Five Days, Five States, One Thousand Kilometers and Massive Dose of Fun: Part 3 - There and Back Again

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After the 2 days 1 night stay in Langkawi, the group went back to Penang island by boat and depart to Ipoh on the next day. Ipoh mari!

Day 4:

Seng Fai insisted to drive. So he take the wheels from Penang up to Ipoh. It was noon then when we reached. Hot as ever. Jam as ever. Lunch settled in a famous kopitiam shop in oldtown Ipoh. I guess that's the origin of the famous Oldtown Kopitiam. The fullness of dim sum in the morning carried over till noon. So we had a kaya toast, peanut butter toast and some kuih. The coffee was particularly nice for me, but gave others tachycardia because of the high level of caffeine.

The oldtown 'oldtown Kopitiam' in Ipoh

The next goal in Ipoh was to look for the famous caves. There are a few to start with, but the famous ones are Kek Lok Cave, Sam Po Cave, and the one with Guan Yin Cave. The first cave we visited was the Kek Lok Cave. It was a huge cave with Buddha statues inside and the exit of the cave overlook a nice lotus pond. The atmosphere outside and inside the cave is totally different. Inside the cave, you feel the darkness and the dampness and the water dribbling down from the ceiling. It was eerie inside. Outside, it seems like a whole new world, you can leave behind those worries and stresses. Time had already frozen in this wonderful place. The lotus was blooming. Soft breeze brushes your face. We sat for a long time in this shangri-la.

Kek Lok Cave - from the inside

The lotus pond


Julian is in ecstasy

The next cave we ventured into was the Sam Poh Caves. Similarly, there is a buddhist temple build into the cave and the exit also goes out into another isolated world. Somehow, they had built a monastery in this place, which looks grand besides the mountain. We had little time spent here as they were closing the cave for religious ceremony.

The monastery in Sam Poh Cave

We did not stay overnight in Ipoh as it was a labour day then. Hotel rate would be at its peak. So we decided to drive back to KL on the same day. Ming Huei already booked us for dinner at her father's shop in Sunway. After diner, we went to stay overnight in Seng Fai's house.

Day 5:

On the last day of the trip, We planned to go to Sungai Gabai waterfall. This time, Peggy and Ka Man joined us. So a party of 7 person went to this waterfall. We went the wrong way and the long way by going to Semenyih first. However, I never regretted taking that road because we enjoyed a scenery beyond words. There was a lake, or a water reservoir and the road snaked around the lake. The view in the morning was most refreshing. Along the way, we met an aborigine settlement. It was a long drive down to this waterfall. As a conclusion, this is a way more beautiful waterfall compared to Telaga Tujuh in Langkawi. We had to climb a stair for about 10 minutes to reach the top. There were natural water slide. We waded in the shallow pool and had picnic there. It was the last stop of our trip. I had so much fun. Hope in future we have opportunity to gather again for another adventure.

Waterfall in Sungai Gabai

One of the stopping place for photos along the 10 minutes climb