2011 Scott Kelby Photowalk, Part I

I was so disappointed that I could not join the walk on time due to work commitment. I arrived at Central Market at around 10.30, and the rest of the group had already moved on by ten. They were not too far away however. I managed to catch up with them just as they were leaving the Sri Mahanaraman Temple.

The usual suspects were there, and I hung around with the more 'senior' crowd. The first port of call was the Guan Di Temple, just up the road from the meeting point. After 20 minutes or so, the main group entered Petaling Street while the rest of us went towards Bukit Nanas. The idea was to catch the crowd leaving the morning mass at St John's Cathedral. Got there in time, but not much to see there really. By the time, the main group had already arrived. We pushed on towards Jalan Bonus and Masjid India.

This would be my submission for the photowalk photo.Guan Di Temple in the morningPak Rahmat studying all the angles

Here, we had a decision to make. I was starving as I only had an early breakfast. According to one of the participants, Zul, the place around the corner served a mean biryani. I tried it - at Restoran Noor - and I was not disappointed. It was the best biryani I had in years! A simple place, ran by a couple from Penang.

They had regular customers coming during weekends. One of them, an middle-aged Chinese gentleman, had been frequenting the area for a good 25 years, and he actually lived out of town. He was there with the rest of his family.

Our walk leader is a Manager at Maybank. I am pretty sure he is a member.It would be cheating if we took the bus and participated in the photowalkPressing on towards Masjid IndiaAlong Jalan HS Lee, we passed by this rather traditional looking bike shop...... and everything in there was .... old

We then ventured forth towards the new covered bazaar of Masjid India. A comfortable area, which I never knew existed. The last time I was here must have been more than 15 years ago. A lot had changed since. The vendors lined up the street of Jalan Melayu, selling clothes and food. It was like a night market. ANd before long, we had arrived at the end point of the walk, Masjid Jamek.

It was only 200m away from Masjid India. We met up with Adi, my cousin near the LRT station there. And within 10 minutes, we had a group of Myanmar quarreling and a bizarre road accident in front of our eyes. I was not sure if it was Adi's influence or not!

Now, the zooms were out Crossing the bridge to Masjid IndiaAll in all, it was more leisurely than the last year's walk, mainly because the route was a lot simpler and the weather was overcast, threatening to rain. The fact that I did not have to be one of the organisers helped. I also decided to take my X100 rather than lugging around my dSLR. In the end, I had more than 200 snaps. Definitely looking forward for these walks every year …..

Snap of yours truly taken by Fariz. He was trying out the X100.

I will put up more snaps on my later entry. Watch this space ....

The slideshow for all the photos I took on the walk can be seen here.

Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman

I just returned from taking Puan Anita out to Jalan Taunku Abdul Rahman. She wanted to get some tudung and 'telekung' for Terawikh, so we thought we give the place a visit with the day was still early.

The last time I went here was last year, but that was just to drop by at the bookstore. This time around, we actually ventured into the stalls and market. We parked at Semua House, the spiraling carpark up to the top. The place has hardly changed in the last 10 years or so. Still the small colourful shops and vendors selling their wares on the corridors. But the parking fare has certainly kept pace. It was RM4 per hour.

It was just past 2 pm when we arrived, so the traffic was only just building up. The stalls were also just being opened, and they would stay open till midnight. Anita basically got what she wanted at the first shop we entered, and within 20 minutes, we were all set to return home.

The place definitely brought back memories as when I was in school, I tended to come here with my Mum, to shop and buy books at the famous Pustaka Minerva. I also remembered that Semua House had the biggest Habib Jewel Shop before they were famous and had branches everywhere. There was Globe Slik Store of course, and a number of carpet shops - I thought Udani Carpets was one of them - which my parents frequented to. There was also the famous KFC and A&W outlet sitting next to each other - as they still did today. Doubling back, you'd venture into Wisma Yakin and Masjid India. Now, that would be a different entry all together!

There were bargains everywhereThe famous Pustaka MinervaCheck out the KFC and A&W next to each otherMore bargains

Even at this hour, the Police had been keeping an eye on the traffic, making sure that everything ran smoothy. I cringe at the thought of how it would be like just before Aidilfitri.

Getting out of the place was easy with the one-way system being employed. We were back in Gombak within 20 minutes. Should I come here again, I would probably park at CapSquare, located just 5 minutes away. Traffic flow going in and out there would be a lot smoother, not to mention plenty of parking slot - and a trip to the movies there should you wish to. More of the photos I took from the walk here.