Ipoh Cave Temple- Kek Lok Tong, Gunung Rapat.

Kek Lok Tong is situated in the Gunung Rapat area. Unlike the other cave temples around Ipoh Kek Lok Tong is very wide. The cave entrance is wide and high and it has a hidden valley at the back which looks like shangrila when you view it for the first time.

This is the road leading towards the temple. From here it looks like the usual cave temple.
A statue of the Goddess of Mercy is located at the entrance. Incidentally the Malayan Nature Society has identified 124 species of birds that live in the area of this cave temple. And the car park area where the entrance is located has a fair amount of species one of which is the Java sparrow.
The entrance.The ceiling is wayyyy up there. Feels like a wind channel when you enter.
The view looking out towards G.Rapat is beautiful
As you walk to the back of the cave you will notice these brass statues.
The statue of Buddha sits overlooking the back entrance and the hidden valley below
A frontal view of the brass statues.
The view of the hidden valley from the back entrance.There are 2 ponds 1 of which is a lotus pond. The power line is on the left while the white factory ahead is associated with the limestone industry.
The garden here is well taken care of. It has a footpath and a reflexology path.

This place should look terrific once all the the trees mature.
The lotus pond and chinese roofed gazebo.
Another view of the lotus pond looking towards the cave.

A view of the cave entrance from the side of the garden.

A huge back entrance.
This toilet seems to blend in with its surroundings.
A terrapin on the rock relaxing in the evening sun.
Local residents having their evening exercise.Those limestone cliffs are massive.
Time to go. Back thru the brass statue again.
...and out the main entrance towards the car park. This cave entrance is really huge.Lovely!
Everybody should visit this place. It is worth it.

cheers!

Local Ipoh Ice Cream - Ais Krim Potong

Saw this guy in my neighbourhood yesterday. It was really hot this weekend. Thought I'd buy some of his ice cream potong for after lunch desert.

His variety of flavours in their respective colours ...........

...milo , pandan ,honeydew, red bean , jagung.....

He keeps his stocks at the bottom. When a particular flavour is low he will take out a 'tiang' and cut it to size on the chopping board.Then stick in a handle (kept in the stainless steel box) ready for sale.

Each stick sells for 60sen. Cool price huh. It brought back memories of my time in primary school.

My lunch desert. Red bean and jagung ais krim potong.


cheers!

Labour day .......trip to Singapore.

For a day of sightseeing we visited Sentosa. We checked out the Merlion. As you enter there is a movie telling about the legend of the Merlion.We went all the way to the top for a view from the Merlion head.
Lovely view from the top. It rained earlier so the weather was beautiful and clear.
Then we tried out this 'LUGE' . This was fun.Its like getting on a flat board and sliding down a hill.It gets faster as you reach the bottom. Except this Luge can be steered down a track built just for it.It gets pretty fast. Taking the tight corners was fun!!!The kids loved it.

"Once is not enough" so says the poster. How true. So for another ride take the 'Skyride' back up to the starting point. Take note of the Luge track in the center of the photo and the height of the chair to imagine the gradient of the down slope.Yee ha!
Tree top views.
Next stop..Fort Siloso. I've been here many years ago but still found it interesting.

12 Pounder gun.
Guns , guns everywhere. Unfortunately it was pointed in the wrong direction.
I always thought that Lim Bo Seng originated from Ipoh because there is a road in Ipoh named after him. Now i know the story .

On the day i returned home it rained in the morning.By 730 when it stopped we left. Traffic at Woodlands and JB were clear and I was in and out of customs and immigration within half an hour.
Before i entered the highway I stopped over at MacDonalds for hot coffee (??) and a light snack.
Around noon we stopped at Dengkil rest area for "Kajang" satay and nasi impit.
I quite like the beef satay but it was hard today. The chicken satay was tender though. The additional bowl of red sambal is to add oomph to the satay kuah.


The scarred limestone hills of Simpang Pulai before the Ipoh toll booth. I'm home.
Cheers..

I was away ...Labour day / wesak day

I was away…..sori for not posting.

It was a very long weekend… so I decided to take a drive to Singapore to visit a relative living there. I have a family of 4 hence driving down is more economical. This is the cost breakdown.

By bus
Bus ticket @RM125 / person rtn trip x 4 = RM500

By car
Toll – around RM74x2 (to n fro) – RM148
Petrol – actual : RM160 (still had a qtr tank balance when I got home. I was driving at a consistent 110-120km/h)
Parking chgs @HDB flat RM60 (Sunday and public holidays are free parking.)
Singapore Autopass permit RM23 (S$10. I still have a balance of S$2.80)
Total RM399

I left my house on Saturday at 645am and “checked in' at Singapore door by 330pm.There was no traffic jam (actually both ways were clear, lucky me) and encountered a slight jam only when passing thru Woodlands immigration.

I only used the car on Sunday when I went to visit some other relations. Other than that I used the MRT. It was fast and time definite.

The corridor to my relatives flat. Cooling plants along the entrance.

What to do in Singapore. Well, every time you go to an MRT station you have to pass through a shopping mall. So shop lar.

This is the view when you look up the exit to Boat Quay MRT station.

Chinatowns MRT station.
A poster of the movie High School Musical along the MRT corridor leading to Harbour Front MRT station.

Shopping...I was looking for some music notes and found this Yamaha store.They have taken up at least three qtr of this floor at Singapore PlazaColourfully decorated antique store at Chinatown.
Young shoes at Hougang Mall.

In Singapore you have to walk...to the MRT station, changing lines, to the malls..Unlike in Ipoh. From the house door..into the car..to the car park ..to the shop and vice versa. After all the walking I need my ..NASI..no heavy meals because Singapore was so humid last weekend..it rained early in the morning everyday i was there.Just some rice with soups..ling ow tong that sort...
They've even got this at the food court..just 2 stalls away from the nasi padang stall.....
How are the prices...put it this way ..the price is the same. Try not imagine it in S$ thats all.
Next: Sentosa..Lim Bo Seng...Highway meals...

cheers