Ipoh

Our next stop after Kuala Lumpur was Ipoh, which we reached by train. Ipoh Old Town is full of picturesque streets, part of the famous Haritage Walk. Only a short taxi ride away was the spectacular Perak Tong Cave Temple.

Old Town

We arrived at lunch time so on the recommendation of our hotel staff, we went to the Old Town for some Dai Chau. The particular restaurant they recommended had no menu, no price list and the waiter didn’t speak much English, so we were a little apprehensive. The waiter shook his head when we asked for “dai chau”, and started listing some potential meals while pointing at other customers’ plates. We agreed to a few dishes and sat down, noting that all of the other clientele were Asian so this must be the place to be. The food ended up being delicious and very reasonably priced – which we later found out was the very definition of Dai Chau, rather than some fabled exotic dish as we had been expecting!

After lunch we had a quick look around the Old Town. It was full of murals around almost every corner, which really brought the place to life.

Perak Tong Cave Temple

After lunch we visited Perak Tong, another cave temple – except this one boasted an incredible view to those willing to climb the many steep and crooked steps.

After half an hour of heavy perspiration in 35 degree heat, we made it to the upper part of the temple and were thoroughly pleased we’d exerted the effort.

Old Town – Heritage Walk

The next day, we returned to the Old Town to complete the Heritage Walk; a scenic tour of Ipoh’s historic buildings. Behind the Post Office (pictured below), one of the stops was a clock tower which had been built in 1909 in memory of JWW Birch, the first British resident of Ipoh.

The Old Town was full of picturesque streets: some of which were being overcome by nature; others mobbed by Asian tourists posing for photographs. Naturally, we decided to join in – embrace the culture and all that.

Even the more run down buildings had been spruced up, bringing colour and life to the cracks and peeling facades.

We’ve been amazed so far by how friendly and helpful all of the locals are. Unlike a lot of other cities we’ve visited, not once so far have we felt in any way threatened in Malaysia. There was a moment we felt a bit nervous as we approached a mosque in a less touristy area of town, and were waved over by a local policeman: were we revealing too much skin; jaywalking maybe? Turns out he just wanted to say hello and take a photo with us – he explicitly asked to be “in the centre”, and was kind enough to oblige when we asked for a copy of the photo as well. Must have been a little unnerving for the motorcyclist though, who was pulled over by our pal, only to be asked to take a photo! An adorable way to end our time in Ipoh – Terima kasih (thank you) to all of the wonderful locals we’ve met on our trip so far!