The Night Market
You will find them in every part of the country, from big cities like
The first people to arrive at the site are the hawkers, stall owners and wholesalers who come in lorries and vans to unload their goods. Individual stall owners then sort out and arrange their wares on the makeshift stalls. Within the short span of an hour, the whole place is transformed into a shopper’s paradise. Shoppers who flock to the pasar malam come from far and near.
The numerous stalls are strung out in a long line and assortment of wares will surprise anyone who happens to be making his first visit. At one end are the vegetable and fruit stalls where masses of fresh flowers, vegetables and fruits are arranged. Then come the textile stalls, flooded with trendy clothes in every shade and colour imaginable. Next to these, displayed in glass cases, are dazzling and colourful semi-precious stones. In the fish stalls, silvery fish shimmer on their beds of ice and are quickly snapped up by housewives after aggressive bargaining. The aroma of freshly cooked food, satay, ayam panggang, laksa and other exotic dishes, is enough to whet one’s appetite.
At night, the whole area is illuminated by bright and colourful lights giving the whole pace, a fiesta-like atmosphere. People, who move from stall to stall, seem oblivious of others and just push their way through the crowd. Some people, usually young couples and teenagers, take a leisurely stroll looking at the various items on display.
After ten o’clock, the crowd dwindles and traffic eases. The makeshift stalls are dismantled and the whole site is strewn with rubbish. The odour of rotting food pervades the air. Then the air begins to chill and the site of the pasar malam, which only hours ago was bustling with life, is once again quiet.
By "206656"
