Part 5 Choi Hoong

I didn't know about this shop but one of my fellow photographer did. it was a simple shoe shop but a shop like no other. They made bespoke orthopaedic shoes made to order. And it was about the only one in the country and the shoes here cost a lot less than the alternatives which were usually imported.

On that particular morning, the sifu was away from the shop, so we did not manage to photograph him doing his trade. Instead, we were allowed in to have a look at his tools and talk to his assistant. Everything here was hand made.

The conspicuous front boardThe apprentice would have a hard time following this upLike the old days, things were more straight forwardThese were from taken directly from the customer's feetCut by handFor the orders, the intended user had to be present so that the exact shape and measurements of their foot could be taken. A mould would then be created and the sifu would then go about making the shoes to fit snugly and comfortably on the user later.

People came from all over the country to have their shoes made here, mainly for those with special needs. There were plenty of examples to be seen at the shop, but it would have been nicer if the sifu was in. It would have been quite a photo session if he was ……

More on the Choi Hoong Shoe Enterprise on here. The blog entries were compiled here.

Part 4 On to Jalan TAR

The next part of the route took us along the famed Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Not the usual shop lots with big retails and bazaar. This was almost the forgotten part of the stretch of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Right between Chow Kit and Maju Junction.

There were plenty of old shops here, mainly workshops and hardware stores. When you think about it, it was a rather odd place to have those kinds of shops. Parking would have been a killer and hardly a place for people passing by window shopping. The punters must have known about those shops to find these, and some these shops were gems.

The familiar Twin Towers from Jalan TAR across Kampung Baru...... and the KL TowerThe Monorel tract ran straight through Jalan TAR heading towards Chow KitAnd one such gems was the Choi Hoong Shoe shop, but I would blog more about that on a later entry as it deserved an entry on its own.

An intimidating nameNeed directions?Here's my number, so call me maybe ....Surprising how many workshops were located along this stretchPatriotic ......We hung around an a rattan shop, talking to the owners and one particular uncle who had been plying his trade there for close to 20 years. He basically made rattan furnitures and toys by hand, an intricate skill to have. They mainly made the product here and sell them elsewhere via a middleman.

One of the photographer in our group was from Russia and he found the whole thing fascinating and couldn't stop snapping away while we chatted away.

Next, we stumbled across this rattan workshopThe produced stuffs big and small .....Plotting our next spot ...It was just after 11.30 when we reached Maju Junction and a restaurant just before the junction to Medan Tuanku. The famous Kudu bin Abdul. And more about that later …..

The entries were collated here.

Part 3 Let's Get Wet

On we marched. And soon we were onto series of corridors away from the rows of shophouses. The Chow Kit wet market was actually smaller than I thought. It used to be bigger, but the back half - towards Menara Safuan had been cordoned off for development. A new market was recently opened in half of the space and these certainly looked more organised. It looked like the old market would be slowly phased out in the future, a sort of upgrading.

These are certainly fresh. Not the likes that you find at the supermarkets.Look at these maize. I could sink my teeth into them ....Going bananas!My fellow photographers getting stuck in as well ....Not sure how they taste like, but they sure smelt nice!You might wonder if the place had lost it charm with the relocation. Personally I felt that the charm had left the place some years back. There were a couple of reasons for this, first the generational change of the vendors, and secondly the people that made up the vendors now.

In the wet market, the majority of the stall owners were still locals, but they were of the newer breed. They do not run their own business anymore but rather letting the place out. As a result, the people manning the shops were no longer locals. They were Indonesian mainly, and as a result, the produce and the people actually coming to buy the produce were not locals anymore.

Let's be honest, I couldn't tell if they were bargains to be had here ....I was told that the fresher the fish, the clearer the eyes looked. These were certainly clear ....Hoofs anyone?Super fresh coconut milk!I remember that the meat and fishmongers were mainly Malays and the Chinese mainly sell fruits and vegetables. The Indian would mainly occupy the dry part - in shop rows - selling spices and the likes. Chow Kit used to be a one-stop centre where everything went and you could find anything there. Obviously time has changed. And I was left to reflect at the cafe at the exit of the market when I sat down to enjoy my breakfast with the other photographers. How time has changed …..

The entries were compiled here.

Part 2 Dry Chow Kit

Right after the group photos were taken care of, the group dispersed. Some of them lingered around the starting point figuring out the next target. Some went straight off towards Chow Kit market.

Me and my group hung around for a bit taking in some street scene before heading into the market after 15 minutes or so.

This is Idlan's favourite, mangosteen

Indonesian-style cookies. I can vouch that this is not local.The market were divided into a couple of parts, the outer dry market, and the old area which was the wet market. The wet market had been done up a few times in the past, and nowadays, it wasn't as "wet" as I used to remember it to be. When I was at school, a trip to the Chow Kit wet market would mean getting your slippers wet in the semi-muddy corridors. Not anymore now.

The dry area was dominated by Indonesian vendor. And this was reflected by the products on sale. Amongst the wares I noticed, two stuck into my mind. The dry snacks - which were originally Indonesian and the gold-plating business, located towards the entrance to the wet market.

The Indonesian invasion was certainly a sad development to the traditional market especially since the market was located near Kampung Baru which was staunchingly Malay in their values. They were prickly when it came to the Chinese, but Indonesian? Meh!

More Indonesian-styled titbitsFancy some bling-bling?There is science behind all this. Check out the batteries!This man certainly know his trade. And he promised to give some mean discounts!And onwards we moved towards the wet marketThe gold-plating business was certainly big here. I counted at least ten stores doing plating using electrolysis. Proper secondary school science fare here. And it seemed to work. The vendors had quite a story to tell as well ..... I wonder if the place got robbed from time to time, with all those belongs around .....

We spent a good 20 minutes wondering around here before venturing further in into the belly of Chow Kit. The Wet Market! Here we come!

The write-ups about the walk here.

The Walk Part I

The turn out was very good. A quick head count at the starting point tallied at around 60. Weather was nice. It rained in the early hours, and the pavements were still wet. The sub had already started to pierce through the thick morning Kuala Lumpur cloud when it was time to start off at 9.30 am.

It was a Saturday, 5th October 2013, at Restoran Sahara on the north end of Chow Kit. The sixth instalment of the Scott Kelby Annual Worldwide Photowalk, the KL chapter was organised and lead by the ever irrepressible Ripi. Maps and email storm galore prior to setting off, to make sure every participant for the picture. And he started things off with the pre-walk preambles and briefing.

Then came the obligatory group photo. Best to take it before we set off because the group will start to disperse and shrink before long. Fariz obliged with his 5D and wide angle setup. All smiles!

Young and old, there was space for everyoneFariz set up the group photo for us this yearThe group started to pair up and heading out in groupsSome were still trying to find their bearingsTime to rolloutThe route this year snaked through Chow Kit wet market, exiting on the opposite site - near Menara Safuan - before heading into the Town Center along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman towards Maju Junction and Medan Tuanku. There were a few gem here. Plenty of old shophouses plying the trades since the 70s with the owners having plenty of story to tell. The place had certainly passed its heyday.

Next, we passed by the main shopping district of Jalan TAR before the roads were blocked for the weekly Pasar Malam - the block started at 3 pm and we were well early. We then took a sharp left towards Jalan Bonus and Semua House. Walked along Masjid Indian and the new bazaar - creatively named Bazar - before reaching Masjid Jamek where we grouped for lunch at one of the cafe by the LRT there.

Getting wet in the wet marketColourful indeedThey certainly looked freshRolling out againBy the time we reached that particular checkpoint everyone was already comfortable sitting around. Lebuh Ampang and Chinatown was not far off for those still energetic - or have a spare battery pack. My X-Pro1 battery started blinking red once I hit the 350 frame mark. And it was time to call it a day.

Not after a spot of lunch though. And on the subject of food, we set off from a restaurant - Restoran Sahara - and I stopped at Cafe Safuan, Cafe Capital, Restoran Kudu bin Abdul and at the end CoffeeBox Cafe. So, you get the picture. It was food, drinks and chit chats along the way, plus stops at cafe, shops and stalls talking to the vendors taking in the feel of the place.

I just realised that Jalan TAR was filled with hardware shopsOld and rustic charmPlotting our next destinationDone and dustedIt was just before 3 pm when we said our goodbyes. Some of us had other engagements to attend to for the rest of the day, while some like myself, it was family time.

More on the walk here.