Ipoh surprised me in terms of scale and size, and the sheer fact that it’s not Uber touristy as Melaka. A sense of a functional city was present with its own native population as per conversations with grab drivers. The grab rents were a fraction of KL, which made travels easy.

The history is present in the city embedded in the spaces from the Ipoh railway station which was home to a site of historical memory in terms of a death railway commemorative plaque where thousands perished for the imperial cause.

The vibe in Ipoh is creative and very chilled, with an active music scene. The feel of the city is not rushed and that’s the main currency of the town, nestled in between the mountains, with cool weather.

Tourism is the new Tin for Ipoh and the town seems too be well prepared for the new gold rush.