Saratok
The little town of Saratok, where we now live, has a population of maybe 10,000, similar to Locorotondo, our hometown in Italy. For a white European it is a bewildering cultural melange of indigenous people (the Iban), Malays and Chinese, with an overlay of influences from the British and American Empires. At first sight it's an unassuming little place with a town centre comprising a few grids of concrete two-storey buildings. It has a daily market, two snooker halls, several mosques and Anglican and Methodist churches. There are lots of cafes where you can get a square meal for around £1 and these are divided between muslim and non-muslim (where beer can be had). There are no restaurants. Popular local drinks include Nescafe with condensed milk and sugar, tea, also with condensed milk and Horlicks. The food is mainly traditional Malaysian and Chinese, but the two small local supermarkets also do a brisk trade in baked beans and Quaker Oats. Thi...