Perak : Places Of Interest Ipoh - The Sate Capital
Known as the City of Bougainvillea, Ipoh is a bustling city with many outstanding architectural attractions. It is also the place to sample some of the best Chinese food in Malaysia. The older part of Ipoh is centered on the Kinta River between Jalan Sultan Idris Shah and Jalan Sultan Iskandar. This is the area to scout out old Chinese and colonial buildings. The city has now expanded into the new quarter which also has some old shop houses and is the livelier business district. While Ipoh may be a stopover point for visitors continuing their journey to Pangkor or to the north or south, the limestone cave temples on its outskirts are definitely worth a visit.
IPOH RAILWAY STATION & CITY HALL The Ipoh Railway Station, affectionately called the Taj Mahal by locals, is a mixture of Moorish and Victorian architecture. It has one of the best station hotels in the country known as the Majestic Hotel. Just across from the railway station is the Dewan Bandaraya (City Hall) a huge white neo-classical building. Both these buildings bear testimony to Ipoh’s great wealth.
THE STATE MOSQUE Opposite the Railway Station is the State Mosque reflecting the official religion. An architectural masterpiece, the State Mosque has a 38m minaret. Mosaic tiles have been embedded into the domes.
ROYAL IPOH CLUB Offering similar Tudor-style architecture as the Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur, the Royal Ipoh Club overlooks a playing field. The club offers exclusive membership.
ST. MICHAEL'S INSTITUTION Ipoh has provided the country with a good share of scholars and international achievers and one of the most imposing in its collection of colonial buildings is St. Michael’s Institution. It is a solid three-storey building with long hallways and arched verandas.
JAPANESE GARDEN Located near the Perak Turf Club in Ipoh, this public park recreates the aesthetics of a Japanese garden. It contains a goldfish pond, wooden bridge and a small Japanese house in an attempt to simulate the meditative atmosphere of the traditional Japanese garden. The grounds are filled with tropical flowers, plants and trees. A colourful floral clock on a slope gives the time.
DR. SEENIVASAGAM PARK Located at Jalan Anderson is D. R. Seenivasagam Park. The fresh atmosphere and variety of flora are the main attractions of this park. The Park has several sports fields, a flower nursery, a landscaped Japanese garden and an artificial lake with boating facilities. There is also a children’s playground with roller-skating rink and a mini-train track.
MUSEUM Darul Ridzuan Museum
The Darul Ridzuan Museum at Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab chronicles the history and development of Ipoh. It provides a history of Ipoh’s expansion and development of the mining industry and forestry in the state of Perak. The museum building has its own remarkable history. Built more than 100 years ago it was used as the official residence for Malay dignitaries in the Kinta District.
Geological Museum
Established in 1957, the Geological Museum at Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah in Ipoh has an impressive collection of minerals, fossils, precious stones and rock specimens. There are over 600 samples of minerals, classified according to chemical content and structure. The museum is also noted for its exhibition of tin ore, including the best specimen of cassiterite in the world.
Dewan Bandaraya Ipoh Sports Complex
The Dewan Bandaraya Ipoh Sports Complex at Jalan Kampung Simee is the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia. It has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a beginner’s pool, a children’s pool, a wave pool, a rugby field, a velodrome, an astro-turf hockey field, and indoor courts.
DINING Ipoh is noted for good, reasonably priced Chinese fare particularly Sar Hor Fun (soup noodles), Char Kuey Teow (fried flat noodles) and chicken rice with bean sprouts.
Popular eating places include the Wooley Food Centre in Ipoh Garden, the Old Town Food Centre at Jalan Leech, Medan Selera on Jalan Gopeng and the Medan Selera Stadium which has mixed food stalls at Jalan Dato Tahwil Azhar. There are nasi kandar restaurants at Jalan Yang Kalsom. Snacks that are favourites with visitors include the Menglembu groundnuts, Kampar Chicken Biscuits and Chart Tai (Bean Curd Sticks). A Malay delicacy found here is rendang tok, dried beef cooked with coconut milk and chilli paste.
Perak : Places Of Interest Ipoh - The Sate Capital
