Ipoh mali, Ipoh, Ipoh mali!

Happy New Year!!! ;)

It's never too late to wish a happy new year to everyone when we're still in January, no? Not like we have four seasons to really differenciate that ;) So what's up 2010!

Anyway, visited my boyfriend's hometown in Ipoh on the second day of January. It was about three hours long drive up North from where we live. Just like any other places in Malaysia, the scenary of the road trip would mostly be oil palm plantations, kampung houses (if you go through the small roads), fruits stalls at the side of the road, and the likes. It's the second time we went up North in the past three months; again I was disturbed by the sight of the blasted limestone hills and some other massive quarrying work going around it. Yea call me a development-pooper, but I seriously could hear the hills crying for help everytime I pass them by. Sigh. Anyhoo, our first stop in Perak was Teluk Intan (was known as Teluk Anson during the British era). My boyfriend grew up in Teluk Intan and he was so excited to show me around ;) We didn't spend that long in that little nice town though, but I managed to see the famous "leaning tower of Teluk Intan". I thought it was a really cute building; a popular giant short and fat tower--- a building with attitude ;)

We headed to Ipoh after the short trip at Teluk Intan. We took the small road to Ipoh and again, we discovered another mild yet depressing somewhat like a natural disaster---we saw at least nine porcupines dead splat on the road :( They either going out from the oil palm plantations (and tried to cross the road with revving cars) or into. Not really the scene that you would want any below 10s to see. It's just so sad.

We reached my boyfriend's parents' house in Ipoh at lunch time. We were welcomed by a home cook lunch meal by my boyfriend's mom, it was delicious indeed! Since it was only a night trip, we had to leave for our next place to visit just after tea time.

Our next destination was Kellie's Castle. It's located in Batu Gajah; about 20-mins drive from Ipoh. I first learnt to know about Kellie's Castle from Harmony Silk Factory a fiction written by Tash Aw. Then I saw another review in Travel 360 magazine about 10 scariest places to visit in Asia (or something like that). Well, maybe I've set my mind that the place is freaky but I thought that the mansion is just too "cold" to be somewhat standing in the middle of nowhere. Take away the highway and the small entrance ticket counter below the castle, the building is just so... "alone".


Kellie's Castle was conceptualised and built by William Kellie Smith, a Scotsman who arrived in Malaya in 1890 and made a fortune through the mining industry (of which were booming back then). With the fortune made, he then married his wife in Scotland, and moved back to Malaya after. Only after the second child Smith intended to expand his mansion and build the castle. Smith chose only the best bricks and tiles for the castle, all imported; and he even (almost) had the first bucket lift in Malaya in his castle. So to cut long story short, the history says that the castle is never completed due to the Spanish flu outbreak from Europe to Asia killing most of the workers and the death of Smith himself due to pneumonia during his visit to Portugal in 1926. And so the grieving wife packed her bags and left the castle unfinished, for her homeland.

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The castle stands still and strong 'till now. The feeling was just different when you're in the abandoned castle. It's almost as if you feel the presence of the past. I tried not to let silence take over any second when we were there. I tried to catch up with the other visitors (although my boyfriend was with me too) but the least I did was to walk and move at the same pace as the other visitors so we won't be left alone behind. Or will you ever be alone in the castle?



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Oh well! Other than the limestone hills, Ipoh is also well known for its food! So the next day, we went on a food hunt around Ipoh town! We had the chicken rice and the famous Nam Heong original Ipoh white coffee. They're not only great, but they're cheap too! Dangs! Wished could extend the trip longer since I have yet to try the famous hor fun and the snow beer! But time was not on our side. Monday was approaching. Bleh.

The trip ended on a rainy Sunday evening.