Our Road Trip to Ipoh

We have been very busy with a lot of stuff and events except travelling. I had a photography exhibition which took a huge chunk of my time, moving to our new apartment and after waiting for many years, we are expecting a baby soon!

• Related: I Remember It All and Entah Tak Tahu Exhibition

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As we managed to squeeze some time off from our work and responsibilities, we decided to go on a little road trip up north to Ipoh in Malaysia.

We did not want to fly as Ann is already quite late in her pregnancy, therefore we rented a car from a good pal of ours, Derrick Motor Rental, who owns a fleet of cars for rent.

We have never been to Ipoh before and was really looking forward to this little adventure. We picked up the car, a Kia Cerato, packed our bags and away we drove in the early hours of the morning up the North-South highway just to avoid the traffic.

We did not make any plans or booked any of our hotels.

We took our own sweet time and just enjoy the drive up the North-South highway. We made many pit stops and finally reached Ipoh in the early morning just as the shops are about to open.

We picked up a SIM card, google a few hotels and one hotel caught our attention.

M Boutique Hotel Station 18 Ipoh

Situated in Taman Pengkalan Jaya, M Boutique Hotel Station 18 offers modern and hipster styled interiors with a well-renowned in-house Japanese restaurant in the whole of Ipoh!

• Read more: Our Stay at M Boutique Hotel Station 18 Ipoh

The rooms are comfy enough for the 2 of us. Toilets and Bathrooms are sparkling clean and we had a great meal at the in-house Japanese restaurant too.

Check out M Boutique Hotel Station 18 rates Here.

Things to do in Ipoh

Visit Concubine Lane

Concubine Lane in Ipoh is a must-visit area for tourists and foodies. Situated in Ipoh old town, the row of shophouses has more than a century of history and stories.

Rumour has it, those rich tycoons in the past used to keep their second wives, or concubines in this streets away from the knowledge of their first wife.

Check out Street Art

History aside, now the streets are littered with murals and street art. Ann and I spent a day at Ipoh old town and Concubine Lane checking out the street art.

I brought along my camera and did a little street photography too.

Cafes, street food and of course souvenirs of many kinds from trinkets to the well known White Coffee of Ipoh are all available in this area. Concubine Lane can be very packed with tourists, especially during the weekends.

We highly recommend heading there early in the morning to avoid crowds and tropical heat.

Tau Fu Fah

Ann and I were not really interested in the souvenirs but we were informed to check out the Tau Fu Fah or soft beancurd dessert which are aplenty at Concubine Lane and the whole of Ipoh

I really love soft beancurd and I would say that Ipoh has one of the best beancurd I have tasted. Soft, velvety texture and had just a nice sweetness for me.

The one pictured above is from Concubine Lane itself. There are many more stalls that serve this dessert but there was just not enough time for us to taste them all.

Yasmin @ Kong Heng

Yasmin @ Kong Heng is a commemorative museum displaying the works and legacy of acclaimed film director Yasmin Ahmad. Ann and I love watching Yasmin Ahmad’s films and we decided to check out this museum.

Entry to the basement museum is free. However, we felt that it was lacking in memorabilia as well as items that display the works and life of Yasmin Ahmad.

Nevertheless, it is situated in a book store and you can enjoy checking out books after the museum walk.

Kellie’s Castle

A trip to Ipoh is not complete without visiting the popular tourist spot, Kellie’s Castle. Scottish William Kellie-Smith started building the mansion in 1915 believed to be a gift for his wife.

However, he died of pneumonia before he could complete the mansion and the land and building were soon sold off after.

• Fun Fact: Kellie’s Castle was one of the locations used for the movie Anna and The King!

Kellie’s Castle is now a popular tourist attraction and some believed that is currently haunted. We saw no ghosts and spent half our day there snapping photos of the castle.

Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No. 5

Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No.5 or better known as TT5 is a former tin mining dredge in Ipoh. If you are fans of the comic book The Kampung Boy by Lat, we are sure if you have seen tin dredges in his book.

Tin mining is a foregone industry in Ipoh due to the falling international prices. TT5 is currently a tourist spot and there are hourly guided tours of the dredge.

We went for one of the tours and had a fun time learning about the history of the once magnificent beast of a machine with our hard hats on. 🙂

Do check it out if you ever travel to Ipoh.

Places to Eat in Ipoh

Char Kuey Teow Abang Sayang

The Char Kuey Teow from Abang Sayang is one of the most popular dishes in Ipoh and we just had to check it out. The location was quite a distance from our hotel and we drove quite a bit in the peak hour traffic just to reach Abang Sayang.

The difference between the normal Char Kuey Teow and the one at Abg Sayang is the way it is cooked and comes with gravy instead of the charred dry “normal” Kuey Teow.

It was something our palate was not used to but it was indeed very tasty. I had the beef version of the Char Kuey Teow and truly enjoyed every spoonful of the gravy and noodles.

Another highlight of Abang Sayang would be the Chubby Satay and a definite must-try. Chubby Satay gets its name from the thick cuts of juicy succulent skewered meats grill over a fire and served with savoury peanut sauce had our minds blown away.

The thick cuts made it Chubby and hence the name. Ann and I were wondering why no one in Singapore tried to copy this Chubby Satay.

Hmmm?

We were truly impressed with the food at Abang Sayang. Definite must try if you are in Ipoh.

Address below.

Restoran Hj Sharin Low Grand

If you are into Halal Roasted Duck and Chinese cuisine, then Restoran Haji Sharin Low Grand is a restaurant you must check out while in Ipoh.

Situated at the heart of Ipoh, this eatery serves Halal Chinese cuisine with affordable prices in a restaurant setting.

Ann and I looked through the extensive menu and we ordered the Salted Fish Fried Rice, Stir-Fried Kang Kong, Sweet-Sour Sliced Fish and of course their signature Roasted Duck.

• Our Christmas in Hong Kong

After all those indulgences, we were quite surprised that we did not tear a hole in our pockets.

Do check this place out.

Japanese Restaurant @ M Boutique Hotel Station 18

On our last night, we decided to stay in at our hotel and check out the No. 1 Japanese restaurant in Ipoh.

Situated in M Boutique Hotel Station 18 Ipoh, the in-house restaurant serves amazing and delicious Japanese cuisine. As Ann is pregnant, we had to give all the raw sashimi a miss.

I had the Beef Gyu Don (above) and I was surprised that it was as good as the ones Ann and I had in Japan.

Ann opted for the Beef Udon and here we were in Ipoh reminiscing our unforgettable Japan campervan road trip from the swathes of aromatic savoury beef broth that was coming from the Udon.

• Check out: Our Japan Campervan Adventures

Although the restaurant was filled to the brim with year-end parties and Christmas dinners, the restaurant manager managed to squeeze us in and we were really thankful for their hospitality.

We had a great dinner here and I just spent the night quietly back in the hotel room rubbing Ann’s pregnant tummy. We cannot wait for the arrival of our little Fat Starfish.

Overall we really enjoyed our quiet time in Ipoh checking out all the tourist sites and food eateries. There are many other places in Ipoh that we would like to have checked out but we had limited time.

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Looking forward to another road trip to Ipoh…with our little one in tow soon.

Till next time. Safe travels.

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