Genting Kelang Market

Genting Kelang was once known as Peng Chong or biscuit factory in Cantonese. The market used to be located by the roadside under the current pedestrian bridge. However, because of the jams created each morning, the hawkers and traders were relocated to a better place opposite the old side, just within walking distance from the multi-storeys that are Pelangi Court (the one facing the main road) and Genting Court.

Apart from vegetables, fish and meat, you can also find clothings and household utensils here. The pork selling area is at one corner with a sign that says Tempat Menjual Daging Khinzir. You will see a small red shrine near this area.

Air Panas Market

The Air Panas or Hot Springs market is a hive of activity from 6am daily. This wet market is a favourite of those who stayed in the vicinity. Things are relatively cheap and within the heart of this building are foodstalls, surrounded by the vegetable and meat stalls.

There is also an in-house pork selling area but since this is haram to Islam, the pork sellers are relegated an area at the end of the market.

You can find mutton and some beef here, too. the vegetable section are located beside the main road. Parking is across the street and free. On weekends, opposite thr road from the market's entrance is a collection point for recyclables.

Section 2 Mosque

This is one beautiful structure, a huge mosque that sits diagonally opposite the Alpha Angle shopping complex at the hillside facing Section 2. It was built in 2007 and is still being beautified. This is one of the many mosques you can find in Wangsa Maju, this of course being the largest. Within shouting distance are various suraus and madrasahs.

Help! Someone's cutting down the trees in Genting Kelang!

Trees that were grown for over 10 years chopped off just like that. What the heck is happening?

Can the MP find out what is happening? Trees along Jalan Genting Kelang opposite the Golf Range until the JPJ is being lobbed off and the stumps left. The trees were on what City Hall calls "Kawasan Hijau" or Green Area. After these few days, it wo't be green any more. What a waste of funds.

City Hall trucks were seen loading the debris and carting them off elsewhere.

Is a road expansion plan being undertaken? If so, then it is about time. Maybe someone can enlighten?

Taman Sri Rampai

Rampai Business Centre

Taman Sri Rampai is a slightly more "upmarket" housing area with its houses (terraced double-storeys) being more expensive than the cluster houses at Taman Setapak Jaya. The residents here are predominantly Chinese and the residential area surrounds a bustling business district where a bank, shops and other amenities are located.

There is a multi-storey Rampai Business Centre which is struggling with its occupancy with only the ground floor being occupied by business ranging from phone shops and pharmacies to tailors and opticians.

The only multi-storey accommodation here is the Rampai Court Apartments - a four to five-storey walk-up gated apartment complex of several blocks. Half of it sits on a hillock behind which is the up-market condominium Desa Putra.

Rampai Court - one of the earliest multi-storey housing in Taman Seri Rampai.
Neighbouring Taman Seri Rampai are low cost flats overlooking the lake where lotuses can be seen all year round. It used to be an abandoned lake till City Hall in 2007 rebuilt it and introduced a fountain as well as jogging paths and trees as part of the refurbishment.


Yes, even Taman Seri Rampai has some night life

Soon Soon Lai (slow-slow come) Xia Xu Noodles

Oi, you got eat herbal Xia Xu noodles before or not? If not, you should come to Desa Setapak. The noodles are hand made and the owner's fame has gotten him into HoChak TV programme.

Basically, if you ask me, it is similar to pan mee. Except that he gives you so many flavours. And don't miss the chili hot spicy mee. Better, if you eat there under the noon sun. Yes, got shelter but try and see if you do not sweat like hell.


See the menu?



Eat spicy mee under the umbrellas under the noon sun and you get extra kick.

Kopitiam Desa - Cheap Snacks and Meals

No queue means either food is finished or you are damn lucky.
Looking for delicious food and no time to cook? Cheap too? Check out this shop at Desa Setapak. You cannot miss it and if you do, you deserve to be hungry. There is usually a long queue when the shop opens for business from 10am. It is located on the LRT side of the shops, at the end near the roundabout. Noodles, soups, sweets and such are available, and cheap too.

Perfect Ice - Fruit Juice Popsicle

Ever tried fruity popsicle? No, I mean one made from fruit juice? Check out this stall at Desa Setapak. The stall is near the roundabout. Various types of fruits available. What he does is to first juice the fruit and then turn the juice into ice. Good thirst quencher.

Mini Clubman Workshop in Setapak Jaya

There is a little known Malay operated workshop at the corner of Setapak Jaya which repairs Mini Clubman and other antique cars. Judging from the queue of old cars, he must be quite a specialist. His workshop is located along the shortcut bypass from Setapak Jaya to Air Panas. Look out for the high tension wire pylons. His workshop (among a couple of illegal shops) is directly underneath. Next door is a second-hand car parts dealer.



The yellow one belongs to Mr Bean ... just kidding!

Air Panas Pasar Malam

Air Panas Night Market

On Mondays, there is a night market along the road beside the day market. Specifically, it is at the perimeter of the field and not far from the Air Panas girls' school. It operates from 6pm to 11pm nightly. Things are pretty cheap and there is a variety of Chinese and Indian traders. The makcik selling nasi lemak, the lone Malay trader, does a roaring business. Also don't miss the Indian string hopper maker near the field. He makes good steam curry puffs as well.


String hoppers or putu mayam


The anei making steamed curry puffs.

Wangsa Maju's Mega Badminton Hall

The badminton hall.


For those who love badminton and are looking for a place to play, there is a huge badminton complex (it looks like a single storey hall) about 50 metres from the junction fronting Royal Selangor Pewter. It is situated exactly beside the Wangsa Maju Perodua Service centre. Look for the Shell station across the road and directly opposite is a small road leading to the hall. Head on in and less than 30 metres away you will see the building.

There is also a Futsal Stadium here (picture below).

Click here to view map
BADMINTON HALL

Section 2 Wangsa Maju

Section 2 - Block A and B. The tall building at the back is the Menara Alpha.
Section 2 sits on the north eastern side of the LRT line and you can't miss it for at left is the busy Taman Desa Setapak. Most prominently sits Menara Alpha, overlooking both Section 2 and Desa Setapak and beyond. You can't miss it and it is visible almost a mile away. There is alos a huge mosque at the hillock near the main traffic lights into Section 2 and Desa Setapak.

Housing here comprises mostly five-storey walk-up apartments, slightly more expensive than Section 1.

The school
There is a school here, a small morning market near Block F and some office blocks at the western end. The Armed Forces Hospital has just been set up too.


Morning at Section 2
Like the apartments in Section 1, Section 2's also comes with piped water and gas. There are also sparsely located restaurants in Section 2, mostly offering Chinese fare and the population comprises mostly Chinese. Students make up the majority here. There is also a market nearby.

Section 1 Wangsa Maju

Section 1 apartments - look at the number of satellite TV dishes on the corridors and you won't think this is a low-cost housing area

WANGSA Maju Section 1 and 2 are divided by the LRT line and encloses Taman Desa Setapak. In the old days, Section 1's residents comprise mostly Malays while Section 2 is made up of mostly Chinese.

Section 1 comprises five-storey walk-up flats, with mostly two rooms. Amenities here include the Jusco complex which is next to the Income Tax department.

There are also two petrol stations nearby and a secondary school not far away.

There was a huge oxidation pond here for years. Now sits beautiful gated community.
There used to be a huge oxidation pond on the western perimeter of Section 1 but has today been reclaimed into a gated community known as "Taman Sri Andaman" link houses.


One of the houses at Andaman


If you approach Section 1from the south, this gated community is on your left. You can't miss it. It sits smack on top of where the oxidation ponds were. It is quite interesting to note that land is now so scarce that even what used to hold human excrement is today prime property and funnily, this high-end property is just a shout's distance away from the low-cost flats that made up Section 1.

There is a horrendously long night market from this place to Jusco on Monday evenings and the road is closed from 5pm to midnight. Don't try to drive through or you will end up stuck till midnight.

Setapak Jaya

Setapak Jaya is located to the southeast of Desa Setapak, about two kilometres to be exact. This is also one of the earliest settlements between Hot Springs and Wangsa Maju.

Setapak Jaya comprises mostly three storey low-cost houses built in the 80s and the more expensive double storeys built much later. There is a row of City Hall low-cost flats, too.

There are several rows of shops operating various types of businesses, some restaurants and of course hawkerstalls.

There is a morning market under a stretch of trees which operate from morning till noon and on Saturdays, there is a night market operating from 6pm to 10pm, by the lake. This road is usually inaccessible till 11pm.

Many of the houses still retain their old architecture but many have also been renovated and transformed into mini-bungalows amidst the low-cost settings, sometimes quite ridiculously mansion-like but who cares, if you can flaunt it, why not!

Desa Setapak

This is basically a medium cost housing area with two and three-storey compact houses (similar to Setapak Jaya) built in the 80s. The housing area surrounds a main thoroughfare which is today a bustling business area with all sorts of shops operating there.

Many of the houses still retain their old looks (above), probably because the owners have moved away and rented out to students from TAR College or MIA, or office workers. . Those who decide to stay, well, make a castle out of their common abodes (below).To know why this place is booming, visit it in the evenings. You will see scoreds of hungry college students queueing for their meals at the many 'chup-fun' (mixed rice) stalls there. Office workers come at 6pm till 8pm, of course. And the LRT station beside this thoroughfare also helps.

Food is cheap of course and plentiful, and so is the money to be made here from hungry students. And yes, stalls too fight for business with the established restaurants. The designer cafes which came up in 2007 also offer variety and give some exclusivity to those who want some "class".

This is one place you have to consider yourself lucky if you can find parking between 11am to 10pm, after businesses close.

Click for map of Desa Setapak

About Wangsa Maju - a brief history

How it all started...

WANGSA MAJU came into being in the early 80s when a stretch of rubber estates stretching from the current TAR College-Jalan Genting Kelang junction (near Wardieburn Camp) to the present Taman Permata/Melawati in Hulu Kelang, covering some 400 hectares.

Then in 1984, the township was born when a joint venture project was undertaken by PGK Sdn Bhd and the City Hall to build a township with mixed development, comprising medium and high rise condominiums, double-storey terrace houses, semi-detached houses, shops, offices and commercial complexes.

Birth

The project which took almost a decade gave birth to what is today Section 1 and 2 Wangsa Maju, the former low-cost flats and the latter medium-cost. These were among the most modern housing schemes built in Kuala Lumpur then and each unit was built with piped in gas and water supply.

However, the boom did not come until the growth of the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA) and the Tunku Abdul Rahman College in the mid-80s when housing needs of students expanded beyond Taman Bunga Raya across the road to Wangsa Maju Section 2. By that time, medium cost terraced houses were already built by a Chinese developer in what has today become Taman Desa Setapak where the Wangsa Maju Light Rail Transit station is now located.

Developments

One of the earliest shopping malls to take advantage of this boom was Alpha Angle, whose main tenant was then Jaya Jusco and later renamed Jusco. It was sited at the perimeter of Wangsa Maju Sect 1, across the road from Desa Setapak. This gave a boost to businesses in and around Sect 1 and sec 2.

The current Carrefour Wangsa Maju came much later and it was built at the end of Wangsa Maju, on a hillock overlooking Section 5 and 6 and Taman Setiawangsa, which again sent a chain reaction to businesses around the hillock.

The growth of the township also prompted the setting up of Government agencies, one of which is the Wangsa Maju Road Transport Department (JPJ) about one kilometre from the TAR College-Genting Kelang junction and the Internal Revenue Board (Income Tax) at Wisma Kausar located directly opposite Jusco. The privatised vehicle inspection unit, known as Puspakom, was also set up after the RTD and located just next door.

Constituency P116

The boom in the township triggered developments around Wangsa Maju and in the early 2000, the constituency realignment exercise expanded Wangsa Maju into Constituency P116 (Parliamentary Seat) to cover a bigger area westwards to Taman Danau Kota which sits on the west side of Genting Kelang's Wardieburn Camp to the 5th Mile of Jalan Gombak. It stretched southwards to the Setapak Police station along Jalan Gombak-Genting Kelang junction and back again eastwards to include Hot Springs (Air Panas) and back to Section 10 of Wangsa Maju, which straddles the border of Wangsa Maju-Setiawangsa.

Development has today moved from Wangsa Maju to Danau Kota and now Jalan Gombak, which has been expanded into a six-lane thoroughfare from a two-lane dual carriage main trunk road connecting Kuala Lumpur and the East Coast.

About this site:
This site was set up in March 2008 to document the birth and life in and around the Wangsa Maju Constituency.