Ipoh, My Adopted Hometown

IPOH, My Adopted Hometown! 
 (published in Ipoh Echo, June 1st)

I am not surprised when I read that the popular USA News considers Ipoh as one of the nine most affordable cities in the world to live in. Being born and bred in Penang, I had wanted to return in Penang after my years of working in Perlis and Kuala Lumpur. Most Penangites were reluctant to leave Penang, even if they were given promotions and incentives on being transferred out. Penang was the idyll place in the sixties and seventies. 

 Unexpectedly, I was asked to take over a practice in Ipoh by a colleague who was emigrating. I had few relatives or friends in Ipoh and I had limited command of Cantonese. The only contact with Ipoh was in 1964 when with together with three schoolmates, I visited Ipoh during the vacation. Ipoh was then reputed for the pretty girls who had smooth complexion like its famous hor fun! Compared to the girls in Penang then, they were more fashionable in their dressing. 

When I moved to Ipoh in the early eighties, the town was rather boring. There were no supermarkets, playgrounds or even decent cinemas. The Ipoh pretty girls had already moved to Kuala Lumpur, not that it really mattered as I was already happily married! (Note: The only Malaysian Hollywood film-star, Michele Yeoh, hails from Ipoh!) However food was good and cheap. There were the iconic ngah choy kai (towgeh and chicken), hor fun, curry noodles (I still prefer the Penang style though) and the signature Oldtown white coffee. Joining some of the clubs was still affordable. Playing golf is among the cheapest in Ipoh. 

Over the years, property prices in KL and Penang have shot up astronomically. Houses in Ipoh remain affordable until the last few years. Yet they are at least 30-50% cheaper than corresponding houses in these two cities. Food still remain cheap and delicious, so much so that these outlets would be overcrowded during the festive season when many Ipohites return home. It has excellent medical facilities whose charges are lower than in KL and Penang. 

In spite of its population of about 400,000, it never feels crowded or congested. There are few tall buildings. Traffic jams are unheard of except for about 30 minutes after office hours on several main roads. Most of us are able to return home to see our families and enjoy home-cooked lunch during the hour-long break. There is never any water shortage and only the occasional blackout. The haze is usually bearable even when unhealthy levels are reported in other parts of the country. 

Since the last ten years, several shopping malls and cineplexes have been built. New restaurants, some with fine dining have introduced new cuisines. There are at least ten new Japanese restaurants, several providing Italian, German and Irish cuisines and even a few serving nyonya dishes. 

Ipoh also enjoys a strategic location. It is only about two and a half hours drive by the highway to Kuala Lumpur and less than 2 hours to Penang. The new electric trains provide another convenient link with KL and soon to Penang. Another 90 minute-drive can take us for vacation in Cameron Highlands or the beach resorts in Lumut and Pangkor. The only transport lacking is by air as the only airline landing in Ipoh is the Firefly from Singapore. 

While Ipoh has many good schools, it is certainly not the best city for young people looking for higher educational institutions or challenging careers. Many of our young people have gravitated to the Klang Valley if not abroad. However the exasperating traffic jams in KL and the crowded streets in Penang are not conducive for a quiet living. Ipoh is however the best city to bring up young children and to retire with a relaxing and affordable lifestyle. Cemetery plots are still among the cheapest, ranging from just a RM500 for a Christian burial plot. At my age, I am less concerned on the leasehold title of my house than the price of the cemetery land!