Ipoh - the rising star of Malaysia

lorisolan
Jun 22, 2017
3 min read

Ipoh is steadily becoming more and more popular as a tourist destination. I have visited Ipoh three times since March and have noticed an increase of tourists each time. This is mainly due to Lonely Planet announcing Ipoh and the entire state of Perak as the 6th best place to visit in Asia for 2016.

Lou Wong's Chicken Rice Restaurant (49 Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Taman Jubilee)

There is lots to do, see and eat around Ipoh. Ipoh is famous for chicken rice. This is a good lunch time meal and it consists of beautifully flavoured rice, served with roasted or steamed chicken accompanied with bean sprouts in this heavenly sauce and the finishing touch is a small bowl of chicken stock. In my opinion, the best one can be found at Lou Wong's restaurant. This place is always so busy and their turnaround time of customers and food is astounding!

Street Art

Following the success of Ernest Zacharevic's street art in Penang, he came to Ipoh and worked on some more creations. There are seven of his pieces which are dotted around "Old Town", this is what the locals call the town centre. It is a great way to see Ipoh searching for these artworks and they are not in the most obvious of places either.

Unfortunately I read today that his number 7, Girl with the Stool and Birdcage has been painted over and no longer exists. This is such a shame, however reading Zacharevic's response to this on the Malay Mail online, he said he is not angered that one of his murals in Ipoh was painted over last month. “Whenever I paint someone’s building we have an agreement that the building owner is welcome to remove the art if it offends someone, disturbs their business or simply fades to the point where they find it no longer appealing,” he said.“The temporary nature of street art is a part of its charm. It is common for art in the streets to be removed, damaged or simply fade away.” It is a shame that this has happened but I guess this is fair in paint and war.

There is also an area called Murals Lane with lots more street art by other local artists besides Zacharevic.

Street Art Map

1. Old Uncle with Coffee Cup (Jalan Dato Maharajalela)

2. Paper Plane (Jalan Tun Sambanthan)

3. Kopi O' (Jalan Tun Sambanthan)

4. Hummingbird (Jalan Panglima)

5. Evolution (Jalan Bijah Timah)

6. Trishaw (Concubine Lane)

7. Girl w/ Stool & Birdcage (Jalan Bandar Timah) - NO LONGER EXISTS, PAINTED OVER IN NOV 2017

Ho Yan Hor Tea Museum (1, Jalan Bijeh Timah)

The Ho Yan Hor tea museum in Ipoh is another popular attraction. Entry fee is free or at least it was when I visited in May. You can walk around the museum by yourself or request a short tour which is complimentary. Ho Yan Hor Museum shares the stories of Ho Yan Hor, the famous brand of Chinese herbal tea since the 1940s. We found the museum and the inspirational life of Dr. Ho Kai Cheong unexpectedly interesting. You can get small glimpses of the transformation of Ipoh since the 40's too.

Concubine Lane

The history of this lane along with two others, Wife Lane and First Concubine Lane is that the mining tycoon Yao Tet Shin gave the houses on these lane ways to his three wives. Concubine Lane is probably the most famous and vibrant of the three. On the weekends it is a haven for stalls of merchandise and food bringing throngs of people through to shop and eat. You can see little displays like the below windmill on the walk.

First Concubine Lane

Wife Lane

Kek Lok Tong Temple and Zen Gardens

Located approximately 20 mins outside of Ipoh centre is Kek Lok Tong temple and Zen gardens. This is a cave temple and it really remarkable in it's structural appearance. It is hard to believe that these kind of caves are completely natural. This temple is a Buddhism place of worship. On the other side of the caves are pretty gardens with a lake that is home to some big fish and little turtles along with a lily pond. It is lovely to walk around and there is a reflexology footpath in the middle. Ignore the giant electric pylon in the background, it does not add anything to this visit other than being an eyesore.