Assalamualaikum.
Hi! It has been a quite a long time since I share anything here. As usual, put the blame on the hectic schedule of working life. After several months of hibernation from travel, I decided to pack my bag and start travelling again =)
Guess where I went this time...here's a clue...the place is called the limestone city. This time around, I travelled by train (ETS) from KL Sentral to Ipoh, Perak. That's right! I went to Ipoh. I'll share my travelling experience around Ipoh throughout the weekend. I chose Ipoh because I only have two free days and I can travel throughout Ipoh in a short time.
I started my journey with my friend at 8.05 am on a Saturday, boarding the train at KL Sentral. It usually takes about two and a half hours to reach Ipoh. However, the train moves quite slowly that morning, resulting in a late arrival at about 11.00 am. After storing our bags at the hotel, we took a taxi to Greentown Suria for our lunch at Ipoh Hainan Chicken Rice Restaurant. As the restaurant name suggests, we had roasted chicken rice each since the steamed chicken were not available at that time. Overall, our lunch was a satisfying one...Alhamdulillah. However, we can definitely enjoy better chicken rice elsewhere.
After lunch, we visited the Darul Ridzuan Museum. There are no entrance fee charged and we were not allowed to snap photos in there. It felt as if we were back in our history classes during secondary school years. Most of the facts in the small museum were taught by our history teachers before. There are also photos and artifacts regarding the history of Ipoh displayed in the museum. It was a pleasant and informative visit =)
Our next stop after the museum was the Sultan Idris Shah II Mosque, also known as the state mosque. We did our prayers in the old but comfortable mosque. The Muslimah praying area is very big, consisting of the whole of second floor and is equipped with air conditioners. The mosque is located at the old town of Ipoh, nearby the Ipoh KTM station.
Then, we walked and snapped photos of interesting places nearby. Opposite the mosque is the Birch Memorial Tower and the Ipoh City Hall, which has a beautiful architecture.
After walking around the old town of Ipoh, we took a taxi to Gunung Lang Recreation Park. The scenery there is very beautiful...SubhanAllah. However, we did not get the opportunity to walk around the park as the rain started to fall soon after we reached the park. We enjoyed the boat ride around the lake though. The boat fee is RM3.00 only for adults.
Since it rained that evening, we had to cancel our plans to walk around Ipoh. So, we took the opportunity to rest at the hotel and proceeded with our plans at night. At 8.00 pm, we went to Ipoh Garden for ice cream =) The special ice cream shop is called the Sidewalk Ice Cream Lounge. People might wonder what's so special about the ice cream shop. In fact, there are many ice cream shops in Kuala Lumpur, such as Baskin Robin, Haagen Dazs, etc. For me, those shops are ordinary and can be found anywhere in Malaysia as well as other countries. However, the shop that we went to in Ipoh was special and different. Although the shop is small, the ambience and interior of the shop makes us feel calm and joyful. There are many choices of ice cream to choose from the menu.
After enjoying our ice cream dinner, we strolled along Gerbang Malam. It is actually a night market selling clothes and everyday goods. There is nothing special there, same as the usual night markets or uptown, except a stall selling printings on plywoods.
On the next day, which was Sunday, we visited the Memory Lane or 'Pasar Karat' as the local called. It was just outside the door of the hotel and we could hear the sounds of traders preparing their stalls as early as 6.30 am. Most of the goods sold there are old and antique, but there are also new and used items being sold. Here are some photos of interesting items to share with you =)
Old Camera
Weighing Machine
Old Cassettes
I wonder how this roller blade is worn
Antique Fan
This cute thing looks like Wall-E
This brought back my childhood memories...looks exactly like mine =)
Just curious...would anyone buy these? (especially the rusted ones)
Looks like the telephone is in a bag...is it mobile and wireless???
Anyone interested in a square camera?
After breakfast at a 'Mamak' stall nearby, we checked out of the hotel and took a taxi to the KTM Station. We boarded the 11.05 am train back to KL Sentral. It was quite a tiring journey, but we had a good time away from work...Alhamdulillah. I will plan trips to other parts of Perak next time. Stay tuned =)
