So we're back in Malaysia. But not in "our" bit of Malaysia.

Instead, we're in Kuching, Sarawak. I've not been in this delightful city for over a decade, and I'm very happy to find it as livable and laid-back and food-filled as I remember it.

We arrived on Saturday evening, checked into the Grand Margherita, and bounced straight back out again for a night-time walk.

I remembered the riverside ambiance. Food, people, breezes. But new was a pedestrian bridge, all bounce and changing colours. We're still in the Chinese New Year period, so many streets are lantern-bedecked.



Sunday brought a kaleidoscope of characteristic Kuching experiences: slurping Sarawak laksa for breakfast; strolling a few more streets; visiting the excellent exhibition at the Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita; shopping for kek lapis at Mira Cake House in Kampung Boyan (we chose tiger stripes and Sarawak flag colours); and taking the little ferry back across the river.























It's really nice being somewhere that is both very familiar and very different.