Footloose in Kuching: Tribal legacy, arts and nature elevate 'cat city'

KUCHING, Malaysia -- It is said that when the British adventurer James Brooke sailed up Borneo's Sarawak River in 1841 he stumbled across an attractive backwater settlement. Impressed by its strategic location, he asked a local man its name and was told "kucing," which means "cat" in Malay. Local lore says that Brooke's informant thought the visiting orang putih (white man) had pointed to a passing feline.