Ipoh Temple Visit

This is the last day of Dave’s visit to Bidor, so we plan to drive him to Ipoh for a short visit to the temple and then send him off to the airport. The journey in the morning was great as the weather is clear, rather gloomy but no signs of rain. We took off near lunch time so we had a moment where lunch is sandwiched between two trips.

Our first destination was the Kek Lok Tong temple located in the south east of Ipoh at the foot hills of Gunung Rapat. To be precise, it was located at the fringes of Taman Saikat/Taman Rose where lime stone caves were located. Along the foot hills, there we actually a number of temple but one of the most impressive actually Kek Lok Tong temple.

As it was the first time for Dave, we wasted no time taking pics immediately when we reached the entrance. The entrance is where a 15 feet Guan Yin statue was erected, with fish ponds behind it. The temple was impressive with lots of chambers inside complete with preserved stalactite and stalagmite. However the floors which is originally uneven was paved with marble and concrete to provide ease of access.

The end of the cave is an exit to an open area surrounded by limestone hills with a pond in the centre. Plenty of carps there mostly visible on the surface of the water asking for food. We walk around the park taking snapshots and returned inside the cave venturing along the chambers.

We left the temple after an hour heading for lunch at a nyonya restaurant in Greentown. For the first time, Dave was treated with ostrich meat by uncle. We spent around an hour dining and chatting along before leaving for a boat ride in Gunung Lang which is located in Kuala Kangsar road.

The structure of that place is pretty unique. The park was separated by a lake from the entrance. Since there we no access to the other side as it was surrounded by limestone hills, a boat / water taxi is needed to get across. The water taxi’s trip had an interval of every half to forty five minutes. For the first time I was there, I was pretty impressed.

The place is very peaceful with some foul cages setup like a mini zoo, and a watch tower with a playground around it. Not to mention the monkeys! They are literally all over the place. Some of them are pretty hostile. The majestic feel has to be the lush greenery scene surrounding it.

We made short walks playing at the playground, climbing the watch tower and hurried back to the pier for the next trip back to the ‘mainland’. The next thing we know, we were off to Perak Tong which is the final destination before sending off David.

Perak Tong which was also located at the same stretch as Gunung Lang recreational centre is one of the oldest limestone temple in Ipoh. The entrance is an eatery area where you can treat yourself with salted chicken, snacks and fresh fruit juices. While the elderly hangout outside, the three of us and our cousins tag along to climb up the hill. Seriously the climb was quite tough with over 350+ steps to ascend.  The steepness adds to the toll.

From the view on top you can see Tasek Industrial Area and the surrounding north Bercham, Kg Tawas and all around Tasek. Before we could plan going up to the highest altar, we were warned that the path will be closed at 4pm. This is for safety measures as there were deaths happened before this due to rain.

We descended and chill out at the eateries with salted chicken and coconut drink. As the hour soon draws near to Dave’s flight, we finish up and headed to Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Gunung Rapat. After sending off, we went to Makro for a break and head home in pouring rain.

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