For the sleeve of their debut album, the Tamparuli music group Papier Mache took a group photo, around 6.30am on 3rd February 2008 on the (only remaining) narrow lane in between 2 rows out of the 5 fifty-year-old wooden shophouses in town.

The photographer was Mr CV “90 Degrees” Chong of Borneo Post.

Preparing for the shoot:

The selected photo:

The final product as can be seen on the back of the CD:

10 months later, at dawn on 9th December 2008, one of the blocks (I think the one on the right side of the photo) was razed to the ground, in the second fire to destroy one whole block out of the remaining, historic shophouses. The first fire was sometime in 1976, on the row which houses amongst others, Keng Swee Hing Restaurant.

This is a photo taken on the 14th of December 2008, albeit looking from the opposite side:

Out of the original 6 blocks, only 4 now remain.

There is no more classic backstreet lane, and right after the fire you definitely need safety equipment to even walk on what used to be it.

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