This was a lovely little outing, and the rain obligingly let up in time for us to enjoy it.

We were accompanied by local historian and author James S.L. Yong (who wrote the book on Padungan that is the go-to reference for our favourite area of Kuching). He's now working on a project covering Kai Joo Lane, one of Kuching's fascinating historic streets.

We started off in the Hiap Yak Tea Shop, a business started in the 1940s by the father of the current owner. We had kaya toast and coffee, as you do. Not just any old coffee, however, but rather "opium coffee". I'd had this butter coffee before, but hadn't realized its significance. In the old days, it was favoured by opium smokers as a means of lubricating their dry throats. Nowadays, the butter is added to the liquid; in the old days, customers would have alternated between a mouthful of butter and a swig of coffee.





James showed us his compilation of maps, photos, archival records, and interview transcriptions, which have enabled him to piece together the colourful history of each of the shophouses in the street.

I won't trespass on his territory -- buy the book when it comes out! -- but it's a rollicking tale featuring old-time opium dens, gangster hangouts, and brothels, as well as slightly more prosaic coffin businesses, and rice-porridge stalls serving the coolies of the area.

Nowadays, Kai Joo Lane is much more genteel. The premises predominantly house tailors' businesses, gold shops, and traditional cafes and bakeries (this is where you can buy the sate that we like, plus those stupendous egg tarts that are the equivalent of an entire lunch).

We rounded off with a short walk up and down the lane itself. It was a little quiet on this rainy Ramadan morning, but it's still easy to sense the reverberations of history. Many of the locals have lived here for generations, which makes the locality a very unique repository of stories, and James's project a very necessary and precious one.













I'm hugely grateful for opportunities like these. They make me appreciate all over again both the richness of the city I live in, and the generosity of those who safeguard that heritage, and share it with us.