Night Markets

Like many other south-Asian countries, Malaysia also boasts about its numerous night markets. While planning our trip, we came across multiple recommendations about these markets. We penned down a few which fit our itinerary, excited to explore them.

One of the major markets spoken about is the Petaling Street, also known as China Town, in Kuala Lumpur. Boasting about the plethora of things to buy from here, we set to shop our hearts out. To our major disappointment, most of the things were copy items of famous luxurious brands. Products were visible knockoffs with huge branding, the kind of items one can come across in the streets of few Delhi markets as well. The market was thronged with people and the shops were stuffed with thousands of items. Having doubts about the quality and longevity of these products, we returned almost empty-handed.

The only unique thing that caught my attention were a few stalls selling handmade crochets flower bouquets in vibrant colors. We grabbed a few flowers for ourselves and the family. Crochet flowers seemed more thoughtful since they don’t die and would signify an eternal love. Grabbing a few bites of Pavlova and sipping our favourite dragon fruit juice, we returned home.

Jalan Alor, another market known for its street food, was another one on the list that didn’t quite match our expectations. With its numerous seafood options, it was hard to find reliable vegetarian options. Strolling through the street, we moved to the lanes of Bukit Bintang. The glamour of local music being played live by artists both local and foreigners, welcomed us at multiple corners of the market.

Said to be the center of vibrant culture, these night markets often offer a glimpse into the lives of locals and their multicultural heritage. What we found astonishing was that these ‘night’ markets started to wind down just before it was even 10PM on the clock. Coming from Indian IT industry where we close our afternoon shifts at 11pm, we are used to hanging out at late hours. Hence, this came as an absolute shock to head at 10PM, when we expected ourselves to explore the city through its night markets.

Gradually, we came to notice that most of the city closed for the day by 8PM. The restaurants stretched their timings to a maximum of 10PM, a rare few were open until 11PM. In Langkawi, we found it humorous that the roads would suddenly be devoid of all vehicles, shops shuttering down, within minutes of sunset at 7.30PM. It was noteworthy that there seems to be a good work-life balance prevalent in all walks of life.

Follow me this April as I take you on a journey through our unforgettable Malaysian adventures, chapter by chapter.