It’s the GF’s mother’s final weekend in KL and we took her on a long-delayed stroll through Bukit Nanas. This is a small forest reserve on a hill (with, reputedly, some secret tunnels) in the middle of KL and a five minute walk from our flat. It’s amazing how quickly the sounds and feel of the city fall away to be replaced by insect whines and the still, sticky humidity of the jungle. There, KL does feel like the aberration in a million year old jungle. I wonder what it will look like a thousand years from now, if there will be any trace left (assuming, of course, climate change doesn’t change it all beyond recognition). I read a really fascinating article a year ago, about reinforced concrete and how quickly it deteriorates, so without constant maintenance we can expect many of modern buildings to crumble rapidly. No Angkor Wats in the jungle from our global civilisation.
If I ever have a house of my own, I would like to look into interesting construction techniques such as rammed earth.