Chapter 4: Ipoh - The City of Hills (Part 3)

13 December 2007

Our day began with a breakfast of prawn mee and Ipoh white coffee.


Joash and his mom then brought me sight-seeing around Ipoh.

Bank Simpanan Nasional

Joash's alma mater

We visited Taman D.R. Seenivasagam, a really huge recreational park.


After the park, we went for a bit more sight-seeing.

Secondary schools

Indera Mulia Stadium

Ipoh Federal Building

We went to this shopping complex. Forgot what's the name, but it really reminds me of Plaza Alam Sentral in Shah Alam. Haha.


Lol...Here's something interesting...there's a commissioner of oath inside this video shop.


Apparently, this shop offers more than just home video services.

A cute little teddy bear

After a bit of shopping, it was time to meet up with Jia Ji. After saying good bye to Joash's mom, Joash and I met up with Jia Ji and her mom at a bus stop. She then brought us for lunch.


Then, we visited Jia Ji's alma mater, Ave Maria Convent.

They even have a swimming pool, how cool!

Wow, their toilets look sparkling clean.

After we finished touring Ave Maria Convent, Jia Ji brought us to Kellie's castle. The construction of this mansion was ordered by William Kellie Smith but was never completed as he died of pneumonia in 1926. For more info, go to http://www.journeymalaysia.com/MHIS_kellies.htm.


There's this odd looking tree that's shaped like a bear hugging a tree.


Now then, let's explore the interior of the castle.

The wine cellar

Wow...the spirit of Wiliam Kellie Smith still walks these corridors...creepy

The mysterious corridors

The ancient ruins

The elevator shaft, but no elevator

Let's go up to the top then...

The spiral staircase

The top at last! Pretty dangerous, don't you think? - no railings at the edge!

An aerial view of the place

Lol...don't fall off, Joash!

That goes for me too...

It's a long way down...

After having some fun at the top of the castle, we made our way down.

A well

An old guard house

The last glimpse before we leave

Ipoh is also known for its many caves. Jia Ji brought us to 2 of the many caves in Ipoh. The first one was know as Kuan Yin Cave. It's easy to tell why it's given this name. It's because there are so many statues of Kuan Yin there.


The many statues of Kuan Yin...


There're also huge Chinese Chess pieces there. This is the General.


There's a special tree there, where people throw oranges on it to obtain luck.


The rider and the princess

Going into the cave...

Well, outside the cave again...there are a number of other things to see...

A cool fountain

An eagle shaped rock

Some more golden statues

A rock with Chinese writings on it

The next cave we went to is called "Zhi Le Dong".

At the entrance of the cave.


There's this small "hill" where you can toss coins onto it. The luck you get depends on where your coin lands.


An incense burner


The inside of the cave is spectacular. The cave formation is truly a marvelous sight to behold. Let's check it out.

Wow...this is extremely heavy...

The luscious greenery beyond those gates...

Don't feed the monkeys...
Does that even look like a monkey? Lol!

The swastika.


Back outside, it seems that Joash has found a new pet monkey...


A statue of Kuan Yin is also seen here.


Next, we went to the tortoise pond.

Taking a dive

The three of us posing before wrapping up out trip.


Our day trip was over. We sent Joash back to his house as he had music practice at church again at night. Subsequently, we went to have a small snack.


Jia Ji and her mom then took me to the Ipoh railway station. It was newly renovated so it looked really nice.


After that, we went back to Jia Ji's house, where we had some rest. After showering and surfing the internet for a while, we went out for dinner. She brought me to eat one of Ipoh's most famous food - "Nga Choi Gai" or Bean Sprout Chicken. I finally got a chance to savour it.


Yum...a scrumptious dinner.


Next, we browsed through some of Ipoh's pastries.

Cute tortoise shaped pastries

We also went to check out the night market. Well, Jia Ji asked me to wear this odd looking pair of sunglasses.


Wow...it was a day filled with exploring. After touring the night market, we went back home and had a good night's rest.

14 December 2007

I've been staying in Ipoh for quite some time now. This is my last day in Ipoh.

Our morning began with a breakfast of "Dim Sum".


Delicious huh?


After breakfast, we went touring around Ipoh a bit.

Haha...Jia Ji looks like she's holding a sword and about to kill her mom

After getting the job done...

Anyway, firstly, we went to the Ipoh clock tower. It is also a memorial to J.W.W. Birch.


You can see that on the wall of the tower, there are paintings of many famous people in history.


Next, we went to the Perak Tourist Information Centre, where we helped ourselves to the brochures.


We went to the railway station again, but this time, we could see the whole building clearly at day time.


We also surveyed the surrounding buildings.

Here's the Majlis Perbandaran Ipoh.


The Ipoh tree. (Not Perak Tree, kay Jia Ji? Haha)


The War Memorial

What are you doing, Jia Ji? Haih...

Some arches and a pool


The Ipoh High Court


Crossing the road just to get a photo with this building isn't really worth the risk...Lol...

Argh...blocked by the car...let's try that again...

That's better =)

After touring Ipoh, we went home to pack my stuff.

I also caught a glimpse of Jia Ji's room. Wah, so many Winnie the Pooh stuffed toys.

Lol...seems like Pooh is caught without his pants...and clothes on

After loading my belongings onto the car, we went to our second last destination in Ipoh. It's another cave called "Ling Sen Tong".



Journey to the West...Haha...


There's a huge shrine built there.

My Chinese zodiac animal - the snake

A winged horse

And one without wings...

The four great deities

The God of Wealth - you can throw coins into the tray

Still waiting for my partner...

Scary looking dragon

The stairs leading to the top of the hill

One of the paintings on the wall

With that, my Ipoh trip has finally come to an end. My last destination was the Medan Gopeng bus station. We were rushing to get there in time for my 2.30 p.m. bus. Well, we got there on time and I quickly boarded the bus. As I was getting ready to sit down, Jia Ji suddenly called to me said the bus I was on was headed for Alor Setar. What?!

Phew...close call. With minutes to spare, we found the right bus to Seremban and I quickly got up the bus. With that, I was all set for my next destination, where I will meet one of my closest friends in INTEC.

BRIAN CHEE