Kuching is beautiful, clean, and generally a pleasure to visit. It is also a great jumping off point for three wonderful parks, Bako, Gannung Gading, and Kubah. Kubah is the closest (although in some ways the hardest to get to) and has the nicest hostels... it's like staying in a country cottage, very beautiful. Bako definitely has the best opportunities to see nature and wild life (at least 3 kinds of monkeys as well as mudskipper fish, monitor lizards, and more!). Gannung Gading is very nice and also well worth a vist. A week plus trip can be a great way to see the city with ample opportunities to visit the wild life of Borneo!
In Kuching, check out the BB Inn, a wonderful place to visit at very cheap (15-25 RM per night for 1 person depending on if you want a dorm or a hostel.). Very close by is a giant neon colored mall with great malaysian food in the food court, and a nice sidewalk cafe on the corner.
In the early evening you get the impression that Kuching rolls up the sidewalks at dusk... but by 11 the night life explodes into a wide array of trendy bars, clubs, and disco's...
