scolding, provide intensive training, multi-level checking, etc is to try to improve the system so that we close the loophole to prevent another repeat incident. How about creating a special code for all non standard items? This can be a form of a promotion invoice tag or promotion product code, so when the account clerk is about to price an item, promotional items are clearly marked. This will lead to less confusion, therefore less mistakes in the future.

Do you improve man to compensate for a weak system, or do you improve the system to compensate for the unpredictable man? I believe that humans are too variable and unpredictable to be depended on. Humans are emotional beings and performance can be affected by many outside influences. I also believe than systems should be set up to be run by people rather than people running the system. In order for a business owner to go on a long holiday and not worry about things going wrong while he is away, he will need to set up a foolproof business system. Remember: a self running business is the difference between a self-employed and a business owner as defined in the earlier article, "How to Make Money". If the business system is not foolproof to be run by employees, the owner can never take himself out of the business and his income will be proportionate to the time he puts in the business.

Best Kolomee in Kuching

It's hard to get an agreement on the best signature dish of Kuching, but my pick is Hong Hing Cafe located in the city centre. When ordering this dish, make sure you specify that you want "cha sio iu" or the red sauce, otherwise it comes without. The red sauce is what makes the noodles at Hong Hing Cafe stand out because it gives it a fragrant sweet flavour. You can order wonton or mixed meat soup to go as a side dish.

The stall opens for breakfast but sells out usually by 12pm, so if you want to take it for lunch, it will have to be an early lunch. You will see on the signboard above the stall reads "Kuching (Green Road) Kolomee" because this is a branch of the famous kolomee stall along Green Road called Sin Lian Shin. The noodles are so famous that it now has Hong Hing Cafe as a branch, and another at MJC Batu Kawa, where they operate a whole foodcourt by themselves.

The founder of the kolomee started off by selling his noodles to office employees using his motorcycle. He is now the only noodle seller that I know that drives a Mercedes E-class and has 3 branches across town.

Both the HQ and the foodcourt do not serve the soup side dish which is why I recommend the one at Hong Hing Cafe just for that extra variety.

Location Maps:

Hong Hing Cafe (click here)

Operates morning till late morning.

Sin Lian Shin Cafe (click here)

Operates morning till late afternoon.

(Picture coming soon)

Sin Lian Shin Foodcourt (click here)

Operates morning till night.

Things to to in Kuching during RWMF (Part 2)

This is Part 2 of the Rainforest World Music Festival series where I'll b showcasing things to do in little ol' Kuching so that the city slickers wouldn't complain of how boring my hometown is. Sarawak is known for it's humongous caves, but that's in Mulu, which you need to take a plane to get to. Here's an alternative that is only 45 minutes drive from the city centre.

Visit Wind and Fairy Caves

Easily reachable by car, this is a convenient and fast way of getting the Sarawak cave experience. The Wind Cave is tourist-friendly and safe because there are proper wooden platforms to walk along. There's a tourist information centre where you can rent a torchlight which is included in the rm 3 entrance fee you pay.

You get to see interesting rock formations and little bats that look like more like baby birds flying above. It takes less than 30 minutes to explore the cave. Pictured below is one of the three entrances where you can enjoy a continuous airflow of wind in your face, hence the name Wind Cave.
Fairy Cave is just 10 minutes' drive away from Wind Cave. I didn't explore Fairy Cave because I was put down by the many flights of stairs one needs to climb to the entrance. Pictured below is the entrance which is already breath-taking:

This is a recommended tourist activity to do in the afternoon when you don't want to be under the hot sun. Remember to bring a cap for the hot sun and bats' droppings!