125. HOMESTAY IN IPOH

Art on walls of old and moldy conservation shophouses are a big thing in several towns in Malaysia. These in Ipoh were painted by Ernest Zacharevic...strokes of genius...

This wonderful family hosted me with all the warmth and sincerity of a Malaysian Chinese family with their large extended family...everyone came around on a Sunday and in a convoy of several cars, we had lunch and a tour of the limestone cave temples. Several members have at one time or another, worked in Singapore, with a couple of them still there. But with so much love and support, it's little wonder, they return after a few years.

I'm not done with the State of Perak...I have unfinished business and sometime soon will find me back, this time exploring the other big town of Taiping, about an hour out of Ipoh...

The very retro art deco look of
The Perak Chinese Amateur Dramatic Association

The Anglo Chinese School...

Ipoh is surrounded by limestone hills. Chinese Buddhist temples have been built into these hills, some dedicated to the Goddess Kuanyin.



For some queer reason, a mermaid sculpture was added.
This one, Sam Poh Tong temple is one of the oldest...

Large numbers of the local residents are Cantonese speaking

On the day I visited, the temple folks were giving out food parcels and cash packets to some elderly residents...so beautiful to see...
Chanting within the caves has a special acoustics...
The Malaysian Chinese in the smaller towns are still very traditional in their ways, with much love and respect for parents and grandparents, many are in the traditional religions of Buddhism, Taoism and ancestral worship...

The state of Perak (Malay for silver), was a rich tin mining State until worldwide prices dipped so much as to cause tin mines to close.

Home eateries operating out of the front porch - without the need for a license...life in small Malaysian towns is carefree, its people contented with less materially, they seem to have most things - a decent home, wheels to get them around, surrounded by family and friends...

Dig his 6 pack...

 



Couldn't help but notice this glorious pot in a bonsai garden...

One of several battered old cars I spotted, still running around...



Do-it-yourself sign - so long as the message gets across...









Desserted anyone?

I'm a Plan B...the prototype was too radical, a little too ahead of its time so the Universe settled for a model that was a little subdued...

 

Typical street scene in downtown Ipoh - which can pass off as the Geylang area of Singapore. The 2 cities are so alike in so many areas, just that the old areas in Ipoh have remained the same for the longest time. Which makes it charming and satisfies my desire to check out old buildings and streets and dying trades...the street food is definitely better here...