The market area of Kuching isn’t, as in other towns I visited in Borneo, in one main building. It’s spread around in a compact area of the city, on streets with names like Jalan Market and Jalan Main Bazaar that run parallel to the river and I suspect where people have shopped since the city was founded in the mid 19th century. There aren’t many places where the basics of life are allowed to remain in a central and scenic riverside location, instead of being moved to a purpose-built concrete block on the outskirts.
By the time I reached Kuching I found I was taking pictures of little else but groceries. I’ve tried to edit the result below for a bit of variety but it was tough. So many spices, so little time. Dessert is at the end, where it rightly belongs.
Writing for everyone must be, as it certainly is for me, as much organizing an experience and coming to realizations for one’s self, as for an audience. This has certainly been the case for me while writing this series about Borneo. I knew I liked it at the time and, while writing the 2 paragraphs above, I’ve come to the conclusion that I must return, at very least, to spend more time in Kuching. Kapit was the other favorite but harder to get to. In any case, all will be revealed, it always is.
I agree with PHeymont. I think these market pieces show us more about a society’s culture and cuisine than any other series of photos could. So if you’ve got more, we’d love to see them!
I certainly hope this is not the last market…I never get tired of them!