Notes on the Geography of Malaysia: Modern Suburban KuchingWe look here at the administrative district north of the river, then at some commercial and residential neighborhoods to the south. Make default image size larger ![]() Early in 2009, the State Legislative Assembly Building (Dewan Undangan Negeri) was nearing completion between the Astana and Fort Margherita, both of which it dwarfed. ![]() Set back farther from the river, and in the style made famous (or notorious) by Brasilia, the Wisma Bapa Malaysia houses various government offices in splendid isolation. ![]() Avenue of approach. No sidewalks. ![]() An uncomfortable walk to the north, an office building of Sarawak Energy. ![]() The Wisma Sumber Alam, housing the ministry of Public Utilities and the Forest Department. ![]() Located in a way that guarantees that nobody will ever come on foot, this is the state mosque or Masjid Jamek Negeri Sarawak. ![]() It's deserted. ![]() Dome. ![]() Prayer niche, with floor fans. ![]() There's at least one very chi-chi neighborhood in these parts. We'll take a look. ![]() What style? ![]() The everlasting appeal of the Greek temple. ![]() Italian Renaissance bringing up the rear. ![]() Simpler housing, farther north. ![]() Duplex. ![]() Ticky-tack? ![]() We've jumped to the south of Kuching and to the first big building seen when driving north from the airport to the city. ![]() A couple of miles farther in, the Premier 101 commercial center echoes New Urbanist principles. ![]() Of course, the New Urbanism isn't so far from the traditional shophouse: shop down, apartment up. ![]() Starbucks lookalike. ![]() This is the tropics, in case you needed reminding. ![]() A nearby subdivision. ![]() A house of considerable elegance. ![]() Kuching's flashiest shopping center. ![]() Interior. ![]() Sushi delivered by conveyor. ![]() Globalization on the march. ![]() Super-premium globalization. ![]() Ooh! My favorite brand: the French, they are so civilized. ![]() That's about USD 80 a pop. ![]() Better suited to one traveler's budget and proof of the adaptability of the Malay language. ![]() Local HQ for Yum Brands. ![]() Apartment building on the river. ![]() We've come here to juxtapose old and new. Right next to the building in the last picture, a truck approaches with big blocks of ice. ![]() They're ground up and shunted down to the hold of a fishboat about to set out to sea. |
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