Open Air Market (Tower Market) — Kuching’s 1927 Fire Station That Became a Food Landmark
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Open Air Market is where I would start a hungry old-town walk. The stalls are inside today, but the surviving tower quietly gives away an older name: Tower Market.
Wikimedia Commons / ShoestringThe tower is a remnant of the 1920s Sarawak Fire Brigade site. When the new station moved to Jalan Padungan in the 1950s, the old building changed use while the watchtower stayed. A later roofed market turned a fire-service landmark into an everyday hawker meeting point—from alarm tower to a bowl of noodles.
KuchingBorneoI would walk in from Main Bazaar and let the time decide the food: daytime staples and drinks, later hawker energy, with kolo mee and gula apong as easy Kuching cues. This is a working market, not a curated food hall; allow 30–60 minutes, carry small cash and expect shared seating.
My Lovely Blue SkyJalan Khoo Hun Yeang, Jalan Power, Jalan Market and Jalan Gartak frame the area, linking it to the riverfront and Carpenter Street. Parking and stall hours vary. DBKU has discussed facility improvements, so old “24-hour” descriptions are not a promise for today. International visitors wanting living food culture should choose it over a generic photo stop—provided they accept the busy reality.
My Lovely Blue Sky
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