Malaysia Info Guide
for Locals & Visitors

Near Gunung Tasek, 6km north of Ipoh on the main trunk road there are some huge limestone caves which became a place of meditation for Buddhist monks.

The Perak Tong Temple within one of the caves leads to caverns and grottoes with some statues and paintings of the Buddha set into nooks.

The main attraction is a 12.8m high sitting Buddha.

A passage leads into the cave's interior and after a steep climb of 385 steps, it opens onto a ledge which gives a view of the countryside.

Another famous cave temple is the Sam Poh Tong temple in Gunung Rapat, 5km south of lpoh. The temple is an impressive work of art with various statues of Buddha set among the natural stalactites and stalagmites.

A pond in the outer courtyard contains tortoises (a Chinese symbol of longevity). Devotees release tortoises into the pond wishing for luck and along life and the pond is invariably crowded.

The tortoises can be fed with stalks of vegetables. There is also a wishing well for those seeking better fortunes. An ornamental garden in front of the temple is a favourite photography spot. There is a vegetarian restaurant within the temple grounds.

Forty kilometres south of lpoh on the road leading to Batu Gajah looms Kellie's Castle. An unfinished mansion commissioned by William Kellie Smith, an English rubber planter in 1915.

In the middle of its construction, Smith left for England where he died in 1926 and the castle was never completed.

Shrouded in mystery, it is believed that Kellie's Castle has hidden rooms and a secret tunnel.

The road which leads to the Castle follows the contours of the land in a dizzying, maze like fashion, adding to the mystery and romance of the place.

The Mekprasit Temple is a Thai Buddhist temple located about 3km north of lpoh along Jalan Kuala Kangsar on the main trunk road to Taiping.

Highlight of the temple is the 24m long reclining Buddha, which is one of the largest in Malaysia.
 

Just 15 minutes drive away from Ipoh on the road to Tanjung Rambutan lies Tambun village at the foot of a limestone hill. Tambun village is noted for its natural hot water spring which offers an invigorating hot mountain water bath. There are several natural hot water pools and the area is equipped with saunas and rest rooms.

Here vistors can also view the Tambun Caves which were discovered in 1959. There are 2.000year old Neolithic paintings on the cave walls. Tambun is also famous for its pomeloes, a round, slightly ovalish citrus fruit. Other hot springs in Perak are at Sungkai, Pengkalan Hulu, Kampung Ulu Slim in Slim River, Kampung Air Panas in Grik, and Manong in Kuala Kangsar.
 

The National Stud Farm was the brainchild of our first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman. Dating back to 1969, the project was implemented upon the recommendation of a joint committee comprising the Malaysian Totalistor Board, the Agriculture Department and the Veterinary Services Department. Its aim was to conduct studies on the viability of setting up a stud farm to breed local thoroughbred horses.

Located in Tanjung Rambutan, about 16 km north east of Ipoh, the National Stud Farm is set in 120 acres of rolling pastoral land with some of the best equine facilities for breeding thoroughbreds in the tropics.

From its humble beginnings as an experimental farm, The National Stud Farm has steadily attained recognition as a successful breeding centre in the region where quality thoroughbreds have been bred for more than two decades.