Day 2 @ Ipoh Cave Temples (Apr 2016)

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Friday, 22nd April 2016

They said no visit to Ipoh is complete without paying a tribute to the many cave temples littered around the fringes of the city. Since I did not have my own transportation, I chose one that was relatively near the city centre and accessible through public buses. In the morning, after taking more pictures of the iconic Railway Station, I popped over to the local bus station and hopped on to Perak Transit # 66 that would bring me straight to the gates of Sam Poh Tong Temple.

The 20 minutes bus journey was comfortable costing just RM1.50. To made sure I alighted at the correct stop, I switched on my GPS which proved to be really useful in a unfamiliar environment. The area where I was dropped off consisted of a cluster of 3 cave temples - all worth a visit to pray and take pictures. No admission fees is required. Among the 3, Sam Poh Tong Temple was probably the most familiar given that it had the most publicity in travel literature. It also contained a pond devoted to turtles beyond the cave entrance.

I loved the colourful temple compounds which provided plenty of opportunities for picture taking. The crowds were thin when I visited which I was happy to roam about on my own. On my way out after my visit to the 3 temples, I did not encounter any of the pomelos scam that was widely reported among travellers.

After my temple hopping, I caught the same bus # back to Ipoh and chose to drop by at the New Town for lunch. The chicken hor fun, the soya bean curd and the heong peng were the most satisfying. After lunch, I checked out a few more places at the New Town before cooling down at The Store which provided some decent window shopping opportunities.

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