Candi Welan's Flea Market

If you happen to be in the downtown of Palembang, the Capital of South Sumatra Province, Indonesia, on Sunday morning, you will see a big crowd of people walking on the Candi Welan Street which spans from Letkol Iskandar Street up to the Cinde Market on General Soedirman Street. These people walk very slowly because the street is full of people. Some of them have to push the people in front of them if they need to go faster. This has been a regular sight on Sunday morning for years. Both sides of this street are fenced by the street vendors selling both new and second hand goods. Who are these people crowding this narrow street? These people are prospective buyers of the merchandises offered by the vendors on both sides of the street. Various kinds of goods are offered here, from second hand rocking chairs, toys, cell phones, electric fans, clothing, up to traditional herbal medicines. If you are not familiar with a concept of flea market, this will be a good example for you.

Why do people crowd this place every Sunday morning? Everyone has his own reason for coming to this place. This market lasts for 5 to 6 hours on Sunday morning. Many visitors come to this place as a part of their Sunday morning rituals: walking, jogging, and other types of morning exercises. They end their activities by sightseeing or shopping at this flea market. Some people come to this place because they can buy various goods at low prices. The cheap products sold here are not necessarily second hand products. They are cheaper because the vendors are not required to pay taxes for what they sell. Moreover, they do not have to pay for the place for selling their goods. The flea market has been in operation for years, which indicates that there is an economic value of this market. The vendors come again and again because they obtain profit. And the buyers are encouraged to come because they obtain what they need at lower prices.

The flea market at Candi Welan Street on Sunday morning has become a fixed feature of Palembang as a metropolis. For the general public, visiting this flea market has become an alternative recreation on Sunday morning. If you love to be among the crowd who walk slowly from one end to the other end of the street while observing people selling and buying products on both sides of the street, you will love this place. You do not have to carry much money to try to buy products on sale at this place because the products are offered at much lower prices than you can buy at an ordinary brick and mortar store.



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