Endless party
Friday, August 8. I am in Kuala Lumpur airport, trying to take a flight to Kota Bharu, up north near the Thai border. The plan is to reach there by nine pm and then cross the border for green curry dinner. There are no tickets. The person at the Malaysian airlines counter asks
“You are on vacation here?” “Yes” “Do you have to go to Kota Bharu?” “Not really.” “Would you like to go to Kuching instead? There is a plane leaving in an hour.” Hmm… Kuching, I always wanted to go there, Kuching is the capital of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. “Yes sir, Give me a ticket to Kuching.” Three hours later, I am in Kuching. It is past midnight, but the riverfront is crowded. In a nearby disco, there is a party on. What party, it is a riot. The people are only too happy to have you at the party. Before I notice it is 4 AM, the DJ has made several attempts to escape. The crowd pushes him back. Eventually, he sneaks out of a back exit. Reluctantly, people start leaving. I ask some kids if they were sad that the party ended. They reply “Well..we will be back later tonight. We can’t stay home. It is a Saturday night…”.
The cat city, Kuching means cat in Malay.