17 Ipoh : Lost World Of Tambun, Theme Park Pt.2

"Welcome to Tin Valley!  " my aunt hilariously mimicked a tour guide.

Welcome to Lost World of Tambun's Tin Valley!

Tin Valley is part of the Lost World of Tambun, a theme park which I had blogged about halfway due to space constraints:  Ipoh : Lost World Of Tambun, Theme Park Pt.1 . This place takes us back to the booming era of Ipoh's tin mining industry. We were given an opportunity to try our hand at how it's done traditionally here. We had to swirl the soil with water in a dulang (round tray) until tin particles could be seen. Phew, this was not an easy task but on a brighter note, it's great arm-slimming exercise!

Panning For Tin Ore

Further down the path, we saw life-sized elephant sculptures which we could climb up to for photographs. It is said that a pet elephant named Larut played a significant role in Perak's tin mining history - the owner having discovered rich deposits of tin after finding his lost pet covered with some of it.

On The Way To Tin Valley and Adventures At
Bottom right: Needle of Tambun aka Pencil Rock

The view from this spot is stunning and the greenery is what my grandma would say, "Good for the eyes." That tall slim rock in the background is called 'Needle of Tambun ' or 'Pencil Rock '.

Needle of Tambun (View From Swan Lake)

It was already noon when we stepped into Tin Valley. Our stomachs were growling so we popped into Dulang Tea House for food. It's a beautiful kopitiam built under a rock formation of limestone hills. The ambiance is a nostalgic feel of Ipoh's past. The food listed on the menu is said to be a popular choice of tin miners back in the day.

Lost World of Tambun Dulang Tea House

Chiak hami arh, aunty?

Empty tummies do not make wise decisions. We over-ordered but was saved by the waitress who advised us that the portion would be too much for us to take on. She was right. Thank God for good people. 

Kopitiam Favourites

Half Boiled Egg

Love trying something new ..or old, in this case? This rock hard bread is called Biskut Lutut. Not advisable for anyone with false or loose teeth. I was tempted to swing this bread around like a weapon. Best enjoyed softened in coffee.

Biskut Lutut

Well, that's about it on our walkabout in the Tin Valley. It was a fun place to be and I'm missing the food already.

I'll be back with Pt. 3 to share about our adventures at the Petting Zoo. Such a long cerita (story) just for the Lost World of Tambun, right?

Sunway Lost World Of Tambun
Address: 1, Persiaran Lagun Sunway, Sunway City, 31150 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Telephone: +6 05-540 8888
Closed every Tuesday, except on Malaysian school and public holidays.

16 Ipoh : Lost World Of Tambun, Theme Park Pt.1

Sunway Lost World of Tambun is divided into several exciting parks with loads of fun things to do. For this reason, a one-night stay wasn't sufficient for us. We did two! Holidays are meant to be relaxing, right? We planned it in such a way that Day One would be spent exploring Kampar until we could check into the hotel. Then it was sightseeing nearby areas. Day Two involved a whole day and night at the theme park.

Lost World Hotel guests receive discount vouchers to the day theme park and free entrance to the night one. They also offer amazing deals throughout the year - keep a lookout for that on their social media pages! Before you go buying tickets in advance, make sure you've done your research. For entrance and rental prices, click here.

Sunway Lost World Of Tambun, Ipoh

It takes at least a whole day to experience the best the park has to offer so starting the fun as soon as it opens is the smartest way to go about it. That's 10am or 11am, by the way. The rules of the park are simple - No outside food allowed. Bring proper swim wear, or not (Malaysia mahh). Once you go in, you don't leave until you're done because re-entry means purchasing another ticket.

After a full buffet breakfast, we made our way to the theme park carrying a backpack of slippers, swimming essentials and anything we thought was important to protect us from the sun. Our bags were checked for food upon entry. All clear!

The first thing we did was get a group photo for memories. The park assistant helped us snap one on our camera for free. He also snapped one of us on his but whether we purchased that at the end of the day was up to us completely - no pressure, no pressure.

The next thing we did was head for the amusement rides as there was no queue yet. We hopped on this pirate ship that swings back and forth, 180 degrees. When you get on this one, you go, "WooooOoo" as it swooshes down.

Stormrider Pirate Ship

This is a mini roller coaster, Perak's first. It's pretty cool and goes through a small tunnel. Not very scary but it is fun to scream so we let out a mega, "AaahhHHHh!!!". I must tell you that we're only brave and showy with the little rides. Anything more extreme and you'll find tears running down our faces and us walking in a zigzag manner after the ride. Lol, the shame.

Perak's First Roller Coaster

Then, there's the carnival games where you can win soft toys and the heart of your girlfriend. Our men came back empty handed. My aunt and I were determined to beat the system.

"This one guarantee can win? " No harm asking, right?

"Oh, yes! "  Confirmed the booth assistant to my surprise, but my aunt wasn't convinced and opted for throwing balls into a bin which looked easy seeing how close it was to us. We lost at first throw and that was that. It was back to the guarantee-win stall after that, a matter of scooping up ducks and collecting enough points for a prize! In short and poor us, we beat the system at a price. You know the saying, "Don't ask, don't know".

The guys? They were impressed alright. Had they known ...

Carnival Games At Lost World Of Tambun

Argh! We didn't have time for a ride on the Adventure Express.

The Adventure Express

There were so many places to explore from the Tin Valley to the Petting Zoo. Our last stop was the water park for a swim before it closes for the next day.

Lost World Water Park

Kids Explorabay

As you can see, there is no way I can fit everything into one post so I am going with several. Be back with Part 2 soon.

Sunway Lost World Of Tambun
Address: 1, Persiaran Lagun Sunway, Sunway City, 31150 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Telephone: +6 05-540 8888
Closed every Tuesday, except on Malaysian school and public holidays.

16 Ipoh : Lost World Hotel

Out of Kampar and into the Lost World of Tambun. We purchased a two-night stay at Matta Fair promotional rates. It was around RM300 per night for an Executive Suite at Lost World Hotel , with extra bed inclusive of buffet breakfast for three and entrance to the hotsprings night park.

The four-storey hotel faces the exciting Lost World of Tambun theme park with an incredible view of lush ancient limestone hills in the background. Eight of us arrived in the afternoon to wide smiles and heartwarming welcome. As soon as we parked our car, the concierge rolled the luggage carrier over. The hospitality is amazing and check in was quick!

This is the lobby, decorated with out-of-this-world blue circular sofas. I was so attracted to the UFO-styled sofas that I started googling for where to buy this. When I began envisioning how it would fit into our small apartment, it hit me that, "Oi! Comfy meh? ". I mean what was I going to do with it - curl myself around the thing to watch TV? Lol.

Lost World Hotel Check-In Counter

Lost World Hotel's Cute UFO Sofas

We were most excited to see the spaciousness of the room. It was like walking into an apartment. Two toilets, two TVs, a huge living room with a proper fridge and a kitchen sink. Basic amenities like a hairdryer, ironing board, electric kettle, safe, it's all there. What more could we ask for.

Living Room of Executive Suite

A Proper Fridge and Kitchen Sink

The Love Bed

Two TVs? No Way!

Another Angle Of The Room

Dressing Area Next To The Bathroom

Shower Enclosure

Pictured below is the Classical Room which my aunt and cousin stayed in. Compact sized, with basic amenities included plus a minibar. No proper fridge or kitchen sink but as this was a connecting room to our executive suite, my aunt didn't miss out on a thing!

Lost World Hotel, Classical Room

FOOD
The nearest and only eatery I could see, housed within the same building of the hotel, is Papparich. Good thing we brought our own food and snacks because we're complete greedy pigs during holidays. It made for that in between meal before heading to the Night Park because all that exploring the animal kingdom, tin valley, getting our thrills on the roller coaster and swimming tired us out!

We had initially made plans for dinner in town but we each carried that face that said please-let-no-one-insist-on-it. It would cut into our rest time and since we already had an amazing whole day at the park, we were amped up for the night one too - not willing to miss the fire show! But if you insist on going out for dinner, there are places just a minute drive away.

Anyway, on to the buffet breakfast which is located across the road near the entrance of the theme park. It carries both western and asian food. We made sure to eat our fill since there was a 'no outside food allowed' rule in the theme park. Although there are plenty of food stalls inside, you never know if there's a queue that could ruin your mood and if it would burst your travel budget.

The Buffet Breakfast at Lost World Hotel, Ipoh

One last thing, Giant Supermarket is a short distance away, about 1km or more, depending which route you take. FYI, the beer counter closes at 9PM.

That's that on my stay at Lost World Hotel. Wait 'til you read about the fun stuff we did!

Lost World Hotel
Address: 1, Persiaran Lagun Sunway, Sunway City, 31150 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone: +6 05-540 8888

14 Ipoh : Impiana Hotel - Not Badlah!

I've just returned from a week-long CNY holiday and whilst running through my blog posts, realised that I had missed out sharing about our hotel stay in Ipoh. Better late than never, right? Hah! The short trip for a wedding which I had written about here, was all about the food. I guess that isn't too surprising since I run a food blog as well.

For this trip, we chose to rest at Impiana Hotel for the night. The rates are reasonably cheap at just over a hundred ringgit per night. The location is minutes away from the town's famous eats.

The best thing about this hotel is the service. Always smiling, courteous and helpful - that is enough for me to forgive any small unpleasant experience I may have had with the room. I snored in the company of a couple of baby roaches roaming around the electric water kettle. Lol! They were difficult to catch.

Let me summarise it as such - Impiana Hotel is in need of a cleaning exercise, a refurbishment. And I'm not saying this solely because of my unhygienic buddies lurking around the coffee table. 

Impiana Hotel, Ipoh

Impiana Hotel - The Lobby

Impiana Hotel - The Room

We noticed a caricature artist at work during our stay there. It was a small booth of two tables and a standing banner at the lobby area. We told him we'd be back to get ours drawn after we dropped our bags off in the room.

This is it, our caricature! Me and my machoman. Do we look alike? I showed hubs a pic of Jackie Chan (the actor) which I thought was a close resemblance. This was drawn on good quality cardboard paper, perfect to be framed up. 

Want yours done? Just email your pic over to Wan Chik. He will work on it (I guess you would have to pay in advance) and mail it over to you once it's finished. I'm leaving the nice chap's contact details below in case any one is interested.

Email : wan.graphics93 @ gmail.com (without spacing)
Instagram: wan.chik (check out his other works here)
Mobile: 017 - 548 3391

That's that on my Ipoh hotel stay. Have a nice week and once again, Happy Lunar New Year to those who are celebrating!

17 One Night In Ipoh

My dearest friend's sister was tying the knot.

We were thrilled to receive an invitation. Weeks later, we found ourselves on a road trip down to Ipoh for one night just to attend the wedding. We had planned to do a little sightseeing as well. Who knew that it would turn out to be a food sightseeing trip instead!

It began with these yummy snacks, bunga telur (hard-boiled eggs) and cookies that my friend gave us at the wedding do.

Bunga Telur and Wedding Snacks

After the wedding, we took a leisurely drive around places near the Lost World of Tambun and Banjaran Hotsprings to see if we should book a stay there on another trip.

We headed into town for an early dinner that evening. A banner with a picture of this soy sauce baby octopus dish drew us into Restoran Sun Tuck Kee. We ordered flat rice noodles and braised chicken feet to go with it - a thoroughly enjoyable meal. Am I making you salivate with these pictures?

Steamed Baby Octopus

Braised Chicken Feet

Flat Rice Noodles

Sun Tuck Kee Restaurant

There was a local fruit and snacks store along the same road - Chop Wong Yew Kee. We dropped in for a look-see and brought home these goodies! I could not resist buying the chicken lap cheong (Chinese sausage) and pumpkin crackers. It was my first time seeing it. The pumpkin crackers were so yum that my girlfriend and I finished it in one sitting during our chitchatting - this was after I had returned to KL. The lap cheong? It sits in the cupboard waiting for Chinese New Year. That's when I will eat it!

Chop Wong Yew Kee - The Fruit and Snacks Store

Spot The Chicken Lap Cheong and Pumpkin Crackers?

The next morning, we headed into town to dapao (takeaway) the famous Tau Fu Fah (tofu pudding) from Funny Mountain. We breakfasted nearby with wantan noodles whilst waiting for the shop to open.

Wantan Noodles

Behold, the silkiest tau fu fah I have ever eaten!

Funny Mountain Tau Fu Fah

I made my way across the road to order one salted chicken to take away . We drove back to KL that afternoon. The salted chicken was our dinner that day. 

Sin Tat Seng Salted Chicken

Nom nom  ..

About to Be Devoured - Salted Chicken

Writing this post has made me miss Ipoh! I'll be back ....soon, I hope!

10 Ipoh : Heritage Hotel - In old, we trust!

Old is gold, so it is said. Heritage Hotel is reminiscent of a typical mid-range 80s hotel, a time when boutique hotels with fancy themed rooms and the modern minimalistic sleeping space of Tune Hotels were unheard of.

Heritage Hotel, Ipoh

I had a comfortable stay at Heritage Hotel, Ipoh. The room is spacious. The rates are reasonable, around RM150 (twin beds) for a night.

I also had the fastest check-in ever. You can't fault me for walking away with the key card thinking, "What? That's it? Feels wrong..."

The bellboy picked my bags up. I was ushered into a transparent elevator, along with the family.

The entrance to the rooms were designed in such a way that it faces the open space in the middle (picture below). There are no hidden corners. I prefer this openness over the one where we have to walk along a small dark corridor to get to our rooms. You never know who could be lurking around. Here, you can see where the cleaners are and if anyone's hanging around suspiciously.

To the rooms in Heritage Hotel, Ipoh

This is it, our room with twin beds (picture below). Nice? More than, I say. The view is decent too - A beautiful landscape of greenery and hills in the distance. Closer, landed properties with neatly trimmed lawns and gardens.

The room in Heritage Hotel, Ipon

The stuff we need to know - hairdryer included!

There's ample parking space in Heritage Hotel. This is a major plus for people intending to drive over for a holiday.

Another thing I really love about the place? It's located just kilometers away from Ipoh's tourist spots and round the bend from the heart of town.

I left, revitalised from good sleep.

6 Ipoh : Kek Look Tong Cave Temple

A family getaway ~ On the third day of Chinese New Year, we traveled to Ipoh for a bit of sightseeing. Ipoh is famous for its cave temples.

A pleasant drive out of town led us to Kek Look Tong, a temple renowned for its award winning landscaped gardens that is surrounded by limestone hills. I was drawn to the place by stories that speak of its lovely scenery. That was the reason we picked this cave temple out of the many to stop by..that, and also the comforting knowledge that there were no steep steps to climb up or tight crevices to shimmy through. I rate this place as grandma friendly.

Kek Look Tong Cave Temple

The stairway leading to the main entrance is lined with interesting sculptures and mini figurines.

The stairway up is not steeply challenging

Some of the sculptures in Kek Look Tong

The rock formation inside the cave was like a scene out of the "Lord of the Rings' movie - "You shall not pass!". This would never pass for an ideal place for batman. There were no bats to be seen.

Not a bat cave!

Large bronze Buddhist deities are placed around the cave. I almost forgot that this was a house of prayer. I was jolted to be more polite with my thoughts and photographing when I realised there were people kneeling solemnly in prayer with their heads bowed down.

Bronze deities at Kek Look Tong

The exit to the garden is at the other end of the cave. It isn't far. I would describe Kek Look Tong as a short tunnel with high ceilings.

The award-winning garden of Kek Look Tong

Feeding the monkeys is prohibited for safety reasons.  

Monkeys in Kek Look Tong

Our adventure ended just before nightfall. A picture of the carpark before I end this post.

Ample parking lots in Kek Look Tong

Opens at 7am, closes at 6pm...and they are sharp about it!