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Known as the city that tin
built, the capital city of Perak is a picturesque city of
the past and present. Grand buildings once occupied by
the city's founders area reminder of Ipoh's early days.
The name 'Ipoh' comes from the 'Epau' tree, a colossal
jungle tree that used to be very common in that area.
From a pioneering tin mining town in the in the 1870s,
Ipoh grew to become the commercial hub of the Kinta
Valley and a crossroads for road, rail and river
transport with many unique tourists attractions. A predominantly Chinese town, Ipoh's heritage
bears testimony to the early Chinese miners, Malay
aristocrats, European engineers and planters, Ceylonese
printers, Indian railway builders, Sikh and Pathan
police and soldiers who all played a role in the
development of Ipoh.
Also known as the City of
Bougainvilleas, Ipoh is
surrounded by what can only be described as
awe-inspiring limestone outcrops and caves. Many of
these caves house Buddhist temples and Hindu religious
shrines. The 'Perak Tong' just 6 kilometers north of Ipoh is
actually a Buddhist temple found within the huge Gunung
Tasik cavern and this tourist area is one of the many
places of interest found in Ipoh town. Built in 1926, it houses over 40 Buddha
statues, the largest being a sitting Buddha 13 m high. A
passage behind the main altar leads to the cave interior
where a steep climb up 385 steps brings one to an
opening at the top, providing spectacular views of the
surrounding countryside.
Ipoh is also the 'food
capital' of Perak. There is an astonishing variety of
eating places. Malay, Chinese and Indian food abound but
Thai, Japanese, Korean and Western food are easily
available. Early Chinese workers brought their cooking
styles with them and introduced noodles, bean sprouts,
bean curd and soy sauce. Two of the most popular Chinese
dishes are Hainanese chicken rice and 'hor fun', flat
rice noodles served in a soup with shredded chicken,
bean sprouts and shallots which are now famous Malaysian
cuisine.
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