Sunburn and Sunderstorm's

In Sabah the term Sunderstorm came in handy.
Sunderstorm: A storm that spontaneously breaks out in the heat of day, without warning, with sun still shining in the distance.

A storm brews off in the distance, obstructing any view of Mt Kinabalu

On our second day we spent the morning in the resort pool, lazing on the deck chairs and floating in the water. I'd been to Bali a few years back, so I was aware how strong the suns heat is and how badly sunburn strikes. But it didn't cross my mind that Borneo was a little closer to the equator than Indonesia.

Around lunchtime we headed up to our rooms to get dressed and take a short taxi-ride to Kota-Kinabalu city centre, where we would explore the markets and the shopping centres.

Sunset from the marina in Kota Kinabalu

There isn't much in the way of shopping centres or a 'mall.' But whatever you find will be cheap to say the least!
The locals around town are happy and friendly, all going about their own business.
If you need directions, we were lucky enough to have asked the right people each time, all who answered happily and IN ENGLISH! (To the best of their ability)

On our way back to catch a cab from a nearby hotel we wandered past the late afternoon fresh seafood markets and the stalls where you can buy literally any little trinket you can think of.
Yes the markets smelt a little odd, and my mum still swears she saw a rat run past my feet and through to the next isle... But that all adds to the mystery of the unknown city.

Seafood markets before the storm.

Deja-vu... A storm was brewing outside. The winds began to pick up and the breeze carried through the stalls and caught our ankles underneath the benches.

Storm's a brewin'

We hurried around town hunting down a cab. The rain began to pour, while the sun was still peeping out from the clouds.

Within minutes we were all drenched, the rain washing away the sweat that had accumulated on our pale skin through the damp markets.
My shoes filled up with water after unluckily putting my feed in a puddle off the side of a curb where we chose to hop into a cab.

Yet again, before we knew it, the rain stopped and cleared up for a night-time stroll around the resort.

Kota city lights in the background behind the pool.