The Abandoned Bungalow

I wasn't really sure how Ripi found this place. It was located right at the edge of Pudu, not far from the old celebrated Pudu Jail which was torn down a few years ago.

It was a spacious bungalow with ample space located at the end of a driveway. It was still sturdy but the place must have been abandoned for at least a decade.

A for sale sign could be seen outside it could have easily cost a bit of money. I could see the place be turned into a fancy restaurant or the whole area redeveloped into a condominium.

There was a railway track running behind the building with a station not far down the street. Prime land.

The interior of the house was filled with old furniture store. I suspect somebody may have been squatting there as parts of the building appeared to be touched.

We spent about half an hour, taking snaps and looking around. I wouldn't come here at night though. It may be spooky ....

The Old Town

Jalan Pudu used to be a business hub of the town. But over the years, the commercial area had moved somewhere else and the shophouses here had lost their importance and some were even left abandoned for new development.

The same went for the residential areas round here. The old flats here were still occupied and despite being near the city center, the place was still quiet and green.

There were plenty of urban decay to be captured though as most of the buildings here could easily be dated from the 60s and 70s, mainly occupied by Chinese businessmen.

The houses were mainly rows of flat 4 stories high, with Art Deco finish and bright colours. As with most part of KL, the maintenance and facade had suffered over the years. A new coat of paint would have been nice.

We took a left turn along the rows of houses to reach one of the old abandoned building which Ripi had identified .....

The Faces at the Market

Carrying the 56 f1.2 meant that close-ups would really stand up against the background with a wicked bokeh to boot. Shooting at f1.2 at such a crowded and free moving area present a problem would focusing and the depth of field was really shallow.

I stepped down the aperture to 1.8 and fired away. The built in face recognition algorithm on the X-T1 certainly helped as I didn't have much time to focus at times.

Some of the vendors were happy to have their photos taken, but not all. Another thing I noticed were the number of foreigners working at the marking. They probably outnumber the locals.

They were mainly Nepalese, and they could actually speak a bit of Mandarin to interact with the buyers. Indonesians manned the majority of the Halal section. I supposed that was market forces at work. The foreigners could be hired at lower wages ....

Great fun, but I soon found myself walking in circles. The vendors don't like us photographers hanging around blocking the flow of customers ......

Setting Off

Although many were lugging along their bulky gear, we ended up using a compact for the group photo. Ripi's Sony RX100. It did its job.

We made our way towards the Pudu Wet Market, about one km away. We passed by some flats and shops, took the time to talk to other walkers, and of course sample the local scene.

The flats offered some interesting backdrop, although I would wish for a sunny blue sky. The dull overcast weather would favour some high contrast black and white shots. Easily done, especially with the Ricoh GR.

The Meeting Point

I have been to Pudu Plaza a few times but not really familiar with the area. I was always intimidated driving to the area since traffic was usually bad, and there were too many cars parked on the side of the street. Manoeuvring could be a challenge. Most of the time, I parked inside the complex, but never ventured around on foot.

For the photowalk, I parked at the plaza, and walked across the street to get to the meeting point, Ali Food Corner. I was greeted by the usual faces, friends I get to meet once a year during the photowalk. Happy faces.

Said hi to everybody, took my seat and ordered my breakfast. Plenty of new faces. The number of walker exceeded 50 which was great.

The meeting proper then started with Ripi - the walk leader for the past 3 years - gave us a briefing on what to see and some pointers, followed by the customary group photo. Best to do it first thing as before long, everybody would be walking at their own pace and get spread out. Walkers would reach the end point at their own time and some may not meet again.

Group photo done. Time to move ....