CNY 2010 Part 1 - Mad Rush In Pudu Wet Market

Posted by shloke 14 February 2010
The Flower Man

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 9:38 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/6.3, ISO Equiv.: 100

Pudu Wet Market (Malay: Pasar Pudu) is a 1 Malaysia marketplace. You'll meet Malaysians from all walks of life. 70% of the hawkers are Chinese, 20% Malays and 10% Indians plus a huge number of Bangladeshi helpers.

This is the largest wet market in KL - with over 1 500 hawkers! Even larger than Bazaar Baru Chow Kit (English: Chow Kit New Bazaar).

Bak Kua 肉干 - Malaysian Style Jerky

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:31 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 140

Bak Kua (肉干) is Malaysian version of jerky - little squares of dry-treated meat charcoal-grilled to perfection.

Ooooh! I LOVE eating these piping hot slices of Bak Kua - sweet, chewy, YUMMYLICIOUS & full of tantalizing flavors!

The Happy Santan Man

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:59 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/4.0, ISO Equiv.: 200

A happy worker standing right next to a santan machine. This machine breaks the coconut meat into smaller pieces. Water is added to the santan to make coconut milk. The best coconut milk naturally comes from fresh coconut.

According to Wikipedia, coconut milk is a sweet, milky white cooking base derived from the meat of a mature coconut. The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content and sugars. In Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia coconut milk is called santan and in the Philippines it is called gata. In Thailand it is called ga-ti (กะทิ) and used in many of the Thai curries. In Brazil, it is called leite de coco (literally, coconut milk). Source: Wikipedia

An Open Slaughterhouse

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:35 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 180

A worker removing chickens from a big plastic cage. First, he slit the chicken's neck. Next, the chickens are dipped into a blue colored tub full of hot water. After that, the slaughtering process continues from there.

A Homeless Man

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:30 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 110

Sigh.....it's sad to see an old man wandering aimlessly. I don't think he is a beggar. I wonder....Where are his family members?

Alam Flora Cleaner

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 9:16 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/6.3, ISO Equiv.: 100

Alam Flora workers were busy cleaning up the market. Those plastic cages are use to keep chickens.

Mad Rush 1

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:54 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

This is the back part of the market.

Mad Rush 2

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:54 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/7.1, ISO Equiv.: 100

There were so many people! People were pushing and jostling.

Mandarin Oranges 柑

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:30 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/6.3, ISO Equiv.: 100

Expensive mandarin oranges! I rather buy it from local hypermarket. These oranges symbolized wealth and good fortune

According to Wikipedia, the mandarin orange, also known as mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree (Citrus reticulata) with fruit resembling other oranges. The fruit is oblate rather than spherical. Mandarin oranges are usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Source: Wikipedia

Pomelos - Citrus maxima

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:30 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/7.1, ISO Equiv.: 100

My goodness...some of these pomelos are rotting!

Beef Galore!

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 9:03 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 140

A hawker selling chopped beef. First time seeing that much of beef!

Meaty Bones, Anyone?

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 9:03 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/7.1, ISO Equiv.: 100

A plastic bag full of beef chunks. An excellent ingredient for beef soup.

The Butcher

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:58 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.3, ISO Equiv.: 800

A Bangladeshi foreign helper chopping chicken. There are many Bangladeshi workers in Pudu Wet Market.

Chopped Off

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:58 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.3, ISO Equiv.: 800

A close-up shot.

Seafood Galore

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:44 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/3.5, ISO Equiv.: 320

Chinese hawkers and two foreign helpers. There were so many prawns!

Picky Shoppers

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:36 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 800

Ladies (young and old) selecting the freshest slaughtered chickens.

Nervous Street Hawker

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 8:57 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/4.0, ISO Equiv.: 200

This man was kind of scared! He was peddling 'lokan' (English: bivalve).

This Is How I DO IT

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 9:04 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.3, ISO Equiv.: 200

A butcher cutting a big fish into fillet.

The Back lane

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 9:16 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

Crowd of people in the morning rush.

Gourami (Ikan Kaloi)

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 9:26 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 200

You can buy exotic freshwater fish in Pudu Wet Market. There are 10 hawkers selling 'packet' fish. The packet fish above are gourami (Malay: Ikan Kaloi).

RM 6 Joss sticks

Location: Choon Wan Kong Chinese Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 9:44 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/7.1, ISO Equiv.: 100

Packets of joss stick in Choon Wan Kong Temple. This small-sized temple is 131 years old.

Temple's Roof

Location: Choon Wan Kong Chinese Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 9:42 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

A peek from the inner temple.

Welcome to Pasar Pudu

Location: Pudu Wet Market, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 13th February 2010 (Saturday), 9:10 a.m.
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

According to an article in Raja Nong Chik's blog, the Pudu market has more than 1,500 hawkers and traders. A total of 588 traders are operating in the main market building while the remaining 953 are located on a site adjacent to the building. Source: RNC


Sigh....I'm 'trapped' in Kuala Lumpur (KL). There are only a few hours left before Chinese New Year 2010 (CNY). Today (Chinese New Year Eve), I ventured out from my crib in search for that CNY mood. It is definitely a different atmosphere this time around - lame, boring and not vibrant. The faded lanterns on many parts of KL is a real turn off. These decos look old and boring! I decided to check out last minute shopping in Pudu Wet Market, KL.

First, I boarded two buses to Pudu town. Then, I walked 500 m to Pudu Wet Market. This market is arguably one of the oldest wet markets in KL. It has been in operation since 1949 with a whooping 1 500 hawkers! There were so many people in the market! INSANE! I can feel people brushing their chest and boobs against my body.

It was so cramp! I tried to negotiate my steps. People were pushing and jostling trying to get into the market. At some point, I felt really annoyed. Why do people have to be so 'kiatsu'? You got money...you can buy anything. Why the mad rush? And sorry to say...the ones who is pushing mad are mostly Chinese - young and old. SILLY :)

This wet market in Pudu is surprisingly BIG! Most hawkers (around 80%) are Chinese. I enjoyed exploring this 'dirty' old market despite having to 'fight' the crazy crowds. You can buy virtually anything and everything in this market - from meat, electronic items to exotic live freshwater fish from Sabah. Simply amazing!

According to Lonely Planet, Pudu Market is KL's biggest wet and dry market. It's a frenetic place, full of squawking chickens, frantic shoppers and porters forcing their way through the crowds with outrageous loads. Stalls here sell everything from goldfish in bowls to pig heads, cows tongues and durians in baskets. Arrive early in the morning to experience the market at its most lively and pungent. Source: Lonely Planet

That's all folk! I'm wishing all my readers, bloggers and friends a Happy Chinese New Year, 恭喜发财 & Happy Valentine's Day! Stay tune for Project CNY Part 2 - Thean Hou Hainanese Temple at Robson Heights.

Last updated 14th February 2010 (5:47 p.m.)

Pudu Wet Market - Getting There:

Pudu Market is five minutes' walk from Pudu LRT station; go south along Jln Pudu, right onto Jln Pasar, then right down Jln Pasar Baru, passing the colourful temple Choon Wan Kong, dating from 1879.

Pudu Wet Market - Google Maps:


Pudu Wet Market - My YouTube Video:

Note: Video Captured With My Nokia phone

Pudu Wet Market - Read More & Useful Links:

  1. http://rajanongchik.com/?p=551 (Pudu Market Upgrade After CNY)
  2. http://tinyurl.com/ydgg9yy (Lonely Planet Review)
  3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year (Wikipedia Article About Chinese New Year)
  4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_orange (Wikipedia Article About Mandarin Oranges)
  5. http://tinyurl.com/ycjpox8 (Read All About Pudu Jail, Puduraya & Pudu Town)

9 comments

  1. Tekkaus Says:
  2. I love the snaps here. You captured the essence of everyday live in Pudu. :)

     
  3. micki Says:
  4. Gong Si Fa Tsai to you! Definitely can feel and see the Chinese New Year atmonsphere in this market. Like the "Fa Tsai" song that played in the market that you recorded with your phone. Happy Year of Tiger!

     
  5. fufu Says:
  6. i want 1kg of bak gua!!! wow they have high-tech machine for santan? i used to break the coconut into two, then turned on the grinding machine and hold the half coconut and get the fibers... when i was 10. i always hurt my fingers... but until my parents sell only veggie, then i dont need to do all these stuff(we had mini kedai runcit)... i was the pasar prince once upon a time... >< you bring me back to the wet market!! ops 1 thing i really hate was my parents worked on cny >< and i had no choice but help them and wacthing other kids playing firecrackers, getting angpow from relatives, wearing new clothes... sigh... but if not that kind of situation, i think it wouldnt move me on dreaming big and studying harder for better life.... T.T

     
  7. shloke Says:
  8. Micki & Tekkaus

    Thanks!

    fufu

    Hah? Difficult to smuggle 1kg of Bak Kua to German. I guees the immigration officers will sieze all of them :)

    Yeah! I remember seeing those traditional grating machine in Indian shops. WOW! fufu was a hardworking kiddo!!! I actually agree with you. The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work. The difficulties of life are intended to make us better.

    I believe fufu will become a very sucessful global citizen in future. All the best wishes from mylo. Thanks for sharing!

    Gong Xi Fa Cai!
    mylo

     
  9. Anonymous Says:
  10. Can you deliver some bagua to me too!
    Cannot get it here!
    I miss Yeesang too!
    You're so lucky!!!

    Re: Hamper from Mr Arctic / 来之北极先生的礼篮 / Hamper dari Encik Artik / 北極さんからのハンパー

    That frame is particular famous for shooting London Eye. Everyone does that. ;-)

    Re: Little Squirrel’s Chinese New Year / 小松鼠的农历新年 / Tahun Baru Cina Tupai Kecil / リスちゃんの旧正月

    Ha ha... Not my pet lah. He's my son! Ha ha... When I give him angpau. He knows how to bow and say thank you! Ha ha

     
  11. Roger Says:
  12. I find this sort of market very interesting but sadly in Singapore they have vanished from our urban landscape. Very atmospheric judging from your pictures.

     
  13. Carmen Says:
  14. well, that happens every year..

    but i feel like this year aint as pack as the year before...

    many people also do budget buying!

     
  15. lechua Says:
  16. awesome post depicting the buzz at our local market... u really captured the atmosphere - n u could still take the photos despite being shoved around in the packed crowd!

     
  17. shloke Says:
  18. 1ondoncaller

    Huh? It's difficult to smuggle bak kua to UK. Perhaps I should bubble wrapped it 50 layers and labeled them as books :)

    Are you coming back to Malaysia? I'll 'belanja' you :)

    Carmen

    I understand that last minute crowd is pretty normal. But, the mad rush in Pudu wet market is a daily routine. Even lonely planet describe the place as:

    "A frenetic place, full of squawking chickens, frantic shoppers and porters forcing their way through the crowds with outrageous loads."

    Yep, budget buying is the latest trend :)

    lechua

    WOW! Thanks for your kind comments. Actually, I also shove back at unruly shoppers. Sometimes, I 'cannot tahan' already.

    I tried to find secluded spot to capture those moments. So, not really difficult :)

    Cheers to all!
    mylo

     
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shloke
Traveling & photography are the most rewarding & enriching experiences in my life. Photography is all about discovery, enjoying myself, having adventure, learning people & nature. The greatest experience for me is the connection I felt with NATURE. If you haven’t seen Malaysia, you haven’t seen the world! My photography works are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.
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