Over the past few weeks, I've been exploring the Pudu area, figuring it'd make a great blog post. Pudu is a rich and diverse working class area, home to many old trades, food hawkers, residential areas, and well as one of the largest (and ickiest) wet markets in Kuala Lumpur. Although little over 10 minutes walk away from Bukit Bintang, the city's main shopping district, Pudu remains a working class area. Many of the businesses in the market area are decades old, having changed little since I first visited here with my dad as he did his weekly groceries shopping here. As a child, I definitely wasn't fond of the wet market, and I can't say I've grown to love it now. But as a photographer, I certainly recognise the anthropological value of Pudu, which has remained relatively unchanged over the past 20 years and is unlikely to be threatened with gentrification anytime soon.
If anything, trying to write this blog was the problem after compiling the photos for this post, because the area is so rich with content and context it's hard to find a starting point. So in this case, I condensed several days (and nights of shooting) as one long day's exploration of the marketplace and immediate vicinity.
Disclaimer: these photos were taken over the course of four separate trips, and shot on two different cameras (a Canon 200D and a Panasonic GM5), hence the slightly different looks.
Due to the immense crowd and pandemic concerns, I chose not to step directly into the marketplace, and was mostly shooting at the fringes.
Pudu market certainly has character. It's almost impossible to miss: the noise and smell far extends beyond the market building, If you don't find it, it'll find you somehow. The market is not for the uninitiated: more than one person I brought here looking to see a grittier side of Kuala Lumpur got far more than they bargained for: it was simply too gritty, noisy and icky for them. And this is already having bypassed the wet market!
If you're new to wet markets in Kuala Lumpur and want to try exploring, the ones at Chow Kit (and adjoining Tiong Nam), as well as the indoor market in Petaling Street are much tamer, and I recommend starting there. Tiong Nam market is rather pleasant in fact.
Beyond the market, Pudu also boasts two Chinese temples on the same street, about 200 meters apart from each other.
Since I didn't feel up to braving the crowd in the market during a spike in Covid-19 cases, I shot some of the surrounding businesses instead. The most commonplace shops in the immediate vicinity of the market tend to be dry sundries, Chinese apothecaries and drugstores, hardware stores, Chinese prayer materials and eateries.
As I move away from the market, I also stop by these spots:
For lunch, I stopped by for barbecued pork rice at one of the many food outlets in the area, right across Pudu Plaza, the only shopping mall in the immediate vicinity.
At sunset, the Pudu night hawker stalls come to life. Even a pandemic can't keep the crowd away, though it's a far cry from its original foot traffic. Before the lockdown, just getting a seat after 7pm was almost impossible. I hadn't eaten at every stall, but of the ones I did try, my personal favourites were the porridge and prawn fritters.
Honestly, even with the glut of photos I showed here, I've barely scratched the surface of Pudu's richness. The area is also known for cheap electronics and hardware stores, a flea market and various Chinese eateries. It's about ten minutes' walk from the Bukit Bintang shopping and district, and along the way, it also passes the Hang Tuah area, which is a mini fashion and textile district just adjoining Bukit Bintang, and another fascinating microcosm of Kuala Lumpur in its own right. Here's a snippet:
And that's it for this post! Though it wasn't quite the end of shooting yet: after dinner, I walked along to do some night street photography. But that's for another time. Stay tuned for the next post!
Wow, that was a load of photos, but so nice to see some views of that area during the covid situation. Brings back a lot of good memories too. I'm gonna say this once more, I wish to to get back there some day. Thanks for sharing, Chun.