Something wonderful transcends upon Malaysia as the sun finally dips beneath the horizon for the day: that being, the multicultural night markets. Here you will find shops on streets with exotic names such as Abdul Rahman and other “spicy” varieties.
Lights are hung, woks are heated, and musical systems play the top Malaysian hits.
Historically, this nightly occurrence takes its roots from the mid-1800s. It was during this time period the Malay chief ordered some Chinese tin miners to travel up the Klang River to open up a new operation. It was at the intersection of the Gombak and Klang Rivers that a settlement was established. This area rapidly became known as the mining capital of the country. Since most workers were day workers, traders soon “caught on” and thus, set up stalls wherein laborers could purchase goods as they returned home from work in the evening. Therefore, the tradition of the night markets has survived over the centuries.
The area today is known as Kuala Lumpar. (This is Malay for “muddy confluence.”)
Today, Kuala Lumpar is a colorful, spectacular city and is considered one of the southeast area's most significant centers. The city, itself, has 1.5 million inhabitants.
It is not as if you can't shop in more modern settings in Kuala Lumpar. For instance, there are the modern malls, such as the Mall on Jalan Putra opened during the day - it's just that shopping the night markets offers a much more multicultural experience.
The Malaysian night markets open at permanent locations in the country's bigger cities whereas smaller towns host night market activities at various locales.
The markets not only offer places for the average Malay to buy their groceries, they also offer a nice array of food stalls and street entertainment. The visitor is afforded the opportunity to attain great deals on “knock-off” designer watches and purses as well as experiencing Malaysian culture on a first-hand basis.
There is a variation of cultural influence in Malaysia from one town to the next and from region to region. Fro example, Perlis shows Malaysian style influences whereas Penang leans toward Thai and Chinese. And even within Kuala Lumpar, the differences are distinct. For instance, should you shop in Chinatown, walking along Jalan Petaling, you may feel you are in a certain section of Hong Kong namely the Mong Kok section; whereas if you travel through Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, the flavor is more Indian and Moslem.
Also, the markets' musical selections reveal the culture of which the region most readily identifies. For instance, in Bangsar Baru, you are most likely to be greeted by Chinese troubadours playing ukuleles while in Jalan Chow Kit located in Kuala Lumpar and definitely Malaysian, you will probably hear recordings of popular Malaysian entertainers.
In food selections - here you will find a huge variance. For instance, Penang offers hot, sour fish broth with noodles; rice and curry, and spicy beef wrapped up in an omelet. In Perak, the selection of choice is noodles and bean sprouts.
Malay and Portuguese cooking is standard fare for Melaka. Bean curd stuffed generously with minced fish or rice dumplings, are the fare within the Chinese Market located on Jalan Petaling in Kuala Lumpar. And, probably it would be safe to say the standard Malaysian favorite dish would be roasted chicken, basted in coconut gravy.
Haggling is a significant activity when shopping the night markets. Offer sixty percent the asking price and most generally you will receive your wares for seventy-five percent of the asking price.
It is suggested that your Malaysian trip will not be complete without at least one trip to the night market.
