Wall Disappearing

In the heart of busy downtown, some upgrading and beautifying works are carried out by the city council along Osbourne Street to make this one of the most visited spots of Ipoh more charming. Underground drainage system is being rebuilt, where trenches were digged very close to the shophouses. Due to the side wall of trenches were not reinforced, and it was passing by right beside the pillars of shophouses, one of those eventually collapsed and torn down partial of the wall at upper floor. This is where my parents get to know each other and they used to stay in the upper floor decades ago.

 

Mission Accomplished

I have witnessed the assembly of tower crane of The Octagon 2 years ago, and now I am here watching the dismantling of this crane. It has finally accomplished its mission to construct this 23-storey building in Ipoh downtown. Time flies, as I feel like the commencing of The Octagon construction a yesterday story.

Start of Hazy Days?

The visibility in the city seems reducing a little in recent days. Despite dry and hot weather, many irresponsible people still practicing open burning which worsening the air pollution. We could begin to see sign of hazy atmosphere when mountains and buildings at distant are slightly faded.

Solving Public Parking Problems

The new building of Ipoh general hospital, Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) is progressing quite aggressively. It will provide additional parking lots for the public once completed. Currently many visitors of the hospital are taking risk to park their cars illegally at both sides of Hospital Road, as seen in this photo. It is sometimes causing traffic congestion during rush hours, especially the direction towards city center. Hoping that the new hospital building will solve this public parking problem.

Octagon Has Reached Its Top

The Octagon, the 23-storey tower stood in the middle of downtown is now the tallest building in Ipoh city center. Despite the construction works still progressing, the owner has installed the sign of the building. While works continued at the interior, one iconic exterior feature still yet to be constructed, the projecting shell roof, which looked like spikes growing from the roof top. This is inherited from the famous Yau Tet Shin Bazaar, which stood at the same site last century. It should be constructed on the roof of podium and the tower.

Syuen become Syeun

Syuen Hotel, one of the best known hotel in Ipoh, commenced business in 1993. Since then many people find that it's a little confuse of how to pronounce its name correctly. I have heard all kind of different way of calling it, such as "swan" and "soon", while we have used to call it "shoe-en", which should be the correct one. However, I have not noticed, until recently, that the hotel name has changed from "Syuen" to "Syeun", I didn't even find the difference in my previous post about this hotel. I hope I am not the last one knowing this..... lol.

 

Grey Sky

Ipoh is found with thicker haze today. We can even staring at the sun directly during afternoon. Looking up at the grey sky, we know the air in this city is unhealthy. However, there are still many pedestrian and motorcyclist on the street do not practice wearing face mask.

Under Haze Attack

The Indonesia forest fire is, again, causing thick haze attacking Malaysia & Singapore. From east Malaysia to Southern states of Peninsula Malaysia, the haze is now entering the atmosphere of Ipoh. The first disappearing object from our sight are the surrounding hills & mountains. High rise buildings in the city are then become a simple but straight forward indication of the situation. It seems we will be living in such hazy environment for days, or even weeks, depend on how fast the forest fire can be put out.

Personal Mobile Crop Market

I have seen an increasing trend of people selling crops such as fruit & vegetable on their own vehicle. Recently there are many cars or vans carrying durian and stop by at strategic locations for business. Sometimes there are something different, in this case, stink bean. And this is seen in downtown, not at city outskirt. The seller could be a farmer, I guess, that might be getting better profit by selling directly to the public since personal transportation is so common nowadays.

 

Feeling Nostalgic

A scene that looked like 1970's is sometimes found in Ipoh downtown. When a city is rapidly developing and changing, many things would be wiped off and vanished unwittingly. An old taxi in front of an old shophouse could lead to a feeling of back in time.

 

Final Stage of The Majestic

For more than 2 years of construction, the two blocks of The Majestic are at its final stage to completion. The Octagon, which suppose to make 23 floors, is still struggling to catch up in height and will soon join The Majestic & Kinta River Front Hotel to form a new height limit line of Ipoh downtown.

 

Skyline Viewed from Ibis Style Hotel

A peaceful night scene viewed from the roof top bar of Ibis Style Hotel. Ipoh skyline at night isn't impressive at all. However, I believe it will improve in coming few years.

Haze in the City

Mid-year is always a dry season in west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. A few weeks without rain would instantly bring haze to cover the atmosphere of Kinta Valley. In this view from Ipoh Parade car park, the mountain range is fading from sight and buildings at distance are seen to be blur. This has become very common in the recent decade, most probably due to increasing activities of open burning and tremendous growth of motor vehicles.

Transformation of Excelsior Hotel

Since the last post about Excelsior Hotel in April, which found its notice of closure for renovation, the intensive work is expending from interior to exterior. Bricks and cement walls are torn down and piled up like rocks at ground floor. Old windows removed and replaced with new frame. Painting work is aggressively carried out even under the burning hot sun. Anyway I find the new exterior  colour is going too dark. If the entire hotel building painted into this colour, it will appear as a giant grey block in the city. Well, it's hard to judge at this stage. The end result can be marvellous.

Night Scene of New Town at July'14

Night scene of New Town skyline is seen with additional lightings, mainly from the working tower cranes at several construction sites. Although Ipoh city skyline at night is still lacking behind as compare other Malaysian cities, it has slightly improved from the past with some new decorative signboards on the high rise buildings. Hopefully there will be more creative lightings upon completion of few major projects (Weil Hotel, The Majestic, The Octagon, Ipoh Convention Centre) to beautify the skyline at night.

Remember the Old Star Cinema?

When someone mention about Star Cinema, most people may remember Seri Kinta Building. The old Star Cinema building at Lower Chamberlain Road and Hussein Road might have been forgotten for long time. This old cinema is also well known as a haunted building. Its location which is lacking popularity for commercial activity can hardly succeed the business running here. From cinema to night club, the last occupant had left and leaving the building vacant for many years. Perhaps the situation begin to change since the operation of neighbouring hotel, restaurant & pub, and launching of a commercial project adjacent to it. It is seen renovation work is carried out, which probably will turn the old cinema into a new amusement centre.

Inherited Features from Predecessor

Time passes so fast. Demolition of the old building at this site of Clarke Street was like just happened not too long ago, but now the new building is almost done of its construction. Banners have been put up to look for tenant, and one of these units will be a hotel. Unlike other reconstructed buildings in Ipoh, this is an extraordinary case where the building is carrying some features which are inheriting from its predecessor. In most of the cases, when heritage building in town is demolished, its replacement usually appeared to be dissonant with its neighbours.

 

Hung Kee Restaurant

Hung Kee Restaurant, an old restaurant at the junction of Cowan Street and Clare Street. Or the simplest way to mention its location suppose to be, next to the previous Yau Tet Shin Bazaar, current site of The Octagon. The restaurant doesn't seem to change much. When seen in these photos, you may not believe it is located at the heart of Ipoh city. I have not been having any meal here but I guess it should be tasty as it survives till present day despite many new competitors in town. Perhaps the attraction came from what is written on its signboard, "home cook and affordable dishes".

 





The Forgotten Grand Park Hotel

Anyone familiar with Grand Park Hotel in Ipoh? I guess this is certainly not a well known name among Ipoh people. Even after seeing these photos, probably most people may still unable to point out its exact location. Grand Park Hotel is an old mansion at Bendahara Road, right opposite to Sri Maju Express Bus private terminal. It looked like an empty mansion but somehow I believe the hotel is still operating because I see there are cars moving in and out, although it is just very few. With the available land at Kampung Kuchai behind this hotel, it has indeed good potential to be re-developed as a unique heritage hotel, by benchmarking many successful cases in Penang and Malacca.

 

New Crane in Town

There is another tower crane, which is the sixth in town, just being fixed up today. The red-and-white crane at The Octagon site is still undergoing assembly process this afternoon. As it is surrounded by old low rise shophouses, and massive construction is not always seen in Ipoh, the crane appears to be a giant among these buildings and therefore has drawn many people's attention. After this, we could expect some more tower cranes shown up at sites of Ipoh Convention Center & General Hospital. In the coming two years, it will be first time in the history of Ipoh where most cranes appear in the skyline at one time.