Kota Kinabalu

I'm sitting at an internet cafe in the Central Point building in Kota Kinabalu. Around me are hundreds of young people playing computer games, and the noise is deafening. It's cool inside, which is a relief, because outside it's about 28C, sunny and extremely humid. Walking is best done at a slow pace.

Arrival
I arrived at KK yesterday eveneing, and had a safe and easy cab ride into town. Warm rain was pouring down, and the streets flooded with water. Once I had unpacked and repacked my gear, however, the rain had stopped, and I could go out for some food.

First Impressions
It's always strange to arrive in a new country when you're jet lagged and so sleep deprived that the whole world is rocking. The culture clash can quite easily become overwhelming, and a very special kind of loneliness digs its fingers into you. Arriving here has probably been one of the easiest cultural transits I've made.
The KK inhabitants seem very friendly and polite. Hawkers don't bother you until you come close, and even then a simple 'no thank you' is enough to ward them off. You can even add a smile to that, and you'll be reciprocated, even though you refused them.
The only thing I'm a little suspicious of are women greeting me a little too friendlily. It's yet a bit difficult for me to tell those who are just being friendly and polite, from those who are proposing something indecent. I'm sure this will be easier to judge with time.

Food, food, food
Before arriving here, I had received glowing recommendations about malaysian food, so naturally I was very expectant. Yesterday I raved about the noodles of Hong Kong airport, but I must say that they have nothing on those I ate for breakfast this morning. This must indeed be where noodles go when they die, and I feel sorry for those who believe that the concept of noodles is limited to what students eat when they've spent too much money on partying. I had plain ramen, with some lettuce, some leek and something made out of fish. To this, I was served a small plate of chili and a miniature lime fruit. Everything tasted extremely fresh and the spiciness was of just the right kind. I also tried out the local coffee, which I think should be enjoyed with (condensed) milk and sugar. It had a strong, sweet and full taste. All this for about 15SEK/1.5EUR.
Yesterday I tried 'mee goreng' with 'ayam', which was served with a fresh, salsa-like chili sauce. Not quite as near heaven as the noodles I had for breakfast, but quite close - a fresh and full taste. I might have made a mistake in not asking for water without ice, but so far so good. 20SEK/2EUR.
I've also sampled some of the fruit. Small, sweet and juicy mango, which tasted precisely like mango should, and which made my hands quite sticky. I tried some mangosteen too, but either it wasn't the right season or I did a bad job at picking out good ones. They were good, but not excellent.

Upwards and onwards
It's time to wrap this up for now, and this will probably be the last I write for at least a few days. Ahead of me I have climbing Mt Kinabalu, whose temperature I'm looking forward to, but whose altitude I'm a bit intimidated by. After that I'll spend a couple of days out in the jungle, at a so called home stay run by the MESCOT project, and after that it's on to Sandakan for the Sepilok Orangutan Reserve and Turtle Islands National Park. With some luck, I'll be able to write more from Sandakan. Maybe I'll even be able to post some pictures.