The Positives of The New Central Market

There had been plenty of changes at Central Market over the last few years. I have mentioned the negatives in my previous posts, mainly on how the place had become commercialised. But, on the other side of the coin, the commercialisation also contributed to a more organized and more presentable venue.

I noticed a couple of things this time around, from spending around half an hour there. The tiles and the restaurants.

Some creative gift shops around here. This one sells novelty postcards.The sidewalks were themed. This one was self-explanatory.Nice outdoor motifs, indoors.Trying them for sizeStill in Hari Raya mode

I didn't know why, but I found the tiles on the floors there fascinating. Maybe I should Google a bit more details about that. The restaurants were rather more obvious. Actually, I wouldn't mind bringing over a few friends from abroad hanging around there for a couple of hours or so, enjoying the ambiance, do a bit of shopping and then have something to eat.

Apparently, you can get free wifi from the shops there as well, making it quite interesting to spend some time looking at people. Might try that in the future.

The main food court on the upper floorNice neat rows of seatingHow it looked from the lower floors.The main entrance on the daySince I was alone, and I had to rush to Kajang for lunch, I left early. Would love to come back soon and have another feel of the place.

For more stories about this photowalk around Central Market, please click here.

The Third Installment of the CM Walk

Just to finish things off, in the middle of the walk, I ventured into Jalan Tun HS Lee, where it was dubbed Little India in the middle of town.

Colours everywhere. There were plenty of shops selling flowers. Nice friendly people all around.It was Malaysia Day a couple of days back. The Jalur Gemilang was still on display.Now, this was confusing. Does it mean the beauties were on display 24 hours in a day?That chap thought I was a foreigner from snapping his photos ....There were plenty of Indian shops here, as well as restaurants. Stopped here a few times before, the last time being right at the end of the Kam Raslan Walk a few months back.

Where to go next?Saw this charming hotel across the street from Little IndiaThe colour was really striking. Not sure how good the hotel was though.Well, everything was for sale I nowadays.More charming little shops could be found around here.Nice name for a building, "Raggae House". I wondered what went on behinds those walls.A colourful place, with flowers and sarees. A real treat for the camera. It was still early, so the sun was still low. Not really that hot as yet .....

More entries about this photowalk available here.

More Photos from The CM Walk

Well, I supposed a single entry was not really enough with the number of photos I took during the walk.

I knew it was worth preserving the past, but this building could do with a new coat of paint.The Medan Pasar clock tower, where the bus stops were. Such nice blue sky.Calling home maybe .... This area was a hotspot for the foreign workers during weekends.A ticket to ride. At least they were queueing up.Next turn was Masjid Jamek, where Sungai Gombak and Sungai Kelang met, giving the name Kuala Lumpur. Not really muddy nowadays.I ventured up towards Jalan HS Lee, before walking back towards Petaling Street. Rather than walking further, I decided to cut back as I had to attend my suster's party later that afternoon.

Dodgy dealings aplenty. Vendor selling their wares near Masjid Jamek.Looking up at Masjid Jamek.And looking on towards Menara Kuala Lumpur, rising up between the buildings flanking the streets.The old and the unkept. A real eyesore in the middle of town.I wouldn't mind this. With a new coat of paint, this could turn into a real charmer ....Colourful shop signs. Kind of my thing ....Hotel Winsin, near Petaling Street.Almost back to where I started ..... Central Market

That gave me the chance to explore Central Market in the morning, before the place got packed. A revelation as you would see in my next entry, and that would be after I load up more photos from this walk. I took too many photos I guessed, but that was just the power of the X100.

Please read other entries from this photowalk here.

A Sunday Morning Around Central Market

After planning for so many days, everything finally fell into place on Sunday morning. The weather was gorgeous, there were hardly any traffic in town, and more importantly, I managed to wake up early that morning.

It was Sunday and it was early. The vendors were still setting up their stalls.Most of the work were just out in the open over night. I was sure there was security.And the artwork were pretty amazing.The mix of the rustic and new .....I set off from Central Market at around 9.30am and was already back home by 11. So where did I go?

I mingled around the street next to Central Market, called Kasturi walk. The vendors for the weekend market were just opening their stalls then. I then walked towards Lebuh Ampang, snapped more photos there, passing by Jalan HS Lee, before doubling back. Walked inside Central Market as the shops were being opened, before heading back home. Using the X100, people were less suspicious when I was snapping away. Handy.

Setting off by Lebuh Pudu, running parallel to Central Market.The eye-catching roof of Kasturi Walk. Nice and interesting.The stalls were just being opened. But sadly, the majority of the workers here were foreigners, kinda sucked as this was one of the hot tourist spots in town.This used to be a McDonald's outlet. I guessed the influx of foreign workers had something to do with this ....More stories as I ventured out a bit further.

The area around the market was still empty as on Sunday, it was normally filled by foreign workers meeting their friends and visiting shops around there. At 10am, it was still way to early. I only saw pockets of people ascending down. I was sure it would be packed by noon. The portal for this photowalk entry is here.

Lunch after the Walk

It started to rain right after the teh tarik session with Kam Raslan, and the planned meeting at KLCC was a couple of hours yet. Some of the troupe members were yet to have lunch, so even though I have already had some noodles, I decided to go on for some nasi daun pisang.

We walked for about 10 minutes in the rain and by the time we settled in, it started raining heavily outside.

We had lunch at Restoran Kader. Been here a couple of times. It was not bad, but most o the food had already run out, this being Sunday and all. But what I enjoyed more was the company. A great lunch in the end, especially with the heavy rain outside.

The highlight - Magnus ordering iced lemon juice - singo beng, tok seh butir. You do the translation.