Ipoh (怡保)
10 July 2019.
Falling back asleep after watching the scenery pass by in the light of dawn, I woke up to street vendors walking down the cabin aisle, selling sticky rice and pork for breakfast. It was 0700 hr, I pulled at the curtains and the lady in the bunk bed opposite mine greeted good morning. Almost everyone in the cabin was already up and ready for a reason unknown to me and I rushed to wash up at the washroom a few steps away. At 0757, the train pulled into Hatyai station where most passengers alighted. With less than ten passengers in my cabin, the train made another stop at Khlong Nae, the last station before Padang Besar. The steward came to stow away the beds and one of the remaining passengers went around the cabin with a thick stack of Malaysian Ringgit in his hand, looking amongst the few of us for someone to exchange currencies with.
Southern Thailand at dawn, 0603 hr. Rightmost: Pulling into Padang Besar Station, 0909 hr.
The 18 hour journey drew to a close with our 0907 arrival at Padang Besar. Interestingly, this is a joint immigration station where the Thai and Malaysian immigration sections are situated next to each other. From the platform, we were ushered into the Thai immigration section where we got stamped out of Thailand. A small duty-free shop stands between both territories as we proceed south to the Malaysian immigration section, with Thai territory just a few steps behind us.
The immigration process at both ends that Wednesday morning was fairly swift, I was stamped into Malaysia within ten minutes of alighting from my overnight train from Bangkok. After the necessary custom checks on the Malaysian side which included baggage checks, I had to buy a KTM train ticket to Ipoh. There was the word “Tiket” on this signboard with the KTM logo directly above me after the baggage check and I proceeded upstairs.
Buying a ticket to Ipoh. 0925 hr. There is only one canteen here, if you do not enjoy spicy food like me, a Nasi Lemak might be a good choice.
The next train was scheduled at 1115 and a ticket to Ipoh was priced at RM66. I was to reach Ipoh at 1400 where I will alight whilst the train will continue on towards Kuala Lumpur. By 0930, I had already purchased my KTM ticket and had nothing better to do. Padang Besar Railway station felt rather empty, whilst they ran essential services like a canteen and toilets but without luggage storage, currency exchange and shops to buy a local SIM card from, I decided to spend the rest of my time waiting for my train at the allocated platform. To my surprise, the ETS train was already at the platform, it was then only 0950, wasn’t there at least another hour to go before departure?
The train was largely empty so I unloaded my backpack on the seat beside me and sank down in relief. On my opposite, a young backpacker had also granted his backpack an entire seat of its own. He looked up, a familiar face who had been queuing in front of me at the immigration counters earlier this morning.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I’m going to Kuala Lumpur.”
“Have you booked your accommodation?”
“Nope, I’ll just get there and see what’s there.”
“Do you want to make an online booking on my phone? We’re still very close to the Thai border so I can still use my Thai Sim card data to go online.”
“It’s ok, I’ll see what I can do when I reach KL. I might not stay in a hostel.”
“Where then, if not a hostel?”
“My tent. I have it in my backpack.”
“Your tent?”
We talked about our journeys. He was planning to go around the world and was currently two months into his endeavour.
“Do you just pitch up your tent and sleep in it?”
“Yes, I did that for quite some time in China.”
“I think I understand what you mean, they won’t really bother you in China. But I’m not exactly sure if it would be safe for you to do so in Kuala Lumpur. Maybe you should use my phone to make a booking at a hostel for tonight first.”
“That’s ok, I can just go to McDonald’s and use the Wifi there later if I need it”
“You mean, you won’t buy the local SIM card?”
“No, I normally don’t buy the local SIM cards.”
“How do you contact your people back home?”
“I just use McDonalds Wifi”
“That’s a lot of money saved.”
The train started moving backwards. Our seats were facing away from the direction of travel. My phone showed 1015. I was confused.
“That’s funny. Did the train just leave one hour earlier?”
He looked at his watch.
“It’s 1015 but we forgot to set it to Malaysian time.”
My jaw literally dropped. I had completely forgotten about the time difference.
“Where are you going next?” he asked.
“Home towards Singapore. How about you?”
“I’ll go to Thailand for the Full Moon Party.”
“Didn’t you just come from Thailand?”
“Yes, but the Full Moon Party is only on 18 July.”
“Today’s 10 July.”
“I know. I wanted to explore Malaysia too. Where’s the Ipoh you’re going to?”
More passengers came on board as the train made stops at Alor Setar, Sungei Petani, Taiping and Kuala Kangsar. Upcoming stations are announced well beforehand and I was all ready to alight when the train pulled into Ipoh Railway station at 1415. After I got off the train, I passed by the station master who had come down the aisle to check our train tickets earlier at Padang Besar. He shook his head upon seeing me, making tsk tsk sounds.
“So sad, your new friend is going to Kuala Lumpur.”
“Yes, he is.” I laughed, amazed at his memory. He would have checked hundreds of tickets by now.
Reached Ipoh Station, 1412 hr.
It was scorching hot outside the railway station, though the afternoon heat became bearable when I discovered that my hostel in old Ipoh town could be reached by foot from the railway station.
My place for the night was a bed in an extremely spacious room. My bed was already made and lady boss told me that I have a Taiwanese lady as my roommate that night. We were later joined by a Chinese National, she was a teacher like myself and they had just started their two month holiday. Both of them were headed towards Penang, whilst the Taiwanese lady would return home afterwards, the Chinese lady would travel onwards to Tibet.
The hostel, 1459 hr.
On the way to get a SIM card. 1659 hr.
Dessert at the open air hawker center, 1809 hr. Chicken rice, 1827 hr.
Another dinner, 2023 hr.
11 July 2019.
I decided to use Grab as my main form of transport in Ipoh. The next morning, I took a lazy stroll down Concubine Lane, stomached a filling breakfast and grabbed to Kek Long Tong Cave Temple.
Breakfast, 1102 hr.
There was a garden behind the cave temple itself with geese flocking around. I hadn’t walked far when the park keeper approached me with evacuation instructions.
“They are going to do some rock blasting works, you can wait at the cave temple first.”
“Are they going to blow up rocks?”
“Yes, at 1330.”
“What for? Are they going to make a cave temple like this one?”
“For the rock powder”
“What’s rock powder?”
“Ahh don’t tell me you haven’t had it! We have all consumed rock powder. It’s in your Maggie mee, it’s in your tofu. Even if you tell me you don’t eat maggi mee and tofu, I’m sure you use makeup don’t you? Even if you don’t use makeup, I’m sure you brush your teeth, it’s in our everyday products.”
“I have consumed a lot of that indeed.” It must be calcium carbonate he’s referring to. “Can I watch the blasting process?”
“You can, from the cave temple.”
I was ushered up the stairs into the cave with a dozen other tourists where we waited on benches.
“You might not be able to see it. It’s on the other side of the hill.” the park keeper explained.
“That’s ok, will I be able to hear it?”
“You will be able to hear it all right.”
Half an hour later, a voice could be heard over the walkie talkie carried by the park keeper. “Tiga, Dua, Satu,” followed by a loud bang. Smoke bellowed in the distance, whilst we couldn’t see the blasting, a visible gap had formed on the rocky surface. The park keeper unlocked the gates to the garden and we once more allowed to freely roam around.
Kok Long Tong Cave Temple. 1152 hr.
Kek Look Cave, 1511 hr.
The last night of my overland journey where I get to roam around freely, what should I try for dinner? 1914 hr.
Lou Wong Chicken Rice, I had no idea how I managed to finish everything. It was 1952 by the time I finished.
Looking around the night market before retiring for the night. 2000 hr.
12 July 2019.
Last day of my entire overland journey. My plan is to simply stroll around the streets whilst waiting for my night bus back home to Singapore.
The fishballs were rather fresh and chewy, was as memorable as the other food items I had in Ipod thus far. 1029 hr.
Inside BookXccess, a bank vault themed bookstore along Jalan Sultan Yusuff. The bookstore also displayed photographs by Yasmin Ahmad. 1129 hr.
Hungry for some home-looking Western Delights after 47 days of Overland travel without seeing anything similar.
Later that night, my Taiwanese roommate casually mentioned her plan to visit Gua Tempurung the next day. The largest limestone cave in Malaysia, it was a long 25km from where we were.
“It will be expensive to grab there,” I commented.
“Nah, I’ll take public transport.”
“There’s a bus going there?”
“Nope. I’ll alight somewhere and walk the remaining distance.”
“Wow. I’ve actually never heard of anyone doing so in Malaysia.”
Her sweet appearance complete with sunflower hats and long flowing skirts have all along been rather misleading. The next day, she set off at 6AM and returned to the hostel in the evening as I was packing to leave on an overnight bus.
“You’re back! How was Gua Tempurung?” I asked.
“Great! As I was walking towards the cave, two girls drove by in a car and kindly offered me a ride. What are you doing?”
“I’m leaving tonight for home.”
“That’s a lot of stuff you have.”
“It wasn’t like this at first. I bought way too much stuff once I reached Thailand.”
“How are you going to get to the bus station? It’s raining outside.”
We bade farewell and I left the hostel. The rain had stopped and I contemplated walking to the Sri Maju bus station. The boss of the hostel was also downstairs.
“Aren’t you taking a Grab to the bus station?” he asked when I started to cross the street.
“Nope, the rain has stopped so I’ll walk there. Google Map says it’s less than two kilometres.”
“I’ve called for a Grab, we can go together. I’m heading in your direction anyway.”
“Where are you going boss?”
“To have dinner.”
“Is it really convenient?”
“It is. The stall I want to try is not far from Sri Maju.”
I tried to pay him my share but he wouldn’t accept it. “Come and stay with us again the next time you’re in Ipoh.”
Other Notes:
Malaysia
Ipoh 怡保
Cost of food (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, snacks, water), drinks, accommodation and transport (Grab)
Breakfast
Food is big in the Malaysian town of Ipoh and I tried as much as I could. I started my day picking out items I fancied from the menu, it turned out to be a hearty breakfast that set me back about RM12. A hot drink usually costs around RM2, and a simple breakfast can always be enjoyed at below RM10.
A popular speciality: Caramel Egg Custard (RM3) that was extremely smooth
Lunch/ Dinner
Kuay Teow noodle soup: RM5
A full meal at one of the recommended food gems is a worthy RM18
Snacks
Cakes @ Cafes: RM7-12
Dessert @ Tong Shui Gai: RM5
Transport:
There are three modes of transport within Ipoh, Grab, taxis and public bus. Public buses cost around RM1.50 per trip from town to nearby temples like Ling Seng Tong, however for attractions further away from town, Grab would be a more convenient option. In most cases, single journey Grab rides for destinations within town area cost between RM4-8 whilst destinations out of town cost RM8 – 15.
Taxis in Ipoh usually charge a flat fare, depending on the distance to your destination. When you are about to flag down a taxi, you can look for its taxi roof sign; if it charges flat fare, you will see “Kereta Sewa” written on its roof sign, if it is a metered Taxi, you will see it written accordingly. Generally, you will only find metered taxis in cities like Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
For long distance interstate coaches:
Sri Maju Sarata Ekspress (Jalan Bendahara)
Address: 31650 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Medan Kidd Bus Station
Address: 206, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, 30100 Ipoh
The Sri Maju Sarata Ekspress (Jalan Bendahara office) is closer to the old town area than the Medan Kidd Bus Station. From 1981 Guest House, it is no more than two kilometres away. You can conveniently call Sri Maju’s office to first enquire if they serve your desired destination and book your tickets without having to physically go down to their office till your day of departure. Payment can be made at their office on your day of departure.
If you are living in the old town area and you are able to reach your next destination by train, do take the train option as the Ipoh Railway station is a convenient walk away at the edge of the old town.
Accomodation
RM23 per night for a dormitory bed
Local SIM
Hotlink tourist SIM for around RM25 at Yik Foong Complex or any 7-11 store.
Accomodation
1981 Guest House
Image taken from booking.com
Guesthouse is extremely well-maintained and seems to be well known amongst backpackers. The premises are secured with gates and auto-lock doors that require restricted card access. On my day of arrival, the boss sent a WhatsApp message detailing the location of their hostel as well as their PIN number to the entrance door. The owners are a friendly local couple whom you can always approach for recommendations on places to visit – they can forward you a long list on WhatsApp!
Towels: Provided at an additional RM1
Personal Lockers: Provided
Air Conditioning: Yes. There are both fans and air-conditioning in the room. Air-conditioning is turned on only at 7PM.
The Malaysia leg of the Xinjiang-Singapore Overland journey is completed!
Click below to return to finally finish the journey in Singapore!