A Photographic Stroll Through Chinatown

Several weeks ago, two fellow photography-loving friends and I, went on a self-guided photography tour through Jakarta's Chinatown.  One of my friends, Bruno, who is 6' 6" tall from West Africa, had visited Chinatown a few times and had made many friends who eagerly wanted their photo taken with him.  My other friend, John and I just stood back and laughed (and took pictures) of the on-going attention he received.  It was fun to walk down the narrow, windy streets that were filled with vivid colors, loud sounds, and exotic smells.  Despite the less-than-ideal conditions of the market, we found the people to be incredibly warm, friendly, proud, and in many instances, happy to have their pictures taken.  I have always enjoyed taking photo portraits, yet people are not always very receptive to having their picture taken.  However, this experience in meeting so many people who were eager to have their picture taken, was quite unique, easy-going , and refreshing.  Below are my photographic results of our trip, reflecting the atmosphere and the people of Jakarta's Chinatown market . . .

My friend John, showing one of the men in the market the picture John had taken of him.

Bruno towered over everyone in the market and people just loved having their picture taken with him!

fresh donuts

live chicken

Another one of Bruno's many fans!

Durian fruit - a delicacy to Indonesians, but to me it's just "stinky fruit."

Dozens of chickens going to  . . . . who knows?

According to the Ministry of Health, one-third of Indonesians smoke (34 percent), with 63 percent of men and 5 percent of women smoking some form of tobacco.

Some very happy, playful, men.

A Buddhist temple 

A very colorful woman!

Mother and child surrounded by . . . fireworks!

Fresh avocados!

Look away if you're a vegetarian and/or squeamish.  These are de-skinned frogs!  And, they were de-skinning them right in front of us! (I've spared you the more gory pictures)

Selling lots of yummy crisp, fried, or baked treats.

These guys LOVED seeing pictures of themselves on my camera's LCD screen.  

This is just one of the many children who spent the day in the market while their parents worked.

Holding dragonfruit - yummy!

This is one market vendor's "office."

This woman eagerly wanted me to take a picture of her underneath the sign for her stand.  She kept pointing to the sign, then to herself, to show how proud she is that this stand is HERS!

An old, chinese medicine store.