Sunday, June 24, 2012

KL: Chow Kit Market + Kampung Bharu


In the older section of town, Chow Kit, everything is a bit worn and aged and tourists rarely seem to make the trip a few Monorail stops north of KLCC.



Although we are veterans of many a sweltering SE Asian marketplace, the Wet Market on Chow Kit Road is a distinctly claustrophobic, poorly-lit maze of noxious smells set-up under a low-hanging, makeshift system of tarps and pulleys that left us reeling for the feeling of fresh air after just seconds inside.  Catering to the local Malay population for their daily needs, this is not a market for the faint of heart.  Despite the heat and stench, we pushed onwards for some unforgettable sights.






Monsters of the deep in the fish market.  A river of blood and tepid water had to be navigated around in this area.




Headless ungulates!  We hadn't encountered such carnage since Kurban Bayrami (the Sacrifice Feast) in Turkey.










Public restrooms were a much appreciated novelty for these water-guzzlers.



Roti Boom: a delicate, flaky morsel of fried bread cooked in ghee and dipped in daal.  A perfect mid-afternoon snack in the irrepressible heat.


Kampung Bharu, a Malay settlement constructed by the British around the turn of the last century to preserve traditional village life within the city.  Deserted in the afternoon heat, but supposedly lively during the evening respite.  An odd, Colonial anachronism perched on the edge of this ever-growing metropolis.




A proper street-side meltdown before heading back to the cool confines of the Pavilion Mall, escaping the blistering equatorial heat, and catching an overblown Hollywood flick:

2 comments:

Isis said...

Hahaha !!!!

Love the video !!! Your expression is like a frustrated day at Burning Man .... You should post more videos, that was cute !!!

Ya, Sumatra and "public" restrooms - if you want to call them that !! I was out w my ex-British boyfriend (who spoke fluent Indonesian, lived there 7 years ) .... He took me out w his friends who were BBQ ing a puppy and told me "you can't use this bathroom, rats will bite your feet !!" and then drove me off on an old moped to his mothers house, lol !!!

Have fun !!! Look out for Headhunters at Lake Toba !!

Carol said...

Oh Nellie, Between the headless wonders at the Market and the heat I felt a little faint. They certainly don't bother to make their market appealing?? I say run to the nearest resort!