Cotton Silk Tree in Merdeka Square, Kuching

On my recent trip home to Kuching (again, yes I am traveling home more and more often these days, why not, mum would love me to visit more frequently), the popular cotton silk tree found directly in front of Merdeka Palace Hotel in Padang Merdeka blossomed and scattered cotton like deposits all over the surrounding area. If only Kuching was not scorching hot that particular weekend, it would have been like we had snow for a while. The tree only blossoms once in two to three years, and I have had the chance to witness this special event during my secondary years in St Thomas School, which was situated nearby. We even had the "snow" blown into the school compound by the wind.

Unfortunately during my visit to the tree with my camera, there was no wind to simulate the "snowing" effect. Nonetheless the tree itself is quite a magnificent view to feast your eyes upon.

The tree is over a century old, reaching 27.4 meters tall, and rumor has it that it is worth more than RM1 Million (about 235,000 USD).

Here is a bowl of Laksa to celebrate the luck that I had to be home during the same time the cotton silk tree blossomed!

Sarawak Laksa, Chong Choon Cafe, Padungan, Kuching

Do you guys have similar tree at your place? Do share your stories! I certainly have not come across similar cotton silk tree elsewhere in Malaysia, this could be the only one.