We had another wild few hours last night, as Kuching was lashed by strong winds and torrential rain. Flooding has necessitated evacuations in some places.

Before the installation of the Sungai Sarawak Regulation Scheme in the 1990s, Kuching faced regular flooding, including a major event in 1963. (There are some pictures here and here, and an absolutely fascinating story about what some saw as the supernatural origin of the event here.)

Anyway, this post is not about flooding. It's about two different ways of living with heritage.

While we were out walking on Sunday (ah, such a long time ago, before the CMCO, before the deluge...), we came across some new additions to the jolly murals off Jalan Power.

I'm a huge fan of murals. They're colourful, they age picturesquely, and wall art that focuses on the past does a good job of gently but powerfully reminding us of bygone eras.





We hadn't spotted this before either...


The commercialization of historic properties is another way of keeping us in touch with our past, and this practice has the dual advantages of helping us get to know and value these unique places while also contributing to their upkeep.

It has to be done carefully, though... The Sarawak Heritage Society is concerned about the modifications currently being carried out on the Round Tower, which is apparently in the process of being converted into a cafe/restaurant.



Always a difficult balance to strike...