Tour Ipoh

Day 5 (11th Dec 2012)

The day packed with activities started off with dim sum for breakfast at 7.30am at the famous Foh San Dim Sum. Even though it was still so early, the restaurant was already packed with early birds. They have the same serving style as the dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong where the already cooked dim sum were carted around the restaurant for customers to choose. However, they also have the self service counter where you can see all the dim sum available in the restaurant.


Foh San Restoran

Next, I went to the dim sum restaurant next door, Yoke Fook Moon, to take away their cha siew bun and big bun, recommended by the Ipoh couchsurfer, Wen. However, what I didn't know is that the size of their cha siew bun is the size of the big bun in Singapore and the size of their big bun is the size of the Amy Yip big bun I seen in Johor Bahru. I decided to save them for lunch.


Yoke Fook Moon cha siew bun and big bun.

After breakfast, I went to visit a few "tongs", the cave temples.


Kek Lok Tong


Kek Lok Tong award winning garden unfortunately spoilt by the huge power cable tower.


Ling Sen Tong


Nan Thean Tong


Sam Poh Tong

After that, I went out of Ipoh town and half way to Gopeng to the Kellie's Castle. William Kellie is some rich Scottish man who came to Malaya in the 1890s. In order to persuade his newly wedded wife to come over to Malaya, he would build her a castle. However, due to unfortunate events, he died before the castle was completed. Kellie's Castle was a setting for the 1999 movie, Anna and the king by Chow Yun-Fat and Jodie Foster.


Kellie's Castle

Next, I went further south pass Gopeng to the Gua Tempurang, one of the largest cave system in a limestone hills of Perak. In order to enter the caves, I had to sign up for one of their tours. They have the dry and the wet tours. The dry tours that covers the first sections of the cave are shorter. The wet tours that go further and involves getting wet so no cameras and handphones. After 12pm there are no more wet tours. As it was already 12.30pm, I could only join the dry tour, Top of the world. The caves were very amazing. Proper stairs were already built through the caves where we could climb. Anyone interested should be prepared for a slightly strenuous climb.


Gua Tempurang entrance


Me in Gua Tempurang


Stairs up into the "snail"

After going through the Top of the world dry tour, I sat down in front of the lake for my lunch of the 2 extra sized buns. After that, I headed back to Ipoh for their famous white coffee. I initially wanted to go to the famous Nam Leong white coffee. However, when I reached, they were closed so I when to their competitor opposite the street, Sun Yuan Foong white coffee. The white coffee was really good. The aroma was rich yet light.


Sun Yuan Foong white coffee

That leaves me to wonder why the F&B competitors in Ipoh like to open their shops next to each other. Along Jalan Leong Sin Nam, the dim sum competitors, Foh San, Yoke Fook Moon and Ming Court. Along Jalan Yau Tet Shin, the bean sprout chicken competitors, Lou Wong and Onn Kee. Along Jalan Bandar Timah, the white coffee competitors, Nam Leong and Sun Tuan Foong. Are they fighting it out to see who is the best in Ipoh?

It was only 4pm then, so I initially wanted to check out the Perak Tong. However, on the way there, it started pouring. I took shelter in Perak Tong but couldn't explore it, so I decided to return the next day. When the rain got lighter, I headed back to YMCA. On the way back, I noticed a bike repair shop and pulled over to get my mirror fixed. While fixing my mirrors, the old uncle at the shop noticed that my bike had a Singaporean license plate and started chatting with me about Singapore, the politics between Singapore and Malaysia in the pre-independent days, running and life. From the conversation, I found that he is actually knowledgable, wise and an avid runner. He is already semi-retired, runs 8km every day, frequently climbs/treks mountains near Ipoh and just running the bike repair shop to pass time.


Kedai Motor


Mirror fixed

The evening ended with dinner at a local Malay coffee shop with a couchsurfer, Kian and his friend, Arie.


Kian and I outside the malay coffee shop

Downhill

Day 4 (10th Dec 2012)

I went to a local roti prata shop for breakfast and mistakenly ordered 2 roti pratas as one is never enough in Singapore due to their small size. However, the roti prata here are huge and one almost filled me up. I had to stuff myself to finish both.

After breakfast, I checked out of Elements Hotel and headed for Ipoh. The ride down from Gohtong Jaya towards Batang Kali was probably the most fun and enjoyable yet. The meandering at no acute angles and humpless road indeed lifted my spirits for the ride towards Ipoh.

However, my good spirits ended when I accidentally drop my bike, leaked half my petrol and broke the left mirror while taking a photo along the highway.


The photo that caused me to drop my bike.


The broken left mirror.

In Ipoh, I checked into the YMCA Ipoh which was recommended by one of the couchsurfers in Ipoh, Wen. I chose to stay in the dormitory at only RM18 per night. The dormitory is pretty old and basic. The room that I stayed in has 5 beds and the rest remained empty for the duration I stayed in Ipoh so the whole room is practically mine. There is no where in the room to lock your belongings and no hot water in the toilet. I guess what you pay is what you get. But it is good enough for me for the short duration of 2 nights I planned to stay in Ipoh.


YMCA Ipoh


YMCA Dormitory Room

By the time I was done unpacking, it was pouring already so I took this opportunity to update my blog. It was 3pm then. The rain stopped at 6pm and I could leave YMCA for the dish Ipoh is famous for, Bean Sprout Chicken (Nga Chio Gai). I went to supposedly the best in Ipoh, Lou Wong (49, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Ipoh). I paid RM9.50 for 1 person's share. Opposite Lou Wong is their rival, Ong Kee. There are also other bean sprout chicken shops nearby.

Little did I know then that the bean sprout chicken is actually the same as Singapore's Hainanese Chicken Rice served bean sprouts as the side dish. The bean sprouts and the chicken were prepared and served separately. Nothing really new to me. However, it is still pretty good. The bean sprout is tasty and crunchy yet doesn't taste raw. I was given half breast meat, half thigh so the taste was quite all rounded. Together with the drink I order, sour plum lemon juice, made me a satisfied customer.


Lou Wong Restoran


Lou Wong Bean Sprout Chicken

After dinner, I went to meet the couchsurfer, Wen, at her workplace, French Hotel, as planned where she advised me on where to go and eat in Ipoh. With the information, I formulated my schedule for the rest of my time in Ipoh. Before calling it a night, I went to Jusco Kinta City for a walkabout.


French Hotel

Uphill

Day 3 (9th Dec 2012)

In the morning, I left Alfred's place at 8am.


Couchsurfer Alfred and I

After parting with him, I headed for Klang for my long awaited and long dued Klang Bak Kut Teh. There are countless of Bak Kut Teh shops in Klang but I decided to try the famous Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh. It exceeded my expectation except for the fatty parts which was kind of my fault because they did ask if I wanted lean meat or half fatty. I chose half fatty because I didn't think it was literately half meat, half fats and some fat on the meat is tastier. The meat was tender and the soup was fragrant. All in all, it was a perfect breakfast to start the day.


Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh Restaurant


Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh

After my tummy was satisfied, I headed towards Genting Highlands. It was definitely not easy to go up Genting Highlands with all the baggages I carried on my bike. But slowly and steadily, I managed to reached the First World Hotel. What was I thinking when I didn't want to pre-book the Genting's accommodation during the holiday seasons? When I reached the lobby, it was packed. It was as if half of Malaysia and the whole of Singapore were here. It's been a long time since I last was in Genting. It was the first time I see that you need a queue number to even check in. There was a notice board that showed the availability of all the hotels in Genting and all of them read full. So I wasted no time and headed for Gohtong Jaya to look for my accommodation.


Genting Highlands


First World Hotel

I found a room in the newly renovated Elements Hotel in Gohtong Jaya for only RM130. For that price, I got a queen size bed room with my own toilet and no windows which I believe could be the cheapest of all of Genting Highlands and Gohtong Jaya. The toilet has hot water, the room has aircon and wifi. What more could I ask for? I also believed that Elements Hotel used to be known as the Gohtong Jaya Hotel until recent renovation or maybe a new owner.


Gohtong Jaya


Elements Hotel in Gohtong Jaya


Elements Hotel Room

After dropping all my stuff into the room, I went back up to explore Genting Highlands. I had to return back to my hotel after I dropped one of my contact lenses. I initially wanted to return in the night but didn't, due to the rain and me falling asleep from a hearty dinner and Mao Shan Wang durian.

Back to KL

Day 2 (8th Dec 2012)

The Jiong Guesthouse (76, Jalan Kampung Pantai, Melaka) is a very simple and yet sufficient guesthouse in Melaka for backpackers. For RM30 a night, you get your own queen-size bed room with a ceiling fan and a side table. The toilet is shared with a nice river side view.


The Jiong Guesthouse


Common Area


View from the 2nd floor toilet

In the morning, I went to hunt for a good Melaka breakfast. I shortlisted 2 places that was recommended by my girlfriend, Baba Charlie Nonya Kueh (72, Lorong Pantai Tengkera 2C, off Jalan Tengkera, Tengkera, Melaka) and Klebang Coconut Shakes (Jalan Klebang (next to Caltex), Taman Klebang Jaya, Melaka) as they were near each other. However, to my disappointment and due to my lack of research, they were both closed. I will have to save them for another day's adventure.


Baba Charlie Nonya Kueh not yet open.


Klebang Coconut Shake closed.

Yet another setback was the Digi sim card I bought from a Digi shop in Melaka couldn't work on my Blackberry Bold. Therefore, I left Melaka hungry and uncontactable heading for KL.

A KL couchsurfer, Alfred, answered my request for a last minute couch in KL. Thanks to my GPS, I managed to find my way to his place in Taman Connaught, Cheras. However, he wasn't in so I left my bike at his gate and went to explore the neighbourhood of Taman Connaught. I came back an hour later and he was home. He welcomed me into his place and we talked about traveling and couchsurfing before I had to leave to meet the ex-J7 KLers, Miranda and Shuling.

The meeting place was a seafood restaurant in Ampang named Mei Keng Fatt (1, Lorong Awan 6, Off Jalan Awan, Kuala Ampang, Selangor) recommended and accompanied by their friend, Foong Mei. We had a sumptuous meal of buttermilk crabs, steamed fish, homemade tofu and vegetable soup. The buttermilk crab was very good and the accompanying fried buns were different from the ones we had in Singapore. Theirs have spirals instead of the standard box shape. The homemade tofu was very tender and the accompanying sauce was very fragrant. The butter Miranda lend me her old iPhone 2G for the Digi sim card I bought in Melaka and rescued me from being uncontactable while away from wifi hotspots. We parted at 11:30pm and I headed back to Alfred's place.


Mei Keng Fatt


Butter milk crab and fried buns


Homemade tofu


Me, Miranda, Shuling and Foong Mei

Starting off

Day 1 (7th Dec 2012)

I went to work as usually, highly anticipating my journey for the next 1 and 1/2 weeks. After work, I immediately went home to pack. I, then, found out that my plan to trek Mt. Ophir (Gunung Ledang) have been foiled, due to the mandatory rule that one requires a guide to trek and a guide requires prior booking. Therefore, I decided to spend the next day in KL instead.


Riding setup

I set off from my home at 7.08pm. To my horrid and due to my careless planning, the motorcycle lanes to cross the Woodlands checkpoint was heavily jammed. I should have anticipated it as it was a Friday night. Alas. After I cleared the SG and MY customs, it was already 8.46pm. I wasted no time and sped towards Melaka.


Woodlands checkpoint motorcycle lanes jammed to the BKE.

When I reached Jonker Street (Melaka), where I planned to find my accommodation, it was already 11:30pm. As I went pass Geographer Cafe, I noticed someone familiar sitting at the table near the road side. I quickly realized it was my Secondary school classmate, Colin Lim. I stopped by to say hi and promised to come back for a beer later. I rode around Jonker area and everywhere seemed closed. As I rode pass what seemed like a guesthouse, a Couchsurfer logo caught my eye. I decided to go in and enquire. They brought me to another guesthouse (The Jiong GuestHouse) where they have a room. I quickly dropped by stuff in the room and went back to the Geographer Cafe at 12:08am. However, to my disappointment, the Geographer Cafe was already closing and Colin and his friend had already left. I, then, went back to the guesthouse to plan the days ahead.


Jonker Street

A New Journey

I will be heading up north into Malaysia and maybe Thailand on a new road trip tomorrow. Tonight, I was just busy packing and looking for information on places and routes. As I stopped for a drink, I recalled my first road trip to Phuket on Pearlie, my, then, Honda NSR 150 SP. I can't help but to feel sorrow, as the person who led me to believe what I, then, thought was't possible, is no longer with us.

I would like to delicate this trip to him. He, through the introduction of another friend, sold me Pearlie tattooed with a Thai license plate. Even after the transaction, he continued to indulge me in my thirst to know more about motorcycles. This led me to believe that Pearlie can bring me to Thailand just as she brought him as well. This led me to step out of my comfort zone and venture into this world unknown to me then. This led me to the world of touring even on small bikes. I would like to thank him for showing me this world of freedom, adventure and exploration.

In the memory of a dear friend, brother, fellow biker and adventurer,
Tho Liang Wei
25 Jun 1987 - 28 Oct 2012

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
John 11:25-26

Around half of Malaysia

Continuing my travel reports.

Traveling period: 17 Oct 2011 to 20 Oct 2011
Bike: Suzuki GSF 400 Bandit

My girlfriend had a work trip to KL so I though why not I ride up to KL to meet her. This time, however, I took the small roads.

Day 1:
I rode through Route 5 passing by Batu Pahat up to Muar and spent the night there. I walked around Muar and found a Secret Recipe restaurant at the Maur Trade Centre and enjoyed a slice of white chocolate cake and tea. After that, I continued and went to a night market before turning in at the Hotel D'99.





Day 2:
I continued through Route 5 towards KL, stopping by Port Dickson for sight seeing and Klang for bak kut teh. On the way, I had a root beer float at A&W. I rode around looking for any bak kut teh shop. When I finally found one, they only allowed me to take away as they were closing their shop. After that, I rode to the service apartment, Sri Tiara, where my girlfriend and her colleagues were staying at. As the apartment was very near Mid Valley City, we went there for snacks at Krispy Kreme and dinner at Delicious. Only then, I decided to head for Kuantan for the last leg of my trip.





Day 3:
The next morning, I headed towards Kuantan on the expressway E8. I saw the aftermath of an accident. First time have I seen 2 dead bodies laying on the road shoulder with their motorcycle smashed along side them. There are many other vehicles stopped beside the accident. Riding further, I saw the ambulance and police speeding on the opposite direction towards the accident. Upon reaching Kuantan, I immediately went for hotel hunt. After checking into my hotel, I went around sight seeing along the Sungai Kuantan and checked out their local shopping malls.





Day 4:
In the morning, I went to the Teluk Cempedak beach. Other than the Mac Donalds and other shops along the beach, the beach looks deserted and under renovation. After that, I started on my way back to home. Along the way, I saw a herd of goats and cows on the road blocking cars. I travelled through Pekan, Kuala Rompin, Mersing and finally JB Sentral before reaching the Woodlands checkpoint.





Total distance travelled: about 1060km.

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