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:
