Urban Decay

As mentioned, I could've easily called the Photowalk this year as exploration of urban decay. Certainly was a suitable theme. The overcast weather certainly gave the ambiance an extra lift, exaggerating the dull tone.

Walking around this part of Pudu alone could be intimidating. I wouldn't mind the Chinese folks which made the majority of the residents here, it was the foreigners. They look at the locals suspiciously and certainly I wouldn't want to be seen with expansive gear walking around here.

Best to walk in a group.

But if you were with friends, certainly there were plenty to see and photograph. Best to walk around early in the morning as the lights would be better and the weather wouldn't be as hot and humid.

For the day, I decided to shoot black and white with my GR. The 28mm perspective was just nice although it would've been great to have a wide-angle zoom along - I bought one a week later.

The black and white palate certainly brought the atmosphere to life.

The Abandoned Bungalow

I wasn't really sure how Ripi found this place. It was located right at the edge of Pudu, not far from the old celebrated Pudu Jail which was torn down a few years ago.

It was a spacious bungalow with ample space located at the end of a driveway. It was still sturdy but the place must have been abandoned for at least a decade.

A for sale sign could be seen outside it could have easily cost a bit of money. I could see the place be turned into a fancy restaurant or the whole area redeveloped into a condominium.

There was a railway track running behind the building with a station not far down the street. Prime land.

The interior of the house was filled with old furniture store. I suspect somebody may have been squatting there as parts of the building appeared to be touched.

We spent about half an hour, taking snaps and looking around. I wouldn't come here at night though. It may be spooky ....

The Old Town

Jalan Pudu used to be a business hub of the town. But over the years, the commercial area had moved somewhere else and the shophouses here had lost their importance and some were even left abandoned for new development.

The same went for the residential areas round here. The old flats here were still occupied and despite being near the city center, the place was still quiet and green.

There were plenty of urban decay to be captured though as most of the buildings here could easily be dated from the 60s and 70s, mainly occupied by Chinese businessmen.

The houses were mainly rows of flat 4 stories high, with Art Deco finish and bright colours. As with most part of KL, the maintenance and facade had suffered over the years. A new coat of paint would have been nice.

We took a left turn along the rows of houses to reach one of the old abandoned building which Ripi had identified .....

Stop for Cendol

The sun was getting higher and the clouds had parted by mid morning with the market bathed in some sunshine. With the sunshine came the early afternoon heat and humidity. By that time, I've been walking at least 3 km, and could do with a drink.

But nothing could be better than a touch of cendol and ice. Gorgeous. That also allowed me to catch up with the rest of the group as I was away from the main crowd while in the market.

I was told that this particular stall was the best in town. Or at least in Pudu. I found the ice a bit too sweet though. Couldn't finish all of it. But the stop was a welcomed one. The next part of the walk would be around some old shops along Jalan Pudu before some architecture shots and abandoned building at Jalan Sarawak.

The Faces at the Market

Carrying the 56 f1.2 meant that close-ups would really stand up against the background with a wicked bokeh to boot. Shooting at f1.2 at such a crowded and free moving area present a problem would focusing and the depth of field was really shallow.

I stepped down the aperture to 1.8 and fired away. The built in face recognition algorithm on the X-T1 certainly helped as I didn't have much time to focus at times.

Some of the vendors were happy to have their photos taken, but not all. Another thing I noticed were the number of foreigners working at the marking. They probably outnumber the locals.

They were mainly Nepalese, and they could actually speak a bit of Mandarin to interact with the buyers. Indonesians manned the majority of the Halal section. I supposed that was market forces at work. The foreigners could be hired at lower wages ....

Great fun, but I soon found myself walking in circles. The vendors don't like us photographers hanging around blocking the flow of customers ......