Lost World Of Tambun

No matter how old you are, when you are with childhood friends, you will visit an amusement or theme park. Period.

And we went to Lost World of Tambun, just outside of Ipoh city.

We have heard of it for a long time but only now managed to make a trip here. What used to be a tin mine is now a full-fledged theme park for the whole family.

And since they are known as the only theme park in South East Asia with natural hot springs, we had to take a dip, even though we did not bring a spare change of clothes!

And because we had to wear the same clothes, this was how Max and I decided to dry our butts off - we stood right below the air door!

Kong Heng Square

When I heard the name "Kong Heng", I immediately thought of Sekeping Kong Heng of the well-known Sekeping chain of boutique accommodations and Restoran Ipoh Kong Heng, the kopitiam famous for its fragrant Hainanese coffee and addictive custard pudding. I then wondered if this Kong Heng Square was in the same place.

Like duh, of course same place la... how many places with the same name can there be?

I found the cluster of pre-war buildings left in as much of its original condition as possible, which probably is one of the reasons the place is an "Instagrammable" spot. Even if you do not have a creative eye, any wall or corner makes for a good photo.

Exploring the square made me wonder why we do not have more of such initiative in a big city like KL. There are old buildings in KL, too, but instead of preserving them, it seems like our our people prefer to demolish them to replace them with sterile, "modern" buildings that look like a dozen others in the vicinity.

Well, I am not a town planner or developer and therefore would not be able to think like one. But does sadden me to see such happenings.

The partly open-air concept of Kong Heng Square brings the outdoors indoors and vice versa. This concept has always been one that I think could be executed in Malaysia more due to our weather. Also, it would expose the younger generation to a more environmentally-friendly way of interacting with the outdoors - learning to adapt to the humidity instead of depending on air-conditioning.

Seeing an old tree always makes me happy because it shows the sensitivity of the people who redesigned the space. Imagine the above photo without that tree - it would feel less welcoming and it would be a lot warmer for the people worker and shopping there!

I noticed that Kong Heng Square houses a few main tenants - a few cafes, a few craft shops and even an old school barber shop!

Artistic is its middle name, as there were spaces that were turned into exhibition spots of sorts.

And seriously, you do not need an address for Kong Heng Square because all you need to do to find your way here is to key in "Kong Heng Square" into your GPS. Yep, simple as that.

Oh, but remember that if you decide to visit during weekends, public holidays or school holidays, there would be hundreds of other holiday-makers there with you, too. Maybe, thousands.

You have been warned ;)

M Boutique Hotel

The picturesque drive from Penang Island to one of the cleanest cities in Malaysia helped keep all of us in the car awake. Well, not just the scenery but also the crazy nonsensical jokes we kept making throughout the journey. We were so tired from laughing but as we drove up to the eye-catching structure that the GPS was directing us to, we perked up.

In huge letters standing atop its roof, M Boutique Hotel is hard to miss. I also liked the facade of red bricks because I thought it added character to the place without being too bold. It looked charming even at dusk, when we arrived, all tired and hungry.

All we could think of was to check-in and to find some grub. Thankfully, the check-in process was a rather breezy one handled by a friendly young lady. I appreciated how their staff comprises mainly youth, giving the people of this "try this first, if I like it I stay, if not I move on" age group a chance, instead of the more commonly held practice of hiring "more matured and experienced" workers. Whether it is a better practice, well, that is not for me to judge.

I liked the access cards to the rooms. It has their motto of "Come as Strangers, Leave as Friends", a concept I am rather familiar with now, after this many years abroad.

When we headed to the above levels to throw leave our luggage in our rooms before heading out for dinner, I was looking forward to seeing what our rooms would look like because I felt that to convert what originally were five shophouses into a boutique hotel of 93 rooms was no easy feat. 

*knock knock on door as sign of respect to possible "others" in the room, swipe access card and step into the room*

First thought: Not bad woh... and can I say that I liked the bathroom most? I liked the black and white colour theme and the simple yet sleek layout that maximised the compact size of the room.

The room itself attempted a rustic theme. I did not dislike it but I did not like it heaps, either. 

I mean, it was okay la... and although I did not understand why we needed a bed with posts, I thought it would come in handy when we needed more space to hang bigger items (e.g. towels). 

Erm, but, we... were too short... LOL!

*a couple of hours later*

I could not wait till the next morning to take photos of the lobby area. I started by taking shots from the outside, of the bright neon lights from their own custom boutique, M Shop...

... and the warmer hues of the reception area, which also was decorated with many potted plants...

From what I gather, almost everything we could see in the hotel were made and sourced locally. In other words, it is like a showcase of local craft people and resources.

I particularly the huge chest of drawers that held our keys/access cards and perhaps other documents. Do they not remind you of those drawers that you see in traditional Chinese medicine shops? 

I wonder if they really were once used to store Chinese herbs and what not, or did they commission a carpenter to build one that looked exactly like it? And those jars... yes, normally they would contain a dainty but expensive piece of root that we know as ginseng in a body of normally yellow in colour liquid. But these, we were allowed to open to grab as many Hacks lollies to our hearts' content.

M Boutique Hotel

2 Hala Datuk 5, 31650 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

Tel: +60 5 255 5566, Fax: +60 5 255 1666

FB | IG

Pun Chun Chicken Biscuits & Restaurant 品珍酒楼

Mention Bidor and the first image that flashes in my mind is a busy restaurant at the corner of a row of pre-war shophouses situated along a busy street. If I remember correctly, my first visit was when I was 9-years-old. We were on a holiday to Penang with Grandpa and this restaurant was our toilet stop.

This restaurant was non other than Pun Chun Chicken Biscuits & Restaurant. The toilet stop became our lunch and shopping stop, as this is the original restaurant famous for Duck Drumstick Noodle (RM6.50).

The aromatic smell of the herbal soup and the tender texture of the duck meat that separates from the bone effortlessly have been etched in my memory ever since. It is easy to comprehend how this recipe that has been handed down the generations since the 40s has been attracting a steady stream of tourist groups and locals for decades. 

This restaurant is now a permanent inclusion on any travel itinerary that involves us driving along the the North-South Expressway towards the north.

You can opt for the noodles to either be served with the soup and be served as dry noodles. Either way, the meal is incomplete without preserved green chilli...

Other than the food and pre-war charm, there is nothing much about the place. Unfortunately, the service has much room for improvement. Wonder if it is because they have "made it" that has resulted in their "whatever" attitude.

If you do not want to travel all the way up to Bidor (about 2 hours from KL) for a bowl of noodles, they have branches in the Klang Valley, as well. Look up their website for their exact locations.

Pun Chun Chicken Biscuits & Restaurant 品珍酒楼
38 & 40 Jalan Besar, 35500 Bidor, Perak, Malaysia.
Tel: +60 5 434 1554, Mob: +60 17 770 1121 (General enquiries)
E-mail: pun.chun.noodle.house@gmail.com
Open daily from 6:00am to 10:00pm

Kuala Sepetang Matang Mangrove Forest

During one of my trips back to KL from Penang, Dad randomly asked if I wanted to make a quick detour into Kuala Sepetang. From newspaper articles I have read, I remember it to be a world-famous mangrove reserve, recognised as one of the best managed mangrove forest reserves in the world.

It is also the oldest gazetted forest reserve in the country. Unfortunately for us, it was drizzling when we got there so we had to be careful while walking on the boardwalk.

The boardwalk paths were clearly marked with directions. Some pathways were closed off, perhaps due to the rainy weather.

Some of the signs put up were for educational purposes, explaining how the plants in the area serve as a source of life for other plants, animals and us human.

I used my walk to refresh my memory on what I used to teach the Year One children back during one of my pracs in third year. It was fascinating to look at the complicated root systems and also to watch little (and not so little) crabs and mudskippers scurry about in the mud.

The boards really helped with introducing the type of trees to the public, or at least, to me. I never knew that mangrove trees could grow to such heights!

This tree mangrove tree would be 66 years old this year...

Not only were the trees of admirable height, so were the ferns! The giant mangrove ferns were, yes, gigantic, alright!

Another visit warranted! Hopefully, when the weather is much better so that I could visit the nearby charcoal factory and to have some good seafood, too.