mangos

In case there was any doubt about whether I'm going to enjoy it here and whether my mango-fetish family should visit, I will mention this:SEVERAL VARIETIES OF CHEAP MANGOS! I don't even hear the morning prayers from the Mosque anymore - it seems my Muslim advisors were spot on about Westerners rapidly developing an auditory dead zone.

Something I can't get used to yet is not wearing a seat belt. All the taxis have them in the back but nothing to clip them into. Apparently 5 motorcyclists are killed a day here. Driving is erratic and rules like speeding/drink driving don't seem well respected....

I spoke my first words of Malay this morning, somewhat timidly, and was delighted when the taxi driver seemed to understand and didn't chortle. The girl in the office is coaching me. We went to a Hari Raya party last night and the Malays wore full traditional costume. The guys wore checked things like kilts (called Sampin) over their trousers. Would have loved to get a photo of a matching couple in full pale pink, but it seems totally ungrateful to poke fun at my very friendly host country's traditional outfits.