Pasar Mayestik, Jakarta
Pasar Mayestik is a typical market with fabrics, clothing, luggage, dry foods and fruit.Experienced tailors at bargain prices are found here too.
Pasar Karat
Parallel to Petaling Street is a China Town hardly seen by tourist in KL. In a back alley there is a thriving ‘Market of thieves’, a Junk market that opens from about 4:30am and gone by 10:00am. They call it Pasar Karat (rust market).
Everything is displayed on the floor. But the place is packed. Its like a flea market, where you can find anything second hand, old ornamental collectable, antiques and watches that were probably stolen. Theres electronics, Traditional medicine, vcds and dvds, T-shirts and even toys so old I wouldn’t even touch.
I see a chiense man spewing in a red bucket, next to him a malay man massaging traditional herbal medicine on a lady’s foot. Across them a plastic sheet lays with nic nacs spread out, the stuff you would find in a dumpster. who the buys single felt tip pens and half working head phones?
There are stories of people taking home a 29’ LCD screens, 80gig ipod and nokia N95
From what I’ve heard this market started from a family of thieves, and today there is a syndicate collecting $10 ringgit from each vendor.
I took photos descretely, as you would when taking shots of potential stolen goods/crap.
First Stop. Petaling Street, KL
When Im not staying at a friend’s house in KL Its usually at a backpackers, most backpackers in KL are located at center of Kuala Lumpur’s original Chinatown.This time though id step it up and stay in an (average) hotel, funny thing is its nextdoor to the backpackers i used to saty at. Once you step out side of the air-con sanctuary its Petaling Street - probably the most ghetto, steamy, sweaty, smelly etc etc part of inner city. Petaling Street goes off. Its is a great place for locals to get some goods (cheap clothes, fabrics, hookers, souvenirs, electronic items… ) at bargain prices and tourists to get ripped off. A lot friends were like “why stay there? soo dangerous lah”, “very very dirty place, better stay in proper place lah”. Sure they got shiny buildings and air-con malls, the streets is the essence in asia.
