a slightly bigger place than Penang with good food and tons of temple caves!

Welcome to Ipoh, Malaysia.

I was only there on a day-trip and had the opportunity to try different food there.

A wonderful place that left my heart in awe. a beautiful place that has many natural beauty.

Spots:

1. Kellie's Castle

Basically, it’s a ruined castle that become #1 tourist attraction in Ipoh. The place itself seem to have a lot of historical background and it reminds me like when I was in Europe. Definitely a photo spot in Ipoh itself. It was quite crowded on Saturday and it costs 20 Malaysian Ringgit for tourist ( around $5). 80% of this place is outdoor and you can simply spend 1 - 1.5 hour here.

2. Kek Lo Tong Cave Temple:

Ipoh is famous for its cave temples. Apparently, some of the caves were built in order to give a unique value of the area. Literally this city is surrounded by many cave temples and I found it difficult to choose which cave to visit because it was only a one day trip after all. It’s kind of hard to take pictures in this cave for you will directly come in contact with the light [creates a backlight kindof thing]. But if you have never visited any cave temple before, this is a good place to start. It’s not that huge, but it’s pretty enough.

3. Concubine Lane

It’s literally super similar to Nanluguoxiang in Beijing if you are familiar with it. However, it is way smaller than that [and less pretty]. But if you’re an art / mural lovers, this is the place to visit. The street itself is full of mural art. But you gotta prepare yourself well before you visit this place by searching which mural arts you wanna visit cause it’s not right next to each other. And another unique thing about this place is there are a lot of cafes and authentic museums around here such as traditional tea museum and a specific Chinese tradition museum.

4. Mirror Lake

This is by far my most favorite place in Ipoh because of my love for nature. This place is just, too beautiful to describe. We had hike up a bit and go through a cave, but at the end of the way I’m not regretting anything because everything was just, (breathe in, breath out) stunning. There’s a specific bench and literally a photo place for you to take pictures. For cars, the road itself is quite bumpy and well, let’s just say bad, it can ruin your car. And on the right hand side [don’t go until the end of the road], you will see an abandon house, you go through the same road as the abandon house by foot. Hike your way up and you’ll spot the trails. Trust me, don’t you dare miss this place.

Food:

Dai Shu Geok Big Tree

This place is kind of like a hawker center kind of place. This is by far the best meatballs and fried meatballs that I have tried! It’s cheap and it’s filling. You can choose whether you want to use Laksa soup or some yellow noodle or simply rice noodle. It’s crispy and it’s simplicity makes it the best meatball soup in Malaysia.

2. Lou Wong

BEST CHICKEN AND BEAN SPROUTS. whoa , damn. this is match made in heaven. it actually works best. hands down.

3. Funny Mountain

Talk about those soya bean milk soya bean puddin!! it’s the best place to be, its sweetness is just right. the right amount of sweet. Beware of the line tho, it’s kind of long. Be sure to get both!!

4. Restauran Thean Chun

Caramel pudding! If you’re a fan of caramel, I think you would love this place. Their Coffee with Milk is okay too. For me, it’s just okaaay, not that memorable to be honest. But well, for what’s it’s worth, it’s one of the famous places in Ipoh!

5. Kedai Kopi Sin Yoong Loo:

This ice coffee with milk is good! However, it tastes less coffee compared to Penang’s (they’re more sweet in a way). This place is crowded as well! Get their different red bean snacks too! It’s good for your essentials during that 30 degrees weather!