The Market

I stopped. I sniffed. I tried to plug my nose. I tried holding my breath. But to no avail. I gave up and decided to embrace the aroma of fresh fish. After all, the smell of the market makes up most the experience. We passed pile after pile of fish stacked on bamboo mats or tarps or pieces of canvas or even newspaper. Behind the piles of fish were the merchants who mostly just stared at us partly because they don’t know English and partly because we make quite a spectacle wherever we go. Did you know the people here in Sabah have a corny sense of humor? As I walked past a lady hacking away at a tuna fish with a big meat cleaver, the man beside her called out in broken English, “Hello! This is a tuna fish.” I smiled and nodded. He continued, “Did you know that one-a plus-a one-a equals tuna?”

We didn’t only see fish at this market. There were mounds of squid and eel and chicken feet and who knows what else. Snake fruit, jackfruit, star fruit, sugar cane, lychees, all sorts of greens, eggplants, banana flowers, sour oranges, and many other delicious fruits and vegetables. Above every vendor stood a colorful umbrella which added to the already bright scene. There was music playing over loudspeakers which caused one lady to start dancing in the street and at another time made us smile when the song, “You Raise Me Up” started to play. When we walked through the clothes section, two little girls hid behind the racks and played peekaboo with us. Here’s how they played the game: they would stare at us until we spotted them and then they would shriek and run away. Then they would sneak back between the hangers and peek at us again.

But not only did we play peekaboo, we also tried new fruits, tasted fresh sugar cane juice, listened to Robby speak with a Chinese merchant, witnessed Benji’s bartering and purchase of a pair of sunglasses, and took plenty of pictures. The only thing we didn’t do was put some of the “market” smell into a bottle to bring back for you to enjoy. That part only you can experience for yourself.