04-Aug-2024
I've a feeling that Purple Tern might betray a certain thinness over the next few weeks... We're heading for Europe in mid-September, and that's also when we're giving up our flat. So there are not only travel issues to sort out, but also moving preparations to make. Our to-do lists are already humongous.
But this week has still had a distinctly photogenic quality:
On our way along Jalan Padungan on Thursday morning, we spotted a bit of a ceremony taking place around the Big Cat. And it seems he's now celebrating World Scout Scarf Day... You didn't know there was a World Scout Scarf Day? Me neither...
That was also final-brunch-day with our visiting Japanese friend:
Fifty8
On Friday we went to the Boulevard mall to check out the book fair. But the trip was also an excellent excuse to pop back into Boulevard Dim Sum, not visited for nearly a year:
Crispy prawn thingies, and a different take on chee cheong fun. Also good were the pork and salted egg dumplings and the home-made fish balls. And, of course, the massive pot of Pu Er tea...
The stuffed fried bun will definitely keep you going until tea-time
An impressive book sale. New books; good selection; keen prices
Yesterday, we went to the Kenyalang area to get rid of our definitively defunct computer. The old-and-slow-but-still-working one we'd passed on to the Salvos before our trip away. But this one was beyond hope. So we took advantage of the electronic waste collection that the council organizes once a month. That was a good excuse for a few other things, too:
Popping back for the nice char kuay teow they do here. Next time we need to try the mackerel fish balls from the stall at the front. You see how you're never finished in Kuching? We need to find a different route, though, as yesterday's was too doggy
Checking out Kenyalang Market
Here's the jolly mural marking the recycling place. We watched the big artic arrive, and the guys set up the requisite tents. We handed over the duff computer -- and received MYR 8. Wow. Didn't expect that. Get rid of your crap, and earn enough for a breakfast...
Then you can head off through Kenyalang Park...
...and across the footbridge (from which we got lovely clear views of Santubong today)...
...to Earthlings for cold coffees
From Earthlings, it's just a hop, skip, and jump to Vivacity, where -- after visiting every suitcase shop in the place -- we bought a girt big suitcase, which will be filled with stuff we'll need as soon as we get back, and will be parked with a friend in the meantime. We're very sceptical of this new mania for attaching the two halves of a suitcase together with a zip... This seems to us to pose a security risk, and makes your suitcase markedly less sturdy. Hence the prolonged hunt for an old-fashioned suitcase without a silly zip...
Today was Car-Free Sunday. We love Car-Free Sunday. You get a much clearer view of the facades, without a ton of vehicles in the way:
And the atmosphere is always very jolly:
On a less cheerful note, there's the story of a bit of heritage under threat. We took photos, ages ago, of the old Nurses' Home (reputed to be haunted...). We fairly regularly walk that route, and have watched it all getting more and more overgrown as the years have gone by. But it seems that change -- and not the most welcome kind -- is in the offing.
So the Sarawak Heritage Society today launched a petition to try to prevent the whole thing being razed... It's a lovely building, and holds memories for many locals. Let's hope a compromise can be reached.
And finally, the rest of the gallery:
Picturesque coffee and cake at Moon and Sun
These guys have proved insanely popular in the evenings, and now they have a morning outlet as well. Country Kitchen, which used to be here, has moved up the road a bit
Ah Kuching, the changes never stop.