Honey4Boyz

Posted by Xian Jin Where else to spend a short break, but Ipoh? It was unplanned, spontaneous and out-of-the-blue when my dad decided to bring us to Tasik Cermin, a place embedded deep in his childhood, even though he had only been here a few times. From the outside, it was the most unappealing and unattractive of landmarks; construction, lorries and sand deterred visitors. Who would ever visit such a place?  The Tunnel that bridges reality to fantasy. Tasik Cermin - "Mirror lake" in Malay.  Mirror, mirror on the wall who's the fairest of them all? ps. me Struggling to get stones to skip more than 2 times. It was an enchanting and beautiful experience. Something so beautiful hidden from the world, disguised as a deserted and sandy land. I could stay here for hours, reading or relaxing under the tall, shady trees in silence. This hidden gem may not last long, however. Already, there are constructions ongoing, a...

Revisiting Penang after many years, with my family and my mom, my auntie, my brother and his son as well as my cousin from George Town. It's mainly a makan trip to taste the street food in Penang as well as to see the rapid changes in George Town, now a heritage city and a must-see for tourists. With such a big group, it's hard to visit many places. But it's a good experience to travel with families and spend time together. It's also the first time that my mom had seen the Penang Bridge, the last time she stepped on the island was 50 years ago!  Pokemon Go craze sweeps Penang malls! A stay at Lost Paradise Resort. It's not one of those 5-star luxury resorts, it's a hidden gem, quite strategic in between Tanjung Bungah and the famed Batu Feringhhi. The only downside is.. there's no beach. But it has a beautiful seafront and the whole place was designed uniquely - with colourful, wacky Balinese and Minangkabau architecture. We also enjoyed strolling ...

'189' and Seng Kee are household names for handmade  'heong peah ' in Gunung Rapat, Ipoh. '189' has been around longer than Seng Kee, but both are old timers, building their business from their backyards. Seng Kee is one of the very few remaining shops making the traditional 'heong peah ' broiled with coconut husks. Most of the other shops, like '189', are using the modern electronic ovens to enable them to produce big quantity of the biscuits. '189' has recently moved out of the residential area to a nearby shoplot.    If you're not a die-hard fan of ' heong peah ', you'll probably not able to tell the difference of the two ways of production. We're so used to buying from the famous Ching Han Guan, handmade using the modern oven, in Ipoh New Town. Only recently, we stumbled upon Seng Kee's traditionally broiled biscuits. Piping hot 'heong peah ' from the traditional barrel oven broiled with c...

We're privileged to join the researchers from Universiti Sains Malaysia in their last public heritage walk at Gua Tambun for the year. The site  is located just over 7 km from Ipoh Old Town. It seems like an odd place, situated in the midst of some residential houses and a polo club with horses grazing in the field.    The hill looks like just any other limestone hills in Ipoh. What made this place special was the discovery of hundreds of ancient paintings and drawings dated 4,000 - 2,500 years ago, known as Tambun Rock Art. The rock art was first reported in 1959 and later in 1984.   A steep, almost upright steps leading to the Tambun rock art site. The view from Gua Tambun, situated in Gunung Panjang limestone hill.  The rock art site survives the modern times in Ipoh, and seems oblivious to the fact that it was once a sacred site for local spiritual ceremonies. The hill also survives blasting by the quarry operators. The researchers were quick to p...

We revisited Concubine Lane and my oh my, what a change! If the change can preserve some of these buildings, then perhaps it's not bad. Hopefully, it will not commercialise the living & working town until it becomes a mere tourist attraction.  Inside one of the shops, which has been converted to a souvenir shop with a display gallery. Others  are turned to cafes, snack shops and homestays. But they're not the same. Unlike the nearby Kong Heng and Thean Chun coffee shops which have survived the war and changing times. Remains of an old 1902 newspapers on the wall, now framed up and part of the wall decor. We're fortunate to visit the Hakka Miners' Club at Jalan Bijeh Timah, which is just across the road after Concubine Lane.  It's one of the prominent heritage buildings in the old Ipoh town, and was so exclusive it used to be only opened to its club members, which were mainly the rich Hakka miners and towkays (men only).  Built in ...