2 January 2023, Monday

(Exchange rate: S$1 = RM3.25)

First trip of 2023, and we had a super early start to the day. After a light breakfast at home, we headed down to meet our Mercedes taxi driver, who arrived at 4:20am sharp as scheduled. Last night, I made an advance booking on the Zig app for peace of mind to secure a taxi to pick us up. The fare on the meter was S$47+, but I made a mistake of paying by credit card on board, which incurred S$5+ of additional charges, so the final fare amount was S$52.91. It was really silly because I had already prepared a S$50 note but decided to use the credit card at the last minute. Argh!

We arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 1 at 4:40am, way too early (as usual) for our 6:55am Scoot TR480 flight. After Uncle J and Aunt C arrived at 5:10am, we checked-in our luggage and printed our boarding passes on our own. Everything was automated, of course. Changi Airport is the best in the world!

Even at that early hour, the airport was very crowded. After passing through immigration, we went to the food hall for our second round of breakfast – kaya toast, eggs and coffee. And after going through the security screening and bag check, we were a little taken aback to find out that we had to board a shuttle bus to take us to the aircraft. Was there such a severe shortage of boarding gates and aerobridges? Maybe Changi Airport isn’t the best in the world after all!

Not surprisingly, the flight was full as well. After less than 1½ hours in the air, we touched down at Ipoh’s Sultan Azlan Shah Airport at 8:13am. It was a cool 24 degrees Celsius outside and we could see big hills in the distance. Very nice. This was my first time in Ipoh and I liked it already.

The airport was very small. After disembarking, we walked on the tarmac from the aircraft to the terminal building. There were only two counters for foreigners and two counters for Malaysians. The queuing area was small but the immigration clearance was pretty fast. When we emerged at the arrival hall, we saw Uncle S and Aunt V standing there, welcoming us to their hometown. Such a nice feeling to arrive in a foreign country and be embraced by family members.

For this trip, Uncle S rented a 7-seater Toyota Innova, with the cost of rental to be split among the seven of us. The car was already at the airport, waiting to be picked up. After we inspected the car and did the necessary paperwork, mum, dad and I took the Innova with Uncle S, while Uncle J, Aunt C and Aunt V took the other car (Uncle S’s car), and we drove to Uncle S and Aunt V’s apartment nearby. The drive took only 10 minutes and we arrived at their condominium at 9:07am.

Being the superhosts that they were, Uncle S and Aunt V had planned an exciting itinerary for us. After dropping our bags and a quick freshening up, we headed out again at 9:40am for our third breakfast of the day. We went to a kopitiam (coffeeshop) called Lee Kitchen, just a 10-minute drive away. Ipoh is a small city so everything is quite close by. As it was a public holiday, the place was very crowded with locals.

The kopitiam was suitably old school, with about a dozen stalls selling a wide variety of food. Uncle S and Aunt V ordered an assortment of local favourites for us to share, including fried Butterfly fritters (which were horseshoe-shaped instead of butterfly-shaped like the ones in Singapore), Curry Chee Cheong Fun (which came with char siew, roast pork and tau pok), Hor Fun with mixed sauce (comprising curry, mushroom, sweet and chilli sauce), and fried carrot cake.

Ipoh is famous for its Hor Fun (flat rice noodles) and Tau Geh (bean sprouts). This is because Ipoh is surrounded by karst limestone mountains, and the spring water makes the noodles silky and the bean sprouts plump and juicy. Indeed, the Hor Fun was so soft and smooth that it melted in the mouth, and the bean sprouts from the fried carrot cake burst with flavour. I am not so sure if I liked the combination of curry with Chee Cheong Fun very much though. We also ordered red bean soup for dessert and it was very nice and thick, definitely the real deal unlike many of the watered-down versions sold in Singapore food courts. And not forgetting the white coffee, which was very strong and fragrant. Just what I needed!

After the sumptuous breakfast, we left Lee Kitchen at 10:40am and drove to our first place of interest, Kek Lok Tong cave temple, arriving just before 11am. First, a little bit of history and geography. Ipoh sits in the middle of the Kinta Valley region, where the surrounding topography is mainly made up of karstic limestone hills. In the 1880s, huge tin deposits were discovered in the Kinta Valley, and Chinese and Europeans started tin-mining operations here. The tin mining boom led to rapid growth in population and wealth, but the depletion of tin deposits and collapse of tin prices in the 1970s resulted in Ipoh suffering decades of neglect and decline. However, in recent years, Ipoh has steadily found its feet again, as more people (like me) are lured by the natural wonders of the city and the delicious food here.

Due to the influx of Chinese immigrants working in the tin mining industry, many of the limestone caves in Ipoh were used by the Chinese as places of worship. There are several famous cave temples in Ipoh such as Perak Cave Temple (Perak is the state in which Ipoh is the capital) and Sam Poh Tong Temple, but the one that Uncle S picked for us to visit was Kek Lok Tong (sometimes spelt as Kek Look Tong).

The name Kek Lok Tong means “cave of great happiness”. It is part of the Gunung Rapat range of limestone hills. The cave is approximately 100 metres in length and is divided into three main chambers in different levels. There are two entrances to the cave; the carpark is located at the eastern entrance.

The sight of the towering limestone hill in front of us was very impressive as we climbed up the steps to the cave. As we approached the cave’s entrance, we saw a statue of Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) on the right. At the top of the staircase was a sculpture of Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher who lived about 2,500 years ago, but whose teachings have remained influential to this day. He established ethical, moral and social standards that formed the basis of a way of life known as Confucianism.

Upon entering the cave, we saw another statue, one of a seated Buddha. Visitors can make donations and place oil lamps on the racks to receive Buddha’s blessings. The floor of the cave was levelled and paved with smooth black marble. The interior of the cave was spacious and airy and flooded with natural light.

After climbing up a short flight of stairs, we were in the main part of the cave where the roof was filled with beautiful stalactite formations. There was one particular bit of rock that resembled the side profile of a human face when viewed at a certain angle. We had fun craning our necks and using our imagination to make out objects or faces that may or may not be there. 

I liked that the cave was lit in only one colour, yellow, which was more natural and not so gaudy like the technicolour lighting in some other caves. The ones that I previously visited in China and Vietnam were really huge and impressive, but size is not everything. Here at Kek Lok Tong, the main cave system was quite small but it was packed with stalactites all around. The tasteful lighting system and abundance of natural light created an air of tranquility without making us feel claustrophobic. It also wasn’t too crowded so we could slowly take in the sights without being rushed.

We went out from the western entrance of the cave and emerged at a valley where more limestone hills surrounded a large lake in the middle. We descended the flight of steps and took a stroll through the garden. Walking in a clockwise direction around the pond, we saw a line of statues of the 18 Arhats (十八罗汉, 18 Luohan), who are the original followers of Gautama Buddha and have attained enlightenment.

At the base of the cliff were some fruit trees. Upon closer inspection, we realised that they were pomelo trees. I had never seen a pomelo tree before because it is not commonly grown in Singapore. We were lucky enough to see the flowers, which were yellow-white and about to develop into fruits. Several green pomelo fruits were also hanging on the trees. So fascinating!

We discovered that there was another slightly smaller lake further along and its surface was filled with a strange orangey-brown substance that gave the impression that the pond was covered with mud. The texture and colour was so uniform that it appeared solid and we were tempted to put a foot in just to see if we could stand on it. However, we saw some bubbles emerging and the head of a terrapin sticking out, and we then knew that it was really water underneath. Perhaps the brown stuff was some sort of algae bloom.

Hugging the cliff on the left was a river channel where you could rent paddle boats and ride down the river. It seemed like a nice activity to do and many families were doing just that. Besides paddle boats, you could also rent family bikes to cycle around the garden, but we didn’t see anyone taking the option of renting the heavy, four-wheeled bikes.

After strolling through the garden, we went back to explore the cave further. We visited another part of the cave where there weren’t many stalactites but the rocks were smooth and the ceiling was low. The natural shapes of the rock layers were simply beautiful. 

In total, we spent about an hour visiting Kek Lok Tong. I liked that the cave was not too big, which allowed me to appreciate the stalactite and rock formations without being bored by having too much of the same. I also liked how spacious it was with lots of natural light flowing in, and the fact that it wasn’t too crowded. The garden with the lake and the paddle boats on the river were nice too. In all, it was a very enjoyable visit.

At 12:07pm, we departed Kek Lok Tong and went to AEON mall at Station 18, arriving at 12:35pm. As malls go, it wasn’t the biggest but there were the usual shops that we like to patronise – Padini, F.O.S. and Uniqlo among others. After a short shopping spree, we left at 2:10pm. Parking charges were only RM1 (S$0.30) because the first hour was free, that’s so cheap!

By this time, it was getting quite hot as the sun was out fully. We drove past some fruit stalls by the roadside and decided to stop to get some durians. There was no Musang King so Uncle S bought a Red Prawn and two D2 durians, and we paid RM160 (about S$50) for the three durians altogether.

After getting our durian fix, we drove to a place to get some goreng pisang (banana fritters) but it was closed (it was a home-based business) so we went to get some Tau Foo Fah (soya beancurd) instead. At 3:11pm, we arrived at Woong Kee Beancurd located at the corner of a shophouse at 32-38A Jalan Ali Pitchay.

The stall setup was very simple, with a long metal table in front of the shop entrance where the bucket of freshly made beancurd and all the condiments were placed. Some red plastic stools were available for customers to sit by the wall but most people just stood around to eat their beancurd. Each bowl of beancurd cost only RM2.60 (S$0.80). It was served warm in a traditional chinaware bowl, and it was the silkiest and smoothest beancurd I had ever eaten. I especially loved the ginger syrup. It was really, really good. This is a must-try if you visit Ipoh.

From Woong Kee, we drove across the Kinta River and entered Ipoh’s Old Town. The river divides the historic Ipoh city centre into two, with the Old Town on the west and the New Town on the east of the river. The Old Town is where most of the historical British colonial-era buildings are found.

We first went to Concubine Lane, perhaps the most famous street in Ipoh. Established in 1908, the shophouses along the lane formerly comprised of opium dens, gambling dens and prostitution houses. Also known as “Second Wife Lane”, Yee Lai Hong (二奶巷) or “Mistress Lane”, it was said that this was where many Chinese tycoons kept their mistresses. Today, Concubine Lane has morphed into a commercial tourist attraction with lots of retail shops, food stalls and market stalls.

The vibe here at Concubine Lane reminded me a little of our Haji Lane in Singapore, but the street was much narrower and with a lot more stalls selling street food. Many of the food items were very interesting, with even heritage food like the honey ice ball, which used to be commonly sold in Singapore in the past. As I walked down the lane, the aromatic smell of freshly baked kueh bahulu finally proved too much for me to resist so I bought a packet of 12 pieces for RM6 (S$1.85).

The shophouses at Concubine Lane and the Old Town in general were very photogenic. They came in different styles and some were better preserved than others. A few coffeeshops in the old shophouses retained their original look and old school charm. It really felt like being back transported back to the 1960s.  

Near Concubine Lane, there was a motorbike food truck selling Chendol, a popular dessert commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore. The stall was called Wawasan Cendol. We tend to spell it as Chendol in Singapore but it is usually spelt as Cendol in Malaysia. Aunt V said Wawasan Cendol became famous after photos of its handsome owner went viral, and the owner became known as Abang Kacak, which means “brother handsome” in Malay. Huge colour banners displayed at the side of the stall showed some Malaysian celebrities posing with Abang Kacak. The banners covered almost every part of the stall that I didn’t even notice Abang Kacak behind it. I was more excited about the Chendol than seeing Abang Kacak.

The Chendol cost RM7 (S$2.15) and it was served in a plastic cup with a spoon and a straw. Nowadays in Singapore, Chendol is usually served in a bowl, but I remember when I was young, it used to be served in a tall glass. So this Wawasan Cendol is a throwback to the old days. The Chendol itself (the green jelly) was soft and flavourful while the red beans were huge. The coconut milk was lemak (Malay word for “rich”) but I wished there was more Gula Melaka (palm sugar syrup). Overall, I think it was just ok, not as good as my favourite Chendol in Singapore.

We then ventured to Kong Heng Square, a collection of old buildings in the middle of the Old Town now housing many stylish boutique shops, restaurants and market stalls. The buildings have been kept in their original state with exposed bricks and paint peeling from the walls. Vines covered the buildings and banyan trees grew on them, making it look like abandoned ruins. It was a very cool and hip to shop and chill.

At about 4:20pm, we left the Old Town and drove back to the apartment for a rest, as we were feeling the effects of the early flight by then. On the way back, Uncle S brought us on a mini sightseeing drive to see some of the old colonial government buildings in the Old Town. Feeling slightly more refreshed after our nap, we headed out again at 6:45pm for dinner with Aunt C and V’s extended family in Ipoh. At 7pm, we arrived at Weng Kee Seafood Restaurant located at 8E Jalan Menteri, Pekan Sekinchan.

It was a small, old school Chinese restaurant with round tables and red tablecloth. Like everywhere else today, it was packed with locals. Aunt C ordered a few dishes for sharing. All the dishes were good, but the cod fish was especially well done. It was great that Aunt C and V could spend time catching up with their siblings and extended family here in Ipoh.

After dinner, we went back to the apartment, where we had an early birthday celebration for dad. As we would be going to Cameron Highlands tomorrow, it would not be so convenient to buy a cake there so we decided to celebrate one day early. Aunt V bought a cempedak cake, which was quite unusual, and it was pretty good actually.

By then, we were totally stuffed after a day of feasting and non-stop eating. But that’s the best part about travelling so I’m not complaining. After a long day, it was time to hit the sack. End of Day 1, more exciting things to come tomorrow!