New Phone Booth

After mobile phone getting popular, almost everyone from 8 years old to 80 years old is carrying one, public phone is left far behind. It was once nearly no more public phone service available. As I encounter, the majority who do not own mobile phone are the foreign workers. Since few years back, their population is growing in this country and demand on public phone raise accordingly. New public phones started to fill up the abandoned phone posts that usaully appeared as a stand with small cover. A phone "booth" like this in front of Ipoh Parade Shopping Center is normally not seen. It is indeed not a real booth but just covered by a flat roof and two advertisement boards. Anyway, it seems to have better privacy but I am worrying how well it will be maintained at the relatively low civic awareness of local society.

A&W Returns

After retreated from Ipoh for many years, A&W is back in town. However, instead of return to the city center, it chooses to open in Tesco Station 18, Pengkalan. I am sure many middle-aged Ipohites remember the only A&W in Ipoh about 25 years ago was located opposite to Cathay Cinema, Cockman Street. If I am not mistaken, it's the first fast food restaurant in Ipoh. Then later Kentucky Fried Chicken opened at the neighbouring block and lasts until today. I don't even know when exactly the Cockman Street A&W closed down. Indeed, after KFC & McDonald's start conquering Ipoh's market, I hardly heard anyone mentioning about A&W. What we have lost & regained is always treasurable. So, today I come to the new A&W in Station 18, and the first thing I think about to have is Rootbeer float.... :-)

Hotel Rushing For Completion

The 7-storey hotel under construction is close to completion. I believe it will be opened in a month or half in order to catch up with the peak season during Chinese New Year (early Feb-2011). I find the progress is pretty slow. Since my last post about it in 09-Jan-2010, which had reached 6th floor at that time, the work has not completely done after almost a year later. Anyway, I like the color of the building, unlike many other new buildings that uses striking but unmatched colors. However, I still not sure of the hotel name. May be it will be unveiled soon.

Sunset At Saturday Dinner Time

It's dinner time of Saturday. Traffic is heavier than normal because many would choose to dine out. This evening happened to be not raining and sunshine refraction from the scattered clouds appeared like gold flakes in the sky.

Foong Seong Building Since 1931

Foong Seong Building, or some call it Foong Seong Villa, is a 3-storey old building in Laxamana Road. Located diagonally opposite to Lam Look Ing Bazaar, building like this back in years of 1930's is considered grand scale in Ipoh. And I realize there are quite a number of relatively big buildings in Ipoh completed in year 1931. I believe that was the time where this little small town experienced a leap in urban development. Back to talk about Foong Seong and the building. He was one of the famous tin miners in Kinta Valley. Most of his mines were located at south-west Ipoh, in the area of Pusing, Tronoh, Papan & so on. Just like other major tin miners, he had contributed a lot in Ipoh town development including the establishment of Sam Choy Primary School, which was once operating at top floor of Foong Seong Building. The ground floor of the building still occupied by shops but the upper floors are believed to be vacant. It looked poor even from the exterior, we can see some windows are only covered by alumimium plate. With its strategic location in the heart of city, it should not be ignored of its potential to be a restaurant, heritage hotel or even civic hall because it used to house a Chinese opera theater in the past.

Look Like Rocks In The Sky

When preparing to go to work in the morning, I did not notice any anomalies. Later I saw people who were jogging & exercising in the park start to scatter while strong wind was blowing, then only I realized it's going to rain soon. Lumps of cloud was covering the sky and appeared like rocks hanging overhead. Soon after that, on my way rushing to the factory, rain started to fall. How nice if today is a non-working day so I can lay on bed to enjoy the cool weather :-)

Ritz Garden Hotel

Before new hotels mushrooming in Ipoh, there were only very few we can name it about ten years ago. The most popular were Excelsior, Casuarina (currently Impiana), Syuen, Heritage, Hillcity & Tambun Inn. Some smaller but old & poor conditioned hotels are normally not preferred or recommended. There were this kind of hotel around Yang Kalsom Raod & Cowan Street area. Most of it are established during 1960's to 70's when tin was king and Ipoh was flooded by massage center, even once carried the nickname as "Little Hatyai". As I remember, the 9-storey Mikado Hotel (帝国酒店) was the tallest building along Yang Kalsom Road and its ground floor was occupied by UMBC Bank. Anyway, both hotel & bank were hit by the economy depression of 1980's and closed down. The building was unoccupied for almost 15 years until the opening of Ritz Garden Hotel. Although this is not a highly star-rated hotel but feedback from foreign visitors & friends are quite positive, at least it's value for money. One advantage that could not obtain in many other hotels in Malaysia is the free wireless internet access throughout the hotel. Its location in the heart of city also offer so much convenience to its customer; food, public transport, entertainment, bank, money changer & mobile phone shop are just within walking distance, even right in front doorstep. I am very please to see the building has gain a beautiful resurrection and turns out to be well accepted. Despite heavy competition with many new budget hotels in Ipoh, I notice Ritz Garden continues to grow with expansion to nearby building.

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More details about Ritz Garden Hotel can be found at below.

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Ritz Garden Hotel

No. 86 & 88, Jalan Yang Kalsom, 30300 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

Tel: +605-242 7777

Fax: +605-242 5845

Webiste: http://www.ritzgardenhotel.com

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Time Flies, Appreciate It

It's almost time to alter our way of writing date from 2010 to 2011. During school time, I used to feel that one year is a pretty long period. But now, since started working life, a year become relatively short and time is like flying, passes in a blink of an eye. Anyway, when making a review, there were really many things happened over the year. No matter good or bad, cheerful or sad, the fact is, tomorrow is a result of today. It's up to us to shape it. So, if we don't appreciate something today, we will lose it tomorrow; not only wealth, but also relationship, health, environment & natural resources. And I always believe, the happiest life is to make other people happy.

Sunny Morning Returns

The past weekend was just a lazy weekend. It remained cloudy the entire day and sometimes drizzling. There was no direct sunlight and hardly any clear shadow seen; a really good weather for outing. Somehow, the sky was cleared over the night and dazzling sun rise wakes us up for the start of another working week. May be many are still on their vacation because tomorrow is a public holiday and probably people are taking leave from work to enjoy a long weekend with family during this school holiday. However, I am still working today and tomorrow.

Cloudy Ipoh

It's just another cloudy day in Ipoh. I am feeling a little lazy to wake up this Sunday. Going out in day time without sweating like normal hot days is just a nice experience. What makes it better than yesterday is there is no drizzle and we can enjoy hanging around outdoor. Nevertheless, some poeple may not like this weather as it makes them feel down & lazy.

FMS Undergoing Renovation - The 500th Post

FMS bar & restaurant has been closed for renovation for more than a year. The building was initially looked like abandoned for quite some time and many worried of its fate. Luckily the renovation eventually start but the progress is slow. After several months it only come to the stage of replastering the building surface. It seems FMS will not open to the public again that soon. Anyway, I feel please to see the restoration has retained majority of the original design and even the partially done corridor looked good. One more thing I hope to see when it reopen is the cowboy door, you would see it in old photos of FMS before its closure. We can hardly find such cowboy door nowadays but as I only know that is another old restaurant at the junction of Clare Street & Osbourne Street (I don't know the name in English but in Chinese is 新情天) still have it.
...I also feel grateful that Images of Ipoh has come to the 500th post since its establishment in Jan 2009. Although this is not a great achievement but the blog is certainly reaching an important milestone. I appreciated the support & comment from all readers, Images of Ipoh will continue to share the beautiful photos & stories of this lovely city.

Miners Arms Bistro

Miners Arms, a name that I have heard since I was young, is one of the famous western restaurants in Ipoh since decades ago. However, I have not dined in here before. Some time in few years back, I saw the restaurant is kind of ceasing operation and thinking that could be a lost of another western restaurant after the closure of best-known Le Rendezvous Cafe (a new restaurant now opened as Eastern's Brasserie). Fortunately, Miners Arms is surviving and even come with an eye-catching LED signboard. I promise myself a visit to this restaurant is a must in near future.

Filling Up The Gap

The 2 units of shophouse at Hugh Low Street were caught in fire many years ago. Due to the slowing down commercial activities around this area, the shops were left untouched since then. Recently construction work started at this site to build 2 units of 4-storey building sandwiched between another two 4-storey shophouses, which display typical architecture of 1980's. Let's wait and see how the appearance of these new shops that will fill the gap. Anyway, it's a little sad to see this particular row of shophouse has only few units left as original piece. The scene is farther apart from what it appeared to be since early 20th century.

At One End Of Leech Street

When driving from Old Town to New Town on Brewster Road, the first and only junction before crossing Brewster Bridge is Leech Street (Jalan Bandar Timah). If turn right into it, there is a short session between Brewster Road and Hale Street. On both sides over here, there are two shops which actually facing Hale Street, having identical design but different fate nowadays. One is just having its renovation done whereas another remained in poor condition. The better shop was once occupied by a famous photo shop, Kok Kin, which has moved three blocks south to Hugh Low Street (appeared in post dated 18-July-2010). It later became a fun pub but eventually closed down. The shop was undergoing renovation and is now vacant pending for new occupant. The poorer shop is occupied by a local traditional advertising firm. There was a film shooting here around mid of this year but I have no idea what is the product; movie, drama or advertisement? As for the upper floor, it is most probably vacant by seeing some windows are missing and only covered by metal plates. Again, I am wondering how the owner is not interested to restore the building just like its neighbour. But on another point of view, it may simply lack of commercial value to be further invested by benchmarking the neighbour, renovated but still vacant.