Ipoh is a destination not too far from Kuala Lumpur and actually easily accessible so I decided to visit it for a few days. I decided to go from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh by bus from bus station TBS and come back by train.
Ipoh is a very charming quiet place in Malaysia. Limestone cliffs are around and the view to get there was very pleasant.
Once I got to the Ipoh bus station I wanted to find a local bus to go to the city center. The bus driver told me it is not that bus, that it stops far from the train station, the reference point I gave him to tell him where I wanted to go. He was such a grumpy man though damn. He said not this bus, but there wasn’t another one, so I decided to go anyway, and at least I would be closer than I was at the moment because the Ipoh bus station is still kinda far from the city center. This bus ended up stopping less than 10 minutes walk away from the train station!! Are you kidding me?? Is this what you describe as far away? Seriously… people here don’t walk at all?
I couldn’t be happier that I decided to follow my intuition. There is Grab service in Ipoh but my hostel was not that far so I walked there even if for them it would be way too far.
This first day was rainy so all I did was walk around a very empty city. Where is everyone?? Ipoh is a very quiet place, especially for me that was coming from Ho Chi Minh.
Ipoh is such a lovely city. It is small but so attractive and cool! I love the colorful vibe of the streets, and the architecture, so walking around and admiring the city’s architecture was already a delight for me. I find every corner photogenic!! It was giving me Penang vibes. Plus, here I can walk and the sidewalks have roofs so walking on a rainy day was not bad. I walked all the way to Kinta Riverwalk, a very pleasant walk along the river with some kid’s carts very loud, shiny, and colorful. I’m sure this place gets crowded at night time. There were restaurants next to the children’s attractions too. I could see the mountains in the distance which turns this walk very pleasant.
The following day I was luckier with the weather and selected the spots I would like to visit in Ipoh. This was in September 2022 and tourists were an extremely rare sight. I don’t know exactly how to move around the city… apparently, there are buses but I couldn’t find accurate info about them so most of the time I walked or booked a Grab car. Pitty that there are no Grab bikes here, only cars which makes it more expensive for a solo traveler.
Ling Sen Tong and Sam Poh Tong Temples
My first destination was Ling Sen Tong Temple. It is a beautiful Chinese temple surrounded by limestone cliffs that turn it into a way more beautiful place to see. Just next to it is Sam Poh Tong Temple, the place I was very excited to visit as there is a temple hidden in an opening among the limestone cliffs. Wow so beautiful! It amazed me to see that beautiful temple over there. Unfortunately, I could only see the outside as it was closed, but I stared at it for a long time. Beautiful! It didn’t take long to visit both places so I had to figure out where to go next.
Ling Sen Tong
Sam Poh Tong
Kek Look Tong Cave
I also booked a Grab to go to Kek Look Tong or Cave Kek Lok which seemed to be pretty awesome. The cave is not that amazing but it is beautiful and the most beautiful part is that at its end lays a lake. The cave offers a good view of the lake and it is also possible to walk around it. But it was kinda sad to see those cliffs nearby being exploited by man. The landscape could be even better if not that. I thought I would be able to walk to the main street on the other side of the lake but I was wrong. There is no way out from this side, you have to go back again through the cave to its entrance.
Qing Xin Leisure
From there I decided to go to a place called Qing Xin Ling Leisure and cultural village which was the closest attraction I could see on the map and where I could walk from Kek Lok Cave even though it took me about 30 minutes to get there. The path to get there was peaceful as it could be. I was admiring the local architecture and at times it felt like I could be walking in every other French neighborhood.
Once I arrived at my destination a bit tired already, I found that I have to pay to enter haaa. None of the other mentioned places required an entrance fee so I was not expecting it. As I was not sure what was inside and the pictures didn’t convince me, I decided not to go. The ticket was 20 ringgit for foreign visitors. Still, I felt like my walk was not useless because I actually liked to walk along the Malaysian neighborhood and see the surrounding mountains. Plus I was heading closer to town anyway. There was a temple just next to this place that seemed to be cool but at its entrance was a pack of vicious dogs that honestly scared me. They were barking at me aggressively and I saw no one around so I decided not to step further as being bitten by a mad dog was not on my plans.
To get back to town I booked a Grab again and walked into a very small street market with some food and drinks and souvenirs too. I really like the vibe of Ipoh’s downtown so I stayed around checking the houses and colorful corners. Overall the city is very charming to walk on but there is an even more artsy street called Mural Art’s Lane filled with graffiti and wall murals. Pretty cool.
Mural Art’s Lane
And that was all I visited in the city. I think Ipoh is worth a visit. Such a quiet and charming place. I really liked it! I was able to enjoy a sunset from the rooftop of my hostel which actually had a great view from the top.
