Noodles, boat rides and transvestites

Eating Street Food in KK...

It's Thursday evening, shortly before 8:00 p.m. in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Greg and I just returned to our hotel room following a local dinner at a noodle stall on the waterfront. This area is a short five-minute, 12 Ringgit ($4) cab ride from our hotel and is very local, a.k.a. cheap and rich with local flavor both culturally and culinary. This area is reached shortly after the westernized pubs and eateries; The Irish Pub, an Italian place and various pizzerias.

We walked through a produce market filled to capacity with the familiar and exotic; large racks of bananas in varying stages of ripening, tables filled with verdant greens stretching as far as the eye can see, okra the size of small zuchinnis, plump squashes and melons; the list is endless. There aren't permanent stalls in this market, instead the area is set-up and torn down each evening.

There is a mish-mash of canvas and plastic strung with twine and rope slightly above head level to keep the inevitable rain off the produce, sellers and patrons. It's important to be aware of the occasional low-bridge of tied-off twine as you're walking lest you become entangled in the web.

Stalls vary in size, with both men and women hawking their produce in a matter-of-fact, non-intrusive manner. And of course there were lots of children either sleeping in their mother's arms, eating a cheap meal of noodles or running errands.

After walking through the aisles of produce, we eventually transitioned into the food area. For 17.50 Ringgits, a little under $6.00, we had; 2 noodle plates, 1 rice plate, 3 steaming bowls of chicken broth soup, a package of fresh-cut papaya (about 5 big pieces) and a similar package of watermelon, 2 bottled waters, and 'dessert' consisting of a glazed doughnut and two pancake-things. Everything was purchased from different vendors, except for the soup which came with the noodles and rice. Dessert was not to our liking and I honestly didn't expect it to be, but for $.30 I thought I'd give it a whirl. The noodles were cooked in an enormous wok heated by an open flame connected to a propane tank via a rubber hose.

Greg ordered the noodles while I went in search of fresh squeezed orange juice. Unfortunately, the juice lady wasn't there tonight (this is our second visit for dinner) so we had bottled water instead. The noodles are started with a generous scoop of oil splashed into the wok; an egg is added and quickly scrambled followed closely by green cabbage, noodles and some chicken which really is mostly for show. Spoonfuls of salt, white pepper, sugar and a couple different spicy-hot sauces round out the dish. All is added between vigorous stirring and flipping of ingredients that are dumped onto a plate covered in plastic and served with a bowl of steaming broth soup with a few friend onions and fresh scallions floating on top- delicious. The plate is covered in plastic because there are no dish-washing facilities; as each patron finishes their meal, the bag is simply deposited into the rubbish bin, a new one is slipped on and viola, dinner's served. I'm not sure how the utensils are cleaned, the less I know the better.

While we were eating tonight, a young lady and her clearly male-transvestite companion sat at the table next to us. After a few minutes, another transvestite showed up, sat down and began eating with them. I need to do some actual research but from what I've observed, Malaysians are quite tolerant of what seems (to me) to be open homosexuality. The young men working at the noodle stall exchanged playful banter with the first transvestite, grabbing her butt and flirting. Interesting behavior in a Muslim, granted moderate, but nonetheless Muslim majority country. I certainly appreciate the moderate nature of the Muslim population; we can order beer and pork...quite civilized, indeed!

Our Island Adventure...

Earlier today was spent taking a motor boat, arranged by Mr. Nagib at Summer Cruises, across the bay to Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park to Manukan Island. For $20 each round-trip we had what has been one of the funnest (in my opinion) adventures of our stay in KK. The journey over was unremarkable and we spent most of our time eating a pretty decent lunch on the island. After lunch, we strolled down to the beach so I could soak my feet in the salty waters of the South China Sea while snapping a few pictures and collecting green sea glass. Greg suggested we head back to the dock earlier than our agreed upon 4:00 departure because of a mass of dark clouds massing on the horizon. I believe his exact words were, "I'd rather not be in an open boat on the water during an electrical storm." Pretty good thinking on his part, I'd say.

We walked back towards the pier, meeting our contact from Summer Cruises on the way. He was very sorry, but no, there was no early boat for us to take back, we must wait until 4:00. So, we sat at a picnic table on the beach, waiting for our boat as we watched the storm roll in. As the winds picked up and the temperature dropped a bit, we could see torrents of rain falling randomly across sea and land. Our reverie was interrupted; a boat had been radioed to make the crossing early; it seems we were not the only guests of the island who felt it would be best to make our way back early. We should have waited until 4:00.

A boat load of people were quickly herded into place, life vests were passed out and we began the trip across. The motor roared to life and we were off like a thoroughbred at the Belmont Stakes. As our boat alternately caught air then slapped down on the choppy waves, we were caught in the spray. Within minutes, everyone in the boat was really wet but laughing. Then it began to rain and not just a light misting but a full-on, tropical deluge that instantly soaks through every layer of clothing. We had rain pelting us from above and sideways with spray hitting us in quick, staccato rivets as our boat captain hauled-ass towards shore. The boat bypassed our hotel marina, instead heading into town as the first drop-off point.

Everyone else got off; Greg and I were the only ones left on the boat with the Captain and the young kid from the island who had been helping us. It is noteworthy to mention at this point that the kid was laying on the floor of the boat holding a life vest over the top of his head. The Captain was totally calm, clearly accustomed to the vagaries of the Sea.

We made it back to land safe and sound, returned our dripping towels to the kiosk and walked to our hotel through inches of accumulated water and the still pouring rain. We looked as if we had just stepped out of the shower, albeit fully clothed. Judging by the not so furitive glance I got, I could have won a wet t-shirt contest. There was absolutely nothing left to the imagination- at least I wasn't wearing white.

A chilly ride up in the elevator, a quick stripping of our wet clothes (I had to wring-out my bra) and the longest, hottest shower imaginable bolstered us enough to head downstairs for an Irish coffee. We had definitely earned it.

Greg starts his conference tomorrow :( so I will go on an all-day tour to a butterfly farm, hot springs, jungle canopy walk, and craft shopping extravaganza with Betsy and Tuul, Head of Secondary and Deputy Director of ISU respectively. We will do our best to stay out of trouble.