Rainforest World Music Festival 2008 - Kuching

From Hanoi we go back to Kuching, my home town. Kuching recently hosted the 11th Rainforest World Music Festival. From it's humble beginning 11 years ago, it has grown into a popular World event attracting over 22,000 people over the 3 days. 

The event is held at the Sarawak Cultural Village which is about 45 min drive from Kuching City. It is set within a tropical rainforest, with the Santubong Mountain in the background.

I went to the 2nd day which was on 12th July. We got there around 5.30 p.m. It was still quiet, prople are just streaming in. Unlike rock concerts where the audience is usually restless and hyper before the show, here it is quite peaceful and idyllic. Maybe it is because of the setting -  being surrounded by the trees, and overlooking a beautiful lake.

There are workshops during the day for those who would like to exchange ideas and jam with the musicians. This year there was also a Craft Market featuring hand-made products from around the region. As you move around the venue you will bump into some small groups or solo musicians giving  impromtu performances.

As this is Kuching, you can't do without food ! There is a huge food bazaar selling all kinds of things like hawker favourites, BBQ, fried chicken, burgers, etc. Of course there's lots of beer !