quaint muse: Final Part: KL

My travelling partner and I unanimously chose the Central Market as one of the places of attraction to visit in KL. It wasn’t because we have never been here, it was more to us being what I would like to call, the tourist-have-beens.

Who has not been to the Central Market back in its glory days in the 80s and 90s?

It was even part of the essential place to visit in any school trips to the capital city of Malaysia. The real reason we chose to make a couple of hours stop at Central Market is for reminiscing sake – of the times we were here with our parents, barely the height of their chests, still holding on to their hands. Recalling the times spent with friends when we were still in school uniforms for after school extra classes, or just a spot for meet up before the high-end shopping malls, Starbucks and the “20-Cool-Cafes in KL” trends began.

Back then, Central Market was the place.

During the year end school holidays we would make our annual trip to our aunt’s place in KL. I remember arriving at the parking lot in my aunt’s car, cramped inside with my parents and 2 siblings. My aunt, playing the guide, was more than happy to show us the different feel of shopping experience in Central Market. The other shopping malls with their colourful Christmas decorations were saved for another night’s trip.

Coming home after the recent revisit I engaged myself with a book titled, A Prince Called ‘Charlie’. In one of the chapters, was a short history on Central Market. While everyone knows that Central Market was once a wet market built in 1888, not many of us know the story behind its conversion to the cultural center that we know today.

The prince called, Charlie, was a Malay prince from the state of Negri Sembilan, named, Tunku Abdullah. He had a knack for living life to its fullest and quite an expert at being the man behind the curtain who made things happen. Take all that and add in visionary into his repertoire, Central Market is just one his contributions to the country.

When the government decided to move the wet market operations and tear down its building, Tunku saw a brilliant opportunity. As if on a whim, when nobody saw this at the time, he pledged on preserving this place by turning it into an arts and cultural center. He envisioned connecting both locals and tourists through cultural performances, gastronomical varieties, and a shopping place for arts and handicrafts that we know of today.

After its initial opening in 1986, Central Market quickly became a prominent tourism center in the middle of the capital. The project proved to be a success. The government, though initially skeptical, extended the building lease from seven years to seventy-five years.

More than 20 years have passed for most of us since, the function and outlook of the place remain the same in Central Market. It was interesting to notice the small things that had changed since. Though there used to be mostly local made products, nowadays we can find ‘specialties’ from other countries as well. I also remember seeing a lot of paintings being sold on one part of the building with painters and sketchers doing live works by the sidewalk, something I could not find recently. One bookshop is still selling and renting old books, though I suspect more of this shop back in the days.

To this date, cultural shows are still very well alive. Just make sure that you are here during the weekend.

To get to Central Market, board the Putra LRT from either KL Sentral or KLCC and make a stop at the "Pasar Seni" station.

From the station, you will be walking along a covered walk for about a hundred meters and another 100 meters under the sun towards the building.

Historical quick fact: Did you know that the “C” and “M” initials carved onto the entrance of the Central Market had a close resemblance to the Christian cross once? Due to the then, sensitivity sentiment, alterations were made to remove the resemblance into the signs that we are seeing today (scroll back up).

More pictures of the Central Market below.

Come early morning on a weekday for lesser crowd

The old style book shop reselling old books and magazines

It is possible to discreetly bargain with the seller, for free samples or a discount

Brace yourself when you're riding the hydraulic elevator

View from the second level. Part of the second level, on the right, is the food court

Though some shops on the second level sell the same clothing items, there is one batik shop selling handmade high quality batik clothings - sarong, pants, shorts, kimono, or just plain cloths - shop is near the foot massage place.