Roadtrip to the Lost world of IPOH!
How was your long labour day weekend?
I spent mine back home with my loved ones, it's been ages and I miss them already.
So finally it's another weekend and it's the only time I pretty much have left to blog or self pamper. Realized that I have been traveling a lot, locally, for the past few weeks, even months.
First it was Penang-
This might sound crazy but it was a one day trip to Penang- flew in the morning, met Shaz, Reuben and Joshua (finally!) for lunch and flew back at night- The End.
Managed to check out the new mall there, First Avenue right after Komtar in Penang.
Alright so anyway, this post is meant to be about me and my partner in crime. Our little road trip to..Ipoh mali, Ipoh Ipoh mali!
My partner in crime, John :)
He must be one of the most random friends I have, plus willing to do the extreme with me.
He also took this silly picture of me:
The contradicting I can see now picture =P
So we found a weekend to spare to experience Ipoh, and its famous Foh San dim sum.
He just completely his exams while I always need a getaway from time to time. We drove up on Saturday morning and barely 2 hours we arrived in Ipoh!
It was my first time there hence the excitement. The plan was to decide if we want to stay the night only after..
The Lost World of Tambun!
The weather was frrreezing, like Cameron Highlands (for Malaysian standard la)
We also made a joke about how Ipoh women are known for their beauty because of the air they breathe. The water is cleaner, the air is cooler. So unfair.
Since it was raining and we figured the rain wasn't going to stop, we went ahead to the theme park! Wet park --wet anyway (that's how we think! heheh)
The map of the Lost World of Tambun
Similar to Sunway Lagoon that is super commercialized, this was a little more laid back and the best thing is..
They've got HOT SPRINGS!
Look at the steam coming out of the pool!
Hot springs are refreshing and good for the human health. It's believed that the heat generated from a hot spring can ease blood flow and it's therapeutic. However, there is a strict time limit as to how long you can stay in the hot spring - 15 mins average and you will need a break.
We tried the hot springs of 37 - 45 Degrees Celsius (can boil "eggs" dy!) hahah
We started off with the wet park and slides first.
Rented a tube for two so we can slide our way through the tunnels.
Another thing we both agreed is that we like it better here because it wasn't as packed as lagoon in Sunway! No queues, no noise, just peace and fun!
See what I mean?
We stayed in the lost world for a good 4 hours before heading out to search for a hotel. The recommended hotel right smack in town (good walking distance to all the makan places) was Hotel Excelsior. The location was perfect for us to park the car and walk to the famous makan places.
The mission: To eat our hearts out! - such sinful but pleasing hobby.
We walked along the roads in the city and our first stop was Ipoh's famous beansprout chicken rice/hor fun:
When we got there it was already packed with people! Mostly locals but there were a couple of tourists as well. The day passed really quickly, we moved on the get titbits and local delicacies at a shop nearby:
Bought some snacks for the nuffies and friends back in KL --glutinous rice balls with filling, Heong Piah (biscuits), gums, prawn rolls, etc.
I got really excited when we stumbled upon the damn old school gums, I remember having it back in primary school. Those 20-30 cents each gums really made my day.
I especially love this biscuit, freshly baked and packaged nicely for our convenience.
There was also a night market at the same street so we walked around before heading back to the hotel.
The human body works in an amazing way. I realize my stomach can fit food like water when I'm on holiday because I can eat without feeling full!
An hour later after a good warm bath, we continued our food search at a nearby hawker --the best place to look for local street food.
and sure enough, we ordered a couple of dishes --they all tasted yummeh!
Chee Cheong Fun with curry, foo chok & vegetables
Beef noodles
and my favourite, Laksa with only See Ham (cockles)
The place reminds me a lot of the Century Garden hawker back in Johor Bahru.
They also have Uncles selling Bak Chang (glutinous rice with meat) and sweet potatoes
After a whole day of eating and swimming, we finally took a break before the breakfast the next day.
Can you believe it?
It's a whole dim sum building on its own. Foh San is one of the most famous dim sum restaurant in Ipoh and it was already packed with people as early as 9am.
Two stories high, it felt like a really grand dim sum tower.
Self service dim sum
John's favourite-- sesame ball
Look at the amount of food on our table, you'll know how great it tasted =P
Though only two days, I'm surprised how we managed to explore and do so much. It's things like these that keep us going. What a great first time, I'd definitely go back to Ipoh for a longer stay!
