Ipoh

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Imagine, you have only one day left in your jam-packed Malaysia itinerary… and imagine, you want to spend that day in Ipoh. Should you? It depends. Does your heart rate shoot from 0 to 100 by hearing the word ‘street art’? Do you consider the right blend of history and cultural variety an essential ingredient of your ultimate day trip? Don’t you mind a hike here and there? Then yes, you should absolutely visit this kaleidoscopic buzzbomb of a town smack-bam in the centre of the peninsula.

Holding on to the fact that you only have a limited time period to spend here, let’s divide your trip options in three unique, distinct themes.

Three Themed Ipoh Daytrips: Culture, Nature and Wellness

1: Culture

You don’t have to travel far to see big chunks of our world in a compact little nutshell. Take Ipoh, where the local population constitutes of a fizzling melting pot of Chinese, Malay, Indian, British and Orang Asli communities.

Colonial Influence

As always, cultural variety works vice versa with relation to history, which in Ipoh only took a sprint towards rapid civilization in the 1820s, when British colonialists found their way to Malaysia (and well, pretty much to everywhere else in the world). In the particular case of Ipoh, the opportunities for tin mining were the advantage that caught the greedy eyes of English colonialists.

Ipoh Heritage Trail: Go colonial! The arrival of the Brits changed Ipoh scrupulously and irreversibly. The utterly English buildings that were erected on the humid Malay grounds are determining the cityscape until the day of today, and include the Ipoh Railway Station, the Town Hall, the Birch Memorial Clocktower, the St. Michael’s Institution and many others. The tour takes about 2-3 hours and can be completed with a guide, or (Budget Bucket List recommended) via a free self-guided map, to be picked up at the Ipoh Tourist Information Centre. [Free]
Kellie’s Castle: Chasing some goose bumps? This castle a tad outside of Ipoh, built by the eccentric Scottish painter William Kellie Smith, is believed to be haunted! Spirits and poltergeists aside, this building exemplifies excellent colonial craftmanship. [Admission fees apply]

China or Malaysia?

About a century later, by the 1930s, Ipoh was blissfully booming, which triggered the rich Chinese Hakka (Han Chinese in Hakka-speaking provincial areas) Yau Tet-Shin to pump his spare billions into developing a large tract of the town, currently known as ‘New Town’. Yau wasn’t the only Chinaman unable to resist Ipoh’s attraction: In the late 19th century high numbers of Chinese labourers had flocked to this part of Malaysia to surf the wave of the tin-boom-wealth, whilst preserving their own culture and lifestyle. Nowadays, the Chinese form the biggest population group of Ipoh.

Han Chin Pet Soo (Ipoh World): The ancestral home of the former Hakka Miners’ Club now serves as a museum preserving the elements of the town’s Chinese background. Well-organized and informative, knowledgeable English-speaking guides bring history back to life with a fresh dose of enthusiasm and anecdotes about gambling and opium-smoking. [Book ahead; Free entry, RM10 donation stimulated]
Concubine Lane: Lorong Panglima, also called Yi Lay Hong, used to be the location where well-off Chinese merchants (as well as British officers) would keep their secret mistresses, safely tucked away from the angry stares of suspicious spouses. To complete the overall vibe of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll: It also served as a notorious opium hotspot. [Free]
Jalan Bijeh Timah: Locally called the ‘Salted Fish Street’ (Ham Yu Gai) due to the biting scent of fish and other dried wares, this street is considered to be the Chinese wholesale district. [Free]
Ho Yan Hor Museum: There’s one strong feature the English and Chinese (and Indian!) have in common: their devoted love for tea. Have a look at this museum to dive into the history and biography of Ho Yan Hor, the father of this famous Chinese-medicine tea brand from Ipoh. [Free] – visit the Gahuru Tea Valley to go all in!
Chinese Temples: Good news if you’re into temples… you’ll drown in them in Ipoh! And as the Chinese are the most prominent population group here, most of the temples serve their religions. The Sam Poh Tong Temple, Guan Yin Temple, Perak Cave Temple, Seen Hock Yeen, Lin Sen Tong Temple, Da Seng Ngan Temple and the Tambun Tibetan Temple are only a few of the many Taoist, Confucian and Buddhist houses of worship.

India, But Smaller

The tin industry not only attracted Chinese workers and investors, also the Indians moved to Ipoh in huge numbers. This immigrated population group, mainly consisting of (originally) South Indians of Nattukkotai Chettiar descent as well as Punjabi’s, now predominantly lives in the area from Jalan Sultan Yussuf to Jalan Lahat… also known as “Little India.”

Masjid India Muslim: Besides temples and churches, also a mosque is brought to Ipoh to not leave any deity out. [Free]

Another Brick in the Wall?

The effects of the intermingling of multi-ethnic spheres, origins and histories results in a current output of cultural expressions and a diverse streetscape. Ipoh contains a great variety of artistic expressions, the most famous one being the walls filled with top-notch street art, often said to challenge to the famous graffiti scene of counterpart Penang on the western side of the country.

Ipoh Mural Art Trail: Head to the Ipoh Tourist Information Centre for a leaflet with this colourful scavenger hunt, or just wander around by yourself and peek behind every corner and little alley for a new pleasant surprise. That said, however ingenious the current paintings are produced, sadly the maintenance is less than desired, and many works are peeling off. [Free]

A paid, but better-preserved version can be found at ‘Funtasy House Trick Art’ museum.

2: Nature

Before culture, there was nature. A lot, a loooooot of nature. In fact, before the Brits rocked up this little spot on the Malaysian peninsula wasn’t much more than a thick stretch of jungle surrounded by slippery limestone cliffs along the Kinta River (visit the Geology Museum for more insights – free). Luckily, humanity didn’t wipe it all out, Ipoh still can be your destination of natural delight.

Go Caving!

If there’s one thing Ipoh is famous for, besides its street art and flavourful cuisine, it’s the abundancy of caves.

Gua Tempurung: The show pony of Ipoh (or well – 25km south of it) is formed by the largest cave of the entire peninsula. This limestone attraction draws in both professional caving enthusiasts, fervent adventurers as well as casual visitors. Besides that, one can still witness the graffiti of communist guerrillas who used this spot as their hideout during the Malayan Emergency (1948-60). [Entrance fees apply]
Gua Tambun: More into that cave-painting-stuff? The Gua Tambun cave has paintings that go about 4000-2,500 years back and aren’t yet discovered by mass tourism. [Entrance fees apply]
Cave Temples: If just caves aren’t enough for you, there are also many cave-temple-combo’s! Have a look at the Sam Poh Tong Cave Temple (the oldest!), the Perak Cave Temple and the Kek Lok Tong Cave Temple & Zen Gardens [All free].

… if caving isn’t entirely your thing, then also rafting belongs to the outdoor options in the Ipoh surroundings!

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

For some serious nature vis-à-vis, tighten up your hiking boots and mount the Bukit Kledang at a height of 800 meters. There are no less than 4 jungle trails (RTM; 4-2; 4-3; 4-9] to suit your desired level of difficulty. [Free]

Other hikes:

Gunung Lang: Easily combined with a visit to the Perak Cave Temple, it’s possible to take a boat trip to reach this pleasant mountain park. [Free entry; Boat ride paid]
Tasik Cermin: Use this lake to your advantage --> Hike around it, picnic next to it, or dive right in it. [Free]
Ulu Geroh Rafflesia Trail: Generally, the Borneo-side of Malaysia is the prime location to spot the famous and smelly rafflesia flower, Malaysia’s national symbol that’s even depicted on the paper money. However, if you’re really, really lucky one will bloom during your Ipoh-visit. You’ll be required, however, to pay a native orang asli guide to lead the way during this trek. [Approx. RM100]. The Royal Belum State Park is another spot to combine hikes with rafflesias.
Botani Eco Park, Sultan Abdul Aziz Recreation Park & D.R. Sennivasagam Park: Not much of a ‘hike’, but nevertheless health-favouring: Parks that contain a city centre dash of green, running lanes and picnic possibilities. [Free]

3: Wellness & Entertainment

To continue with the history narrative I started with the Brits, Chinese and Indians… After Ipoh was shortly snatched away by the Japanese during WWII, the British soon regained control after the war had ended. How is this relevant for wellness and entertainment? Well, this was the time when Ipoh turned into the capital of raunchy recreation. Cinema halls, amusement parks, after-hour clubs and nightlife venues… no costs were spared to let the good times roll! As the tin economy collapsed, the tourism and entertainment industry gained strength.

Happy Go Lucky

Gunung Lang Recreational Park: Besides a natural spot for your hiking endeavours, this earth treasure of limestone hills and wee waterfalls is organized for family recreation. [Free entry; Boat ride paid]
Sunway Lost World of Tambun: Themepark, waterpark and adventure venue: You can simply lose an entire day in Sunway. However, it does include a zoo. I strongly believe that every piece of money you spend is a ballot paper, allowing you to vote for what you believe in. I hope you, like me, vote for animal welfare and therefore decide to spend your ringgits elsewhere. [Entry prices apply]
Movie Animation Park Studios (Maps): A free theme park, does that even exist? Not really, as even though there’s no entry price, rides have to be paid separately. Ideal if you only want to visit a few rides, but barely worth the effort if we have to believe recent reviews: “One of the worst theme parks I’ve ever been too. Waste of time.” [TripAdvisor]
Qing Xin Ling Leisure and Cultural Village: As tacky as it’s informative, this place does what it says: Combining vague memories of forlorn times with a bit of biking, climbing and Chinese fortune telling. [RM10 – tickets have to be bought elsewhere, at Syarikat Perabot Kota]

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Spirits High and Feeling Grounded

As much as temples communicate culture, history and even mutually enforce nature (cave temples!), it’s also the prefect place to meditate, elevate the mind or simply breathe. If you want to combine spirituality with a boost of your love life, visit the Kwan Yin Tong Temple on Chinese Valentines Day (15th day of the Chinese New Year), when single girls throw oranges into the river with their phone numbers scribbled onto them, to be fished out by the male bachelor population of Ipoh. [Free]
Get a massage: Little India is the ultimate spot for a little ‘me-time’. From getting your eyebrows threaded to a fine wax or unnerving massage, this is the place to be pampered. [Costs apply]
Perak Herbal Garden: Medicinal herbs, aroma therapy and natural cosmetics… these 22 hectares of garden are your gateway to natural healing. [Taman Herba Negeri Perak; small fee applies]

Now I have only 1 question left for you:
Day trip... or would you rather stay an entire week?

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