A sepia rendition of an old kopitiam in Main Street, Behrang. This is a typical coffee shop found on many one-street towns along the ‘old road’ or Federal Route 1.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f6.3, 1/250 sec.
Tag: old shop
Linoleum And Boats
It is very colourful and the old shop houses on the main street seem so full of character. The initial drive through made me think the town is susceptible to floods.
For a small town, it has quite a few shops selling linoleum floor mats (tikar getah) and boats. I remember seeing the same while covering the Great Johor Floods of 2007.
I was partly right. Took a walk around town, spoke to the locals and discovered an interesting fact unbeknown to many outsiders.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f5.6, 1/250 sec.
Kaki Lima
The five-foot-way or ‘kaki lima’ is a colonial legacy from the time when front of shops were required by law to have a 5-foot wide walkway. The practical and functional architectural design element lives on in the old shops of Tanjung Malim and many other places.
According to Wikipedia, the requirement was first specified in the Stamford Raffles Town Act of 1822 for Singapore. It applied also to Malaya and Brunei.
I think is quite a brilliant design as the overhanging top floor acts as a shelter or shade for window shoppers. Together with classic columns and arches, the shady walkways appear like a long tunnel or corridor to the camera.
Saw this girl gulping milk on the five-foot-way from afar. When I got near, I found out her parents are trading in one of the shops. I asked her father if it is normal to drink milk so fast and furious. He said is normal. Gulps.
Anyway, I like how she multi-tasked by posing, smiling and drinking at the same time.
Happy Mother’s Day, all.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 200, f4, 1/250 sec.
War And Peace
The Larut War of the early tin mining years took place during the second half of the 19th century. Running battles between the Cantonese-dominated Ghee Hin clan and the Hakka-dominated Hai San clan continued until the Pangkor Treaty in 1874.
Near the end of the protracted war, some Hokkiens fled central Perak and settled in more peaceful Tanjung Malim. In the early 1900s, they built two rows of shop houses that formed what is the old town today. A few of these ancient buildings still stand.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f6.3, 1/250 sec.
A Bolt Of Lightning
A girl cycling past an old shop wall with a big crack. It looks like wall art featuring a bolt of black lightning. Something else hit the town dwellers.
Tanjung Malim people seem to be unusually curious and conscious about the presence of a stranger with a camera. And I don’t even use a neck strap or a big camera.
A few stopped cycling, walking and even driving just to watch me work. At this spot, several courteous pedestrians and cyclists crossed the street to avoid getting into frame, thinking I wanted to shoot the wall alone.
During my walkabout, some came forward to talk instead of me approaching them. One guy ran after me to tell me there is a interesting building in the opposite direction.
Good people.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f5.6, 1/250 sec.