Bazaar Masjid India

Anita was really excited when we arrived at the bazaar after the LRT trip. So much things to see and being early on Friday afternoon, the place was still relatively quiet. Try going there during weekends ...

Power long? Power short?The huge Jakel Mall close byRM10 for those are not cheap in my book ...

It's coming into Syaban soon, which meant that Ramadhan would be next before Syawal. So, the selection for Eid was already available at the bazaar as well as Wisma Yakin next door. Anita had yet to select the colour for this year's theme, so we decided to just have a browse around. Convincing our boys to come along to check for sizes would be a challenge.

After Anita bought a few items, we then walked along further towards Jalan Bunus and Semua House.

There are all manner of footwear here. And this one was certainly the biggest!For the ladies ...If it doesn't fit, this guy would fix it ...Just in case you're hungry ...Don't think this comes under "happy toys"That's colourful ...I will write more about Semua House later, but it seemed that the business had been usurped by the gigantic Jakel Mall only 100m away.

We turned back and stopped at the stalls for some snack before heading back towards the Masjid Jamek LRT station to return home. It was a couple of hours well spent.

More photos from the bazaar trip here.

Shopping Before Ramadan

It was always a good idea to go for the Aidil Fitri shopping even before Ramadan begun. You tended to have the best choice - if not the best bargain - minus the hustle and bustle. You can take your time and have a drink or two while doing that which you can't in Ramadan. The crowd tended to be thinner too.

So, the weekend before Ramadan, I took a walk around Masjid India and Jalan Bunus, a must for the city dweller. All the Aidil Fitri wares were available there, if you could be bothered with the crowd and the traffic.

However, nowadays, the whole place had been turned into Mini Jakarta, as the majority of the vendors there at the stalls were foreigner. The locals could be seen trading inside Wisma Yakin and Semua House. The rest of the bazaars had been taken over. Not cool.

I was at Masjid India right after my walk from Central Market. It was just past noon when I arrived there, and the place was already teaming with the city dwellers. Everybody loved a bargain.

Since I have still got my wares from last year, I decided against doing any shopping. Those clothes old clothes were still good. I wonder if Puan Anita would be keen to come? ‎

A Nice Walk

With the weather being nice and all, plus Anita and the boys went to the cinema with some of his classmates, I was left alone after the morning ward round. I decided to take my camera out for a spin. Thus time, it was the E-M1. Just to see what it could offer.

The route? I parked at KLCC and took the LRT to Masjid Jamek and walked towards Central Market. Bring Sunday, the place was crawling with foreign worker enjoying their day off. Plenty of shops there catering for these lot, and I just !indeed my own business.

Had an early lunch at CM, before walking across towards Dataran Merdeka, then off to Masjid India.

Spent dome time walking around Masjid India. A huge Sunday crowd had started building. Shops there were already gearing towards Aidil Fitri wears. Ramadhan was only 3 weeks away.

I then returned to KLCC via LRT and lingered around Avenue K before returning to apartment. It was still early then and Anita was still out.

A nice day outing, with sunny but breezy weather. Would've been better if in was with a crowd. Going around alone these days with a camera can be an intimidating proposition. People would state at you, and it took a while to blend in.

Still there were plenty of photos to be had. Straight to apartment to get them into post and upload them onto the net. My computer and internet connection there was much better than in Gombak.

Part 8 Masjid India

By the time we left Capital Cafe, it was already well past noon. Masjid India was already crowded by then, and as customary on every Saturday afternoon from 3 pm, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman would be closed for the night market.

We could hardly go anywhere without bumping into people, and the big dSLR which some of us carried looked awkward in this crowd.

Still in the spirit of MerdekaBlind street musician. Had been a feature here since the 80s.Sweet stuffNot your typical "Gadis dan Bunga"A couple of things I noticed about the place. Firstly, the crowds were mainly local, which was a change from Chow Kit. And secondly, there were too much bling here. There were goldsmiths everywhere, and the place must have the highest concentration of money changer in town. It seemed that on one of the rows, every other shops were money changers. I wonder what was the crime rate like at this area?

"Reserved"Lost count of how many jewellers and money changers around hereMore money changers and jewellersThe sun was bright. And we just had lunch. Not really in the mood to venture too far from the route. We ended up entering one of the Indian cafe and again, talked to one of the owners. This particular shop sell ladoo to the airlines and made them fresh everyday at the shop by hand. Some of them were sold at the shop next door, while some of them were transferred to a small warehouse in Sepang to be sent to the airport.

The gentleman I spoke to was there to help out his family after he retired, and he spoke in perfect English. We asked what did he retired from, and it didn't come as a surprise when he used to work as a journalist. He certainly got plenty of story to tell.

The place was also full of Indian candies - ladooRead the signs - Palaykat!Stopped by a ladoo shop, where they actually prepared the candies on siteWe even interviewed the ownerTime to move onAfter lingering on for another half an hour, it was time to meet up at the last destination sadly. We gathered at a cafe next to Masjid Jamek for one last meal ……

Links to the write-ups here.

2011 Scott Kelby Photowalk, Part II

To continue from the photos uploaded yesterday, I thought I shall kick off from when I reached Masjid India area. As I mentioned, it had been a while since I last ventured around this area of Kuala Lumpur.

Since it was Sunday, the place was buzzing. My initial impression was that the place would be full of Indonesian vendors, but it turned out that they were mainly local. I did not have time to enter Wisma Yakin next door, but I did have biryani for lunch at one of the restaurant nearby.

This used to be a landmark building in KL. If I was not istaken, it used to be the headquarters of Bank Bumiputra.But unfortunately, this end of Jalan Ampang had lost its charm. Many of the once-proud buildings were now .... history.Crossing over towards Masjid India from Jalan Ampang.They served a mean biryani around here.

The place had a facelift in recent years. The street was turned into covered bazaar, almost similar to Petaling Street and Kasturi Walk. Very comfortable to walk around since you were shaded from the elements.

After a short stroll, I was already around the corner from the end point of the walk, Masjid Jamek.

The colour of Masjid IndiaLooking at you, looking at them.The welcoming facade of Masjid India Bazaar.And the insideTime for some drinks. At the vendors along Jalan Melayu, Masjid India. You would pass through this street walking towards Masjid Jamek.Reaching the end point with Kak Fauziah, Pak Rahmat, Adi and Kamarul.

The rest of the group had lunch at the Burger King outlet there. Adi, my cousin also joined us at the end point. We spent a good half an hour catching up before the whole party broke up.

Looking forward for the next chapter of the walk. Time now to upload my photo for the photowalk competition. The winner would win Photoshop CS5 and an iPad. Why not.