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 ......

Setting Off

Although many were lugging along their bulky gear, we ended up using a compact for the group photo. Ripi's Sony RX100. It did its job.

We made our way towards the Pudu Wet Market, about one km away. We passed by some flats and shops, took the time to talk to other walkers, and of course sample the local scene.

The flats offered some interesting backdrop, although I would wish for a sunny blue sky. The dull overcast weather would favour some high contrast black and white shots. Easily done, especially with the Ricoh GR.