Chow Kit Wet Market

The nasi lemak was just average. However, the stalls are indeed popular, judging by the long queues waiting to pack food.

Among my favourite places for nasi lemak are: Restoran Gembira, Section 3, Shah Alam; a stall along Jalan Raja Abdullah, Kg. Baru near the current temporary Dang Wangi Police Station; and Malli's, Taman Bunga Raya near the TAR College. Malli's caters to the evening and dinner crowd, while the other 2 are for breakfast.

Across the road after Jalan Chow Kit is Jalan Raja Bot. This road is closed to traffic. Food and other stalls have taken over the road. There is a small lane to allow cars to pass to the car park at the rear of the building in the corner.

This is the home of the Jalan Raja Bot market. "Raja Bot market? What Raja Bot market?" That's the puzzled response you'll probally get, even from locals, if you ask for directions to the market. Everyone knows it as the Chow Kit market.

Fruit stalls greet you when you enter the market proper.

You can get many types of kampung produce at the fringes of the market, like the lady below, selling petai.

Here is a stall with a colourful display of cakes.

You can also enter the market from Jalan Raja Alang. Here too you will be greeted by fruit stalls.

This is the building that housed the original market. Due to popular demand, the market has way outgrown this building. A number of extensions have been added, but the majority of the trades conduct their business from make-shift stalls.

There I told you, this is the Jalan Raja Bot market and it is managed by the Petty Traders Development and Management Department of City Hall.

A butcher at his stall in the market proper. The butcher is hidden behind his wares, the guy in the front is a customer.

A view of one of the extended sections of the market selling vegetables and stuff.

This is probally the largest wet market in Kuala Lumpur (exception being the wholesale market in Selayang). Every kind of local and imported produce is available here. Meat, poultry, fruits, vegetables - be it fresh, frozen, preserved, canned - whatever you need, you'll most surely get it here. And at very reasonable prices.

What all that varity means to me is that you also get the mixed aroma associated with such a place. That why the first thing I do when I get home is take a shower.