Morning market at Slim River…on the way to Tibang waterfall; Part 2

My trusty old SWB Vitara

I arrived at the Slim river town early. Filled up my Vitara (she’s a guzzler!) and off to the morning wet market in town. One of the things I love most about going to smaller towns like Slim River is visiting the local markets. It provides a snapshot of the town really. It tells what the people are like, what they like to eat, what jungle produce is popular there.

After a few stops to ask for directions, I finally parked my small tank and started walking towards the market. From a distance, a colorful bundle of cloud caught my attention. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be balloons of various kinds.

Colorful balloons greeted visitors to the morning market

Spongebob! Spongebob has invaded Slim River! There are a few other cartoon characters; I think they are Doraemon, Kitty Cat and Ultraman.

Spongebob & friends invaded the small town of Slim River

By the time I walked my second round (yes…2 rounds!), almost half the balloons have been sold. There must be some pretty happy kids in Slim River that day.

The morning weekend market of Slim River town has all the classic typical wet market that I grew up with. The sizzling sound of deep fried fritters, buzzing flies hovering around fish mongers, housewives sitting with legs folded on small tarps selling chili ‘Api’ (fire chilies) and sorts while other makeshift stalls selling local fruits like bananas, mangoes and papayas. One can find everything here. Food, clothes, kitchen utensils and even plants!

Yum…packed some nasi lemak for lunch later

Not many items on sale but one can be assured that they are almost 100% organic

A typical old style ‘pasar’ scene...everything on the ground

Gutted and cleaned river catfish…one of my favorites

Plants from a nursery seller on wheels

Towards the end of my walk around the Slim River morning market, a particular stall caught my attention. This stall was selling what the Chinese call ‘ban chang kueh’. Its like crepe (hope I got that right) but very thick with peanuts and corn pudding in it. What’s interesting is the person preparing the ‘kueh’. In the apron mending the hot plates is a boy…probably no older than 15 years old. He seems very comfortable and confident preparing the ‘ban chang kuah’. His hands movement and concentration are so natural as if he has been doing this forever. I glanced at his parents behind him (tending to another type of ‘kueh’) and they smiled proudly as I showed them the thumbs up to their son. Wow…imagine what Malaysia would be like if all the young people were as hardworking and dedicated as this boy is.

A hardworking boy from Slim River

I manage to pack my lunch, got some fruits and some ‘kueh’ from this Slim River morning wet market. Prices are reasonable, if not cheap. Nearby there are some shops selling kitchen utensils, I came out from one of them shops with a 14cm Billy. It now sits in my pack, ready to hit the road anytime. On to Tibang falls with my goodies from the market.