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Ipoh is the
capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km (125 miles)
north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway. The city is
administered by Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI) after accorded a city status
in 1988.
The name Ipoh is derived from a local tree, Pohon Epu or now more commonly
known as Pokok Ipoh. The sap of this plant is poisonous and was used by
Orang Asli (Indigenous Peoples in Malay) to coat the tips of the darts of
their blowpipes for hunting purposes.
Ipoh city came into existence in the 1820s as a village on the banks of
the Kinta River. It was less prominent at that time compared to the early
mining town of Gopeng, 20 km south of Ipoh. In 1890, Frank Swettenham
founded the Ipoh Sanitary Board which led to the systematic planning of
Ipoh.
From the turn of the early 20th century, when more British tin-mining
companies were set up in the city, Ipoh gained greater prominence.
Ipoh developed into one of Malaysia's main cities around the turn of the
19th century due to the booming tin mining industry. During the British
colonial era, Ipoh was Malaysia's second city for administrative purposes.
There are several notable buildings from the British Colonial era such as
the railway station and the town hall. 70% of Ipoh's population is of
Chinese origin.
How to get there
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By Air
Ipoh is served by the
Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (IATA: IPH). Firefly
operates twice daily flights to and from the budget terminal of
Singapore Changi Airport.
By Train
There are the regular KTM trains between Ipoh and
Kuala Lumpur Sentral. Prices for
the old diesel trains range from RM12 to RM30 depending on class and take
3 hours to cover the distance. Electric train service (ETS) costs from RM16 to RM45 (depending on express or not) and take around 2 hours.
By Bus
The main Ipoh bus terminal is located at Medan Gopeng. The station
provides services to and from just about any location in the country. Most
frequent routes are to and from Kuala Lumpur (Puduraya Station),
Singapore
and Penang. Larger bus companies like Transnational, Plusliner, Konsortium
and Sri Maju provide the most frequent, reliable and safe services.
Some bus companies also operate out of other locations. Sri Maju and
Grassland Express operate services to and from
Singapore from their
offices at Jalan Bendahara. Tickets cost about RM50-60 one way
By Road
Ipoh is well connected to the North-South Expressway. You can get into
Ipoh via Exit 137: Simpang Pulai or Exit 139: Ipoh Selatan
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