Portrait Shots At The Kaki Lima

A collage of Zhi's portraits taken at a five foot way

Just a quickie on a collage I put together a few days ago. I like these photos because the arches in the background add an extra dimension to the shots. Found them while I was looking through my hard drive. They were taken during an earlier trip to Old Town, Ipoh where Zhi's grandma lives.

Just like the colonial buildings in Georgetown, Penang, the pre-war shop houses in Old Town are built with five foot ways(kaki lima in Malay). A five foot way is a pedestrian walkway covered by the overhanging upper floor. The name is derived from the width of the walkway, which is usually five feet wide. Besides providing to pedestrians a shelter from the tropical heat and downpours, it's an integral part of local life.

Coffee shops have their tables and chairs spill out into the five foot way where people would sip coffee and chat for hours in the afternoon... Peddlers and hawkers set up makeshift stalls to sell petty goods and food at the five foot way... Kids would play in the five foot way in the evening... It's an excellent spot for documenting local life. Perhaps that's a theme worth considering for a future photo session - street photography at the kaki lima!