"Kuching is a good place to cure the disease of your fat wallet," James, our Borneo Adventure guide assures us, smilingly, on Day One.

We've just arrived from Kuala Lumpur, Western Malaysia, where we fondly imagined we'd sharpened our shopping skills to the max. So with our 'fat wallets' almost cured we wonder what else we'll find to buy - and sigh in anticipation.

One of Eastern Malaysia's two states (Sabah, to the north, is the other) Sarawak lies in a strip along Borneo's western coast, roughly twice the area of Tasmania, and embracing Brunei.

The name of Sarawak's capital, Kuching (population around a million), translates simply as 'cat' in Bahasa Malay, the country's official language - although there is some discussion whether perhaps it is really a corruption of 'cochin', meaning a port, which makes more sense, located as it is on the Sarawak River. After all, 'cat' is a rather strange name for a city.

Regardless, cats are synonymous with Kuching. Local moggies, most with the characteristic twisted stumpy tail, saunter around as if they know the place is named for them. They feature on key rings and ornaments, signs and T-shirts, as well as a couple of public sculptures.

There is even the world's only Cat Museum, housed in the city's most visible building, Kuching North City Hall. Here cat-lovers can immerse themselves in all sorts of cat-obilia - and empty their wallets buying cat-related kitsch.

More amazing are the great apes at the Semengoh orang utan rehabilitation centre, about a 45-minute drive from Kuching. Turn up in time for their feeding at 9am or 3pm and you'll have the privilege of watching these magnificent creatures, many who were orphaned when young or rescued from captivity, now swinging through the trees and swooping down for fruit at the feeding platform.

"Sometimes they do not come at all," says James, now morphed in our eyes into "Jungle Jim", "Maybe there is much fruit in the jungle. Maybe they are in love."

It's hot and steamy here in Sarawak. Kuching lies on about the same latitude as Singapore, just a couple of degrees north of the equator. Next day we venture further into the jungle, driving five hours or so east, past oil palm and pepper plantations, and padi fields, through deep canyons of greenery.

At last we arrive at Batang Ai Hydro Lake and take a swift boat ride across to what appears to be a series of longhouses, melting into the greenery on the far side. Hilton Hotels built its outpost resort in this remotely beautiful location, ten years ago, the only Hilton eco-lodge in the south-east Asia-Pacific region.

Built to replicate traditional longhouses, each building has a long refectory style gallery overlooking the lake, with bedrooms at the rear. Why this way round? A leaflet in my room explains that this is the respectful way these houses have always been constructed. By keeping with tradition, the lake spirits will stay happy, it says, and I am happy with that too.

Breaking with tradition - and I am grateful for this - the rooms are air-conditioned, and have all the usual hotel accoutrements, polished floors, amenities in the ensuite bathrooms, TV and minibar, even while on the doorstep of wilderness.

One afternoon we take a one-hour nature 'walk', clambering up a smallish mountain then crossing a chasm on a suspension bridge. Several litres of perspiration later we return to aperitifs, poolside at the hotel, and a cookery lesson from the chef.

The next day a longboat ride whisks us noisily up the lake to a real longhouse, with a real welcome from people happy to share their home-made rice wine, and who dance for us, and let us peek into their rooms.

The head man told us he had been in charge of the '14 door' (14-family) longhouse with its 92 residents for thirty years. Outside piglets rooted on the ground and a rooster puffed out its feathers by the tap. Dogs, their energy depleted by the heat, lay around the ruai (the front part of the house where all the major community activity takes place) while a couple of tabby and white cats eyed us warily. Some children played on a swing, another one drummed us a ditty, and a two year old showed off his toys. Not so different to home life anywhere.

But paradise comes with a price, and on the return trip the heavens dumped on us and we scrambled to wrap cameras in plastic as little white caps kicked up in the lake ahead of us.

So did we empty our wallets in Kuching?

While KL's shops burst with fake designer bags, shoes and watches, Kuching is craftier and the shops held many temptations. Placemats, batik fabric, sarongs, cane and straw goods, carved wooden bowls, beaded baby carriers, boxes and images. One of us proudly toted home a hornbill-shaped bowl, big enough to bathe a baby. Another gamely repacked to make room for a tin ship.

This is definitely the place to come for unusual Christmas presents and curios, tempting souvenirs of a land that too often remains written in the margins of many people's travel wish-lists.

Cats are said to have nine lives. I have only one, and thank goodness I had a chance to fit Sarawak into this one.

FACTFILE:
Where: Sarawak, East Malaysia, is located on the north-western coast of Borneo.

When: The climate is equatorial and tropical. In the monsoon season there might be a short rain storm in the afternoon.