Hippie Ipoh: A Day Trip from Kuala Lumpur

Old Town Ipoh seal

We took a three-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur to visit the capital of neighboring Perak state, Ipoh. Known as the “town built by tin”, Ipoh rapidly grew in prominence as a booming tin mining industry in the 1880s. By 1895, Ipoh became the second largest town in the Federal Malay State. But as soon as the tin deposits started to deplete and tin prices declined, Ipoh’s economy went stagnant by 1970s. For a while it was a town momentarily forgotten. Recently, Ipoh began its resurgence. Livening up the British colonial architecture of the old town, highlighting the historical and natural wonders and the hard free flowing water which the town claims makes the food tastier.

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Malaysia Pewter Heritage at Royal Selangor

Giant cauldrons hanging to mine tin used for pewter

Why would I want to visit a pewter museum? And what’s a pewter again? Those who are not really familiar what a ‘pewter’ is may find this of no interest. But really, give it a chance, as a visit to a pewter museum factory gives an insightful journey to one of Malaysia’s industrial heritage. Pewters are malleable metal allow handcrafted into everyday objects we use, aware or not. Royal Selangor in Malaysia is one of the key companies spearheading quality pewtersmithing and distributing this finely crafted objects around the world. The museum highlights the science and the journey of pewtersmithing …

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Batu Caves: A Psychedelic Makeover

The cave cavity on the main temple of Murugan

The Batu Caves is one of the most popular attractions to visit when in Kuala Lumpur. It is only 11km away from the city center and easily accessible by commuter train from KL Sentral. It requires only half a day to get a good exploration of this popular Hindu temple out of India. And if you have been here before like I do, it would be interesting to see the recent psychedelic makeover done on this heritage site just a few months ago.

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Sunway City: Thrilling Sunway Lagoon Park and Lifestyle Hotels

View from our room at Sunway Pyramid Lagoon

Sunway City can be an overwhelming complex to visit. It has grown vastly from my first visit in 2009. A sprawling 800-acre township developed as an integrated lifestyle and entertainment destination roughly half an hour away from the KLIA airports or from the city in Selangor, Malaysia. It has three hotels, a huge theme park in Sunway Lagoon, a mall and a number of businesses and facilities for education and medical. It’s an ideal place to stay for families and friends looking for a convenient getaway that combines comfort and adventure in one place.

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