IPOH TRIP

The first time when I heard about this trip I was like “Seriously? We are going to Ipoh?” while looking at my lecturer with an eyebrow raise. Lecturer said that Penang and Melaka are too common and already been there so many times so why not Ipoh? And so yeah, we are going to Ipoh!

Being a ‘Ipoh mali’ myself, I was actually glad that the lecturers organized this visit as I can really observe the development of this small city myself that I usually don’t. The feeling of guilt happened during those four days and three nights when I was searching for the best food and interesting places to visit together with my group mates which were not from Ipoh. This was another reason for me not to worry because I got the chance to really explore my own hometown this time. It is never too late. The night is still young.

The list of interesting places I been to:

What I observed and my opinions:

One thing I realized was that the development of Ipoh had increased drastically throughout the years. After having meaningful conversations with few of the kind Ipoh folks here, I was actually proud of the development of this small town. One good example was there were a quite number of investors and entrepreneurs who invest in the historical shop houses and convert them into cafes. Each cafes are specially designed with their own specific themes enriched with the historical value of the building itself. Some of the cafes were rented out for visitors to stay over on the first floor as well (homestay) and most of them were tourists who were fascinated by the happenings around the area.

Therefore, property investments are a huge hit recently and especially during Chinese New Year season. Not to mention, the lower cost of properties and an abundant of lands to choose from, made it so ‘lau juak’ (happening in Hokkien) here. Imagine you can get a double storeyed house for RM400K! Recently, Ipoh South Precint (ISP), the largest freehold- titled integrated township, is coming up engaging virgin lands, residential houses, commercial units, retails outlets and infrastructure development.

Ipoh was also known as 'The Town of Retirees' where the younger generation all left Ipoh for the sake of education and work, leaving the old citizens behind. In few years back, Ipoh was considered a ‘developing state’ compared to KL. It is not that Ipoh is useless at all but it takes time to build a successful and productive environment. Even KL takes years to come out with a nice city like what we see today. Development in KL was one level up, hence, producing numerous job opportunities that attract everyone like a magnet. The only time you get to see the most of the younger generation is during festival seasons like Chinese New Year.

However, this trend was slowly starting to make a twist recently where younger generation opts to settle down in Ipoh. Generally, most people just want to lead a simple life- a good job, a car, a house and a happy family; all these might be easily achieved in Ipoh. Ipoh is a quiet and peaceful, leading to a less stressful environment compared to the fast pace and hectic lifestyle in KL. Quality of life is more essential. YOLO!

As Ipoh continues to be developed, the northern and central regions are beginning to see saturation as well. The region is not new as it is (yet), as it has long established neighborhoods such as Pasir Pinji, Gunung Rapat, Tasek, Bercham, Ipoh Garden and Canning Garden, just to name a few, making them the largest suburban areas in Ipoh. Along with existing retail shops, shopping malls, local and international schools, F&B outlets and infrastructure, boosted by its proximity to the North-South Expressway (highway basically) exit at Simpang Pulai, Ipoh South will be very soon be Ipoh’s version of Petaling Jaya and Kota Damansara. Yay!

Ipoh might be a small town but there are still some historical values that are left behind that attract visitors occasionally. The little things which you don't see or enjoy every day: shop houses with British colonial architecture, pomelo plantation, chicken running around the house compound, cow crossing the street, goat eating grass and not to mention, the local delicacies like bean sprout chicken (the beansprouts here are especially fresh and big), white coffee (I’m not a coffee lover but I couldn’t resist Nam Heong coffee at old town), salted chicken, freshly baked pastries and desserts. Therefore, Ipoh is indeed a nice and peaceful place to settle down with no regrets and I hope that the story and value behind the small town would remain and preserved forever. 

Reference:
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2014/02/08/Change-for-the-better-Many-young-people-now-choosing-to-settle-down-in-Ipoh/

Last but not least, some interesting facts to know about Ipoh =):

http://cilisos.my/8-things-an-ipoh-boy-realizes-after-almost-20-years-in-kl/