Felicia, a third-generation business owner, shared that this is the shophouse her grandfather bought in 1938 to run a store selling Chinese prayer items. Her father was born just a year after the business began, and now the baton has been passed to her.
As we strolled along the narrow, meandering streets lined with red lanterns and timeworn wooden signs and past the Kuching Waterfront—where the town began as an early 19th-century settlement—it becomes clear that this pocket of Kuching is more than a heritage site—it's a living story. While tourists photograph the colourful façades and sip local coffee, families like Felicia's keep the old rhythms alive.
But Kuching is not merely a city steeped in the past. After dinner at Izzy's, my sister's in-laws—who hail from and still live in Kuching—showed me a side I've missed out on. Over the last 20 years, the state capital has expanded into a modern and vibrant urban landscape. Satellite townships, such as Bandar Samariang, are transforming into lifestyle and tourism hubs. Kota Samarahan's Tabuan Tranquillity, The NorthBank, and Arden City feature a mix of gated homes, retail strips, and specialist healthcare centres—signalling a city that is growing outward and upward.
Entrepreneurship pulses strongly. SMEs contribute to over 75% of Sarawak's business sector, generating more than 600,000 jobs and driving local economic growth. What's even more compelling is Kuching's place in Sarawak's green vision, as a global Hydrogen Hub.
I have five days ahead — and much more to discover.
