Sights and landmarks in Ipoh

Sights and landmarks in Ipoh

1. See

   Birch Memorial Clocktower

   Dedicated to the first British Resident Minister of Perak who was murdered by a local Malay chief. The chief's profitable trade in Orang Asli, indigenous tribal folk, was curtailed by the British abolition of slavery. By all accounts he wasn't well-liked personally and the road passing the tower's north side is now named in the killer's honour. It hosts friezes representing the progress of civilization and depicts various religious and secular worthies, but the Prophet Muhammad was painted out as a respect to local sensitivities.

2. See

   Han Chin Pet Soo

   Ipoh World

   A painstakingly restored Hakka Miners' Club that documents the activities of tin miners far away from home with cash to spend. Opium smoking, gambling and prostitution were some favourite vices and are shown in all their glory through the use of carefully curated antique items. The history of tin mining in Perak is also exhibited with old mining equipment and photographs of the big towkays (bosses).

   Appointment only, closed Mon·Free but donations welcome

3. See

   Ipoh Railway Station

   One of the three grand British-built stations on the former Malayan network. ETS trains connect this station, fondly dubbed "Taj Mahal of Ipoh", to KL's colonial beauty, Kuala Lumpur Railway Station (one stop before KL Sentral). The fountains on Ipoh Station square are active between 8PM and midnight. The cenotaph on Ipoh Station Square commemorates the deaths of different wars.

4. See

   Ipoh Town Hall and Law Courts

   The two buildings opposite the Railway Station, in neoclassical style.

5. See

   Kek Lok Tong

   Cavern of Ultimate Bliss

   Calm Chinese cave temple with good views on the other side of the same limestone hill as Sam Poh Tong. Being newer and a little richer than the other cave temples, the place feels much airier and cleaner. Monkeys can be found here. Accessible through Gunung Rapat housing area. Taxi from Ipoh town should cost RM10.

6. See

   Kellie's Castle

   The deserted mansion of an eccentric Scottish planter, located in Batu Gajah, is half an hour's drive from Ipoh city centre. Its main appeal lies in the belief that it is haunted and that secret passages leading to hidden chambers exist. A taxi will cost you around RM50-60 and they will usually wait for an hour (which is long enough to look around).

   RM5 for adults, RM3 for kids 3-12

7. See

   Kinta Riverfront Walk

   Come here at night, as trees are beautifully lighted up, making it a romantic riverside walk. There's a small hut with an interesting exhibit depicting the rise and fall of Ipoh's tin mining industry. It's also possible to hire bicycles for a more vigorous workout.

8. See

   Little India

   Various Indian related outlets, including clothing and food. And you can also find Indian restaurants and cafes here. Every year the Deepavali Carnival is held by locals here.

9. See

   Mural Art’s Lane

   Mural Art’s Lane lies in Ipoh New Town where all the murals were painted on the back walls of old heritage houses. In an attempt to preserve them, Eric Lai, a local art teacher, started the painting of numerous murals on those buildings. These demonstrate various facets of Malaysian culture, such as Chinese lion dance, kuda kepang Malay dance, traditional Indian dance, playful multi-mural displays of children playing hide & seek, and beautiful waterfall scenery.

10. See

    Muzium Darul Ridzuan

    An interesting historical museum of Perak in a former tin-mining tycoon's pretty mansion.

11. See

    Padang Ipoh

    Ipoh Green

    This immaculate lawn near Jalan S.P. Seenivasagam was planted by the British during the colonial period as the cricket ground for the Ipoh Club, then a whites-only establishment. Today, it still serves as the main cricket ground for the Royal Ipoh Club (re-named from the Ipoh Club after the Sultan of Perak was admitted as the club's first non-white member), and is also used as the club's football (soccer) ground when not in use for cricket. The surrounding historic buildings include the mock-Tudor style Royal Ipoh Club, FMS Bar, HSBC Building and the magnificent St Michael's Institution secondary school.

12. See

    Papan

    A century-old half-deserted mining town built on a rich deposit of tin that was due to be dug up before the price of the metallic ore halved in the 1980s. In the war years, resistance fighters based themselves here as the last outpost before the inhospitable jungle terrain, even setting up an invaluable free clinic and dispensary. Nowadays nature is slowly taking its own course, with caved-in roofs and overgrown houses, though the odd elderly resident seems content in their familiar surroundings.

13. See

    Perak Tong

    Perak Cave

    Houses over 40 Buddha statues and many murals. There is a steep, tall staircase in the interior of the cave rising up to the top of its hill, where one is greeted by a beautiful and panoramic view of Ipoh and its surroundings. The statue of Buddha in Perak Tong is the tallest and largest of its kind in Malaysia. Perak Tong was built in 1926 by a Buddhist priest from China.

    8AM-5PM

14. See

    Sam Poh Tong

    Cavern of Triple Gems

    Actually a cluster of three Chinese temples in Gunung Rapat. The first temple, Ling Sen Tong is shrouded in the smokey haze of hundreds of joss sticks. Its neighbour, Nam Thean Tong, has hundreds of stairs that climb right through the mountain to high up on the other side, providing great views. Sam Poh Tong itself is the third of the row, just after the small coffee shop, where you should relax after climbing all the stairs of Nam Thean Tong. By this temple's entrance is a charming landscaped bonsai garden and fish pond; inside, a tunnel leads right through the rocks to the sanctuary of the temple and its tortoise pond; you can buy tomatoes for RM3 to feed the tortoise. On the road leading to the temples are stalls selling pomelos. Sam Poh Tong also contains a vegetarian restaurant. Local bus 94 continues to right next to these temples after passing the former Medan Gopeng Bus Terminal. RM10 in a taxi from the city should be enough, and regional buses will also get you there quickly from the centre of town.

    9AM-2:15PM (for Sam Poh Tong)

15. See

    Sri Maha Mariamman Temple

    An old Tamil temple. Not only is it religious in nature but also a place for discourses, and on Sundays, children are given an introduction to verses in Tamil.

16. See

    Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge Ship

    The last tin dredge that has not been dismantled from its old workspace is an example of how easy it was to extract alluvial deposits from the river by merely scooping up tin-bearing soil on an industrial scale and filtering out the ore. There is a small museum and tours are available for both the outside and inside of the dredge depending on pricing.

    RM5-15

17. See

    Evolution

18. See

    Five packets of kopi-O

19. See

    Girl and sparrows (painted over, not existing anymore)

20. See

    Hummingbird

21. See

    Original kopi-o

22. See

    Paper plane

23. See

    Trishaw garbage collector

24. See

    Uncle drinking coffee

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Ipoh (CC BY-SA 4.0).