The people who make Chow Kit, Chow Kit - I

To some people its disgusting. But I enjoyed my recent trip there. People were friendly and all and many have no problem to pose.,,, except for this one towkeh who sells buckets and plastic products. He asked me for a duit kopi (token). I just smiled politely away.
I saw cat fish which was still a live, struggling while suffocating being above the water.

Some of the alley were rather dark and surprisingly a lot quieter and a bit dark. I stop to buy something for the house and the traders were actually very polite. I guess they are not in the stiff competition with the busy area.

You can get hypnotized when you look at the butchers doing theur work cutting the meat. A chicken only took them seconds to chop it up into small soup-sized pieces.

The floors were a bit wet. They sprinkle water on the fish to keep them fresh, hence the wet floor.

Typically, at this time of the muslim year people were busy shopping for Hari Raya. Not only you can find ketupat daun for sales. Scores of women were actually weaving the ketupat by the road site. Malaysians do take Hari Raya very very seriously.

Most of the people there look quite rough and mean, but the y are actually friendly. I guess that’s a prerequisite for doing business.

Even though they are making only a couple of ringgit, they seemed happy with the way things are. At least they have the initiatives to do some entrepreneurial activities and earn some money instead of begging, or just hoping government’s “assistance”.

Even though it is not as old as, or great as the Grang Bazaar, but it has the character that defines Chow Kit.


I will never want it to change, NOT even a bit.