Did God send Eve to us?

The day of the market

Sleep in until after 7am. Not much is open before 9am for breakfast anyway. Then go to Chinatown for breakfast, but I order an American-ish dish because the only place open for breakfast has only a handful of options on the menu. So I had normal toast, normal egg, and a sausage wiener, and a thin slice of ham like what you put in a sandwich. And a tiny bowl of brown beans just like you find in a can in the U.S. Sigh. But the drink was interesting. Kdongadong or something like that. It was kind of a cool color, with an unusual drink that was a bit sour. Then I got to the bottom of the glass and there were things in there. They were brown, and fleshy in texture. About the size of the top knuckle of my thumb, but flat. I don’t know, how to you describe a fruit? I hope it was a fruit? I tried a super tiny trial bite and it was weird, a bit like nutmeg. So odd.

Then we were walking back and passed a couple, and the woman stopped to talk to us. Her husband kept going, I don’t know where. Eve talked to us for at least fifteen minutes. She asked if we were having a good time in Kuching, and gave us advice on where to go. She said God must have wanted her to talk to us. She told us about which places to go visit some caves. Caves? That is a particular interest of mine, I was so excited. Then she left to find her husband. We have been talking non-stop about what we want to do next (since last night), there are so many options. The insight from Eve was perfect for what we were searching for. All we knew is that we would be in Kuching for another three weeks. Our plane tickets are for three months. So thank you Eve!

We went back to the hotel room to cool off, then we went for another walk. Our new friend Eve told us about India Street, when we asked about a market we have been hearing about. She explained where it was, and we found it. It would have been easy to see if we were on the other side of the street. As it was, we were walking past mostly closed store fronts (today is a holiday) and all of a sudden the sidewalk became smaller because it was filled with booths and people and merchandise. Starting with bins of powdered spices. I had a vision of sneezing into the bins of open powder and not only ruining them, but sending more powder up into the air to make everyone else start sneezing. Why does my brain go there? What a mess my imagination made. Stalls of food, and jewelry, and lots of clothes. So much fabric, so many pretty designs. I bought two matching scarves for me and my Mom, and I paid about $5 for the pair. They are colorful and have some sparkle to them. I could not walk slow enough to take it all in. All the people, all the dresses, and the daunting heat. I was completely absorbed in the color of each moment.

There were two people with no stall, just a cooking cart, standing in the shade but sweating buckets. The lady was dressed nicely and had makeup on, with beads of seat all over her face. The things the guy was cooking looked enticing, plus I felt sorry for them in the heat. Plus I was hungry. So we bought two. They are kind of like a pancake, then folded over like an omelet. There are diced peanuts involved, and it was scrumptious. We walked and ate, and walked back for more. The lady handled the money, which was kept in a very small plastic grocery bag hung on the side of the grill.

You know how we decide where to go, when we leave the hotel room? Based on where the shade is. We just follow the shade and see where it takes us. After India Street, which we had to leave because there were too many temptations, we went towards a big pink building in the background. It was a pretty pink, like the current color of my toenails. With gold onions on top. It’s a city mosque. How amazing. The building was surrounded by a cemetery. There were small markers, some of decaying wood and some of newer cement. They are maybe as tall as the bottom of my knee, and appear to be in random patterns, it was hard to tell because it was a little overgrown with tall grass. And it’s all right on the waterfront.

Then we walked along the waterfront back to the hotel, so hot and sweaty. It was so wonderful to get back to the air-conditioned hotel and shower off. Even bringing an umbrella to take shade with us, we were a little sunburned. It’s so amazing to put my feet up and cool off after an adventure like that. The heat can be taxing, but without knowing those depths of sweat – you can’t know the deep feelings of relief when you finally get to cool off and rest. I have learned to embrace it all. And stay hydrated, of course. Otherwise too hot just equals being feeling sick.

This is one section of the big market that ends at the start of Chinatown.

I am not one of those people who are excited about trying new and unusual foods. So finding something really tasty is a highlight for me. Plus it only cost about 40 cents each.

This is what the start of the market looks like from across the street. We came very close the other day but didn't have any indication of how remarkable it was over there.