PERAK (OTHER DISTRICTS)

BY HJ ZULHEIMY MAAMOR

8 JULY 2024 

Here are some photos of my memories in various districts in the State of Perak that I have been, visited or stopby, aside from the districts that I have previously written about in my blogs.

Behrang is a small town located in Muallim District, Perak about 10 km north of Tanjung Malim in Perak. 

Our memory in Behrang is when our car tire went flat on 2 July 2012 while on the way to Alor Setar, Kedah.

Bidor is a town in Batang Padang District, Southern Perak. Located 50 km southwest from the State Capital Ipoh and 116 km northwest of Kuala Lumpur. 

We once stopped at Bidor while looking for a car workshop when our vehicle had a flat tire while on our way to Alor Setar Kedah on 2 July 2012. 

Kampong Baru Coldstream is one of those ‘new villages’ built during the Malayan Emergency. Scattered communities were forcibly relocated to guarded and fenced villages to protect them from the Communist Terrorists and to prevent the villagers from supplying food, medicines and information to the bandits. It is  understand the 2nd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards were stationed in Perak during the Emergency and may have assisted with the village’s construction.

The Coldstream Guards are one of the oldest and most distinguished regiments in the British Army with roots in the Scottish Borders town of Coldstream, a place which, bears little resemblance to its Malaysian namesake.

Reference:

The Thrifty Traveller

Slim River, a small town in Muallim District of Perak, about 100 km from Kuala Lumpur, situated in the southern part of Perak and is 20 km north of Tanjung Malim in Perak. The town is named after the nearby river, Sungai Slim. It was named after English Captain, Captain William Slim in the 19th century. 

Further reading:

Wikipedia : Battle of Slim River, January 1942

Gopeng is a town located in Mukim Teja, Kampar District of Perak. It is situated approximately 20 km south of Ipoh. 

Menglembu is a small town in Kinta District of Perak, lying at the foot of Kledang Hill which is famous for its eponymously-named groundnuts. The nuts have been  commercially farmed since 1945, among them are the famous Thong Thye Groundnut Factory's Pagoda brand, Ngan Yin Groundnut Factory's Thumbs brand etc. 

Menglembu is also well-known locally as a foodie destination include Chee Cheong Fun, Curry Mee and Ipoh White House. 

Parit is a main town of Perak Tengah District. Parit is close to Tronoh, Seri Iskandar, Bota, Pusing, Beruas and Batu Gajah (Parit, 2013). Pekan Parit is located at the meeting of 3 directions - First, from the direction of Ipoh/Seri Iskandar, second, from the direction of Belanja and third direction from MRSM Parit (Ujang Kutik, 2013).

Pusing, a small town in Kinta District of Perak, located in the western part of Perak, approximately 18 km southeast of Ipoh, surrounded by scenic landscapes and is known for its lush greenery. 

Tronoh is a small mining town in Kinta District. Tronoh today is the home of two Universities namely Universiti Teknologi Petronas and Universiti Teknologi MARA branch campus. 

Kampong Sri Kaya in Bota Kiri is my wife's hometown on her father's side.

Bota is a mukim in Perak Tengah District, comprises of Bota Kanan and Bota Kiri and is divided by the Perak River. 

Bota has appeared in numerous Malaysian films and dramas. The latest and most significant ones are Lambor Kanan Belakang Dewan and Heri Bota. Lambor Kanan Belakang Dewan was aired in 2017 by Astro for Hari Raya special screening featuring Izara Aishah and Rashidi Ishak while Heri Bota was aired in 2020 by RTM TV1 featuring Aedy Ashraf.

R&R RTC GOPENG

RTC Gopeng, which is located next to R&R Simpang Pulai, is situated on the PLUS Highway heading north before entering the city of Ipoh. This RTC serves as a stop for most express buses heading to the north. In addition to toilets and a surau, there is an Agro Mall that sells various fresh fruits and wet goods. However, when I visited at night, there were no sales at this Agro Mall. Mydin Supermarket is also situated here and is a popular shopping destination for Ipoh residents. It can be said that Mydin Supermarket is large and offers a wide range of goods.

R&R SUNGAI PERAK

Kuala Kangsar, Perak

Located in Kuala Kangsar Subdistrict, Perak. That is on the PLUS Highway route between Ipoh to Kuala Kangsar.

Sungai Perak Rest & Treatment Area is a relatively small and compact rest area. The North and South rest areas are just next to each other and you can access both sides of the R&R via the passage/road under the bridge. But only pedestrians because the connecting road is closed.

Why is this R&R a bit special? It is one of the R&R PLUS areas located by the Perak River and there is a Jetty that you can access. Meaning, this R&R can also be stopped by anyone who takes a boat down the Perak River.

R&R SIMPANG PULAI

KINTA DISTRICT, PERAK

R&R Simpang Pulai famous for being the newest gateway to the east coast states of Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu - the Second East-West Highway (Federal Route 185) begins here, passes through Cameron Highlands in Pahang, then Gua Musang in Kelantan before terminating Kuala Jenderis in Hulu Terengganu. 

The PLUS Expressway exit 137 serves Simpang Pulai. 

R&R TAPAH

Tapah, Perak

The Tapah R&R located at PLUS highway is state-of-the-art facility beside long stretch boring road. Beside being a ordinary toilet and food stalls, it features shopping experience and greenly park. It is a good rest stop to recharge for adult and kid. There are many food stalls which fresh picked pink guava and langsat are hot selling. From being a cost center, now the R&R can turn into profit center in win-win situation.

Whatever it is, R&R Tapah always been a top spot for travellers. Tapah is the only R&R in North-South Highway that have Halal Chinese food. 

 

Along the road of memories - Perak, the state of my birth, always missed and remembered.

Perak is a much-visited destination in the northwest region of Peninsular Malaysia. It is definitely a state worth visiting for a fun-filled vacation. 

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

Lembah Keramat, K.L

11 July 2024 > 5 Muharram 1446H: 12.14 a.m

PERAK : CHEMOR

BY HJ ZULHEIMY MAAMOR

8 JULY 2024

Chemor, a main town in Kinta District of Perak, about 217 km from Kuala Lumpur. Some of the main roads which enable accessibility to and from Chemor are Jalan Kuala Kangsar, Jalan Chemor, and Jalan Chemor-Tanjung Rambutan. Jalan Kuala Kangsar connects the town to the Ipoh city centre, about 18km south of it, while the royal town of Kuala Kangsar is approximately 35km in the opposite direction, via Jalan Kuala-Kangsar-Chemor. The North-South Expressway (NSE) is also reachable from Chemor via Jalan Kuala Kangsar, just before Ipoh.

My first experience in Chemor, Perak was on 18 February 2016 when I and Mr. Salehuddin, Program Manager, Yayasan Jantung Malaysia attended the Program Coordination meeting at AEON Mall Ipoh Klebang in Chemor, Perak which just opened on October 21, 2015. The 217 km journey takes 2 hours and 25 minutes.

Klebang is located north of the city of Ipoh, south of the town of Chemor in the State of Perak. Chemor was cut near Tg Rambutan, Sungai Siput, Kuala Kangsar and Tasek, Ipoh. Until the early 80s, Chemor was listed as one of the black areas in Malaysia.

Now Chemor Town has many reforms and will progress towards Vision 2020. Mydin Meru Raya Supermarket, Aeon Ipoh Klebang and Econsave Klebang were built to make it easier for residents to shop there.

IPOH HEARTWEEK

AEON IPOH KLEBANG

6 - 10 APRIL 2016

The Heart Week program runs for 5 days at AEON Mall Ipoh Klebang starting from April 6 until April 10. It turned out that the response was a bit less encouraging because during the 5 days of the program, only 112 people underwent health screening tests.

HEALTH COMMUNITY PROGRAM

SEK. KEB. TANAH HITAM

CHEMOR, PERAK

1 OCTOBER 2016

Community Level Program was conducted in Sek. Keb. Tanah Hitam in Chemor, Perak.

A total of 111 residents around the school have undergone health check-up tests here.

BATTLE OF TANAH HITAM, CHEMOR 1980

In February 1980, Sgt. Kanang ak Langkau commanding a platoon of Charlie Company, 8 Royal Ranger Regiment for a manhunt mission at Tanah Hitam, Chemor, Perak. The platoon came acroos a group of communist terrorist and manages to kill one. A few days later, on 19 February, Sergeant Kanang spotted a booby trap. While stopping to check the trap, a group of enemy ambushed the Sergeant Kanang's platoon. The ambush injured three members of the platoon, a sergeant, a medic and Sergeant Kanang. Even though been shot at chest and stomach, Sergeant Kanang takes the command and led his platoon to counter the ambush and won the battle. Sergeant Kanang awarded with the highest decorations for valour, the Grand Knight of Valour (Malay: Darjah Kebesaran Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa — SP) for this battle.

Wikipedia: 8 Battalion Royal Ranger Regiment

UNTIL about a decade ago, Tanah Hitam was a little known new village in Chemor. Other than its reputation as a former communist hotbed.

Until the early 80's, Chemor was listed as one of the black areas in Malaysia. Several military posts are located around the entrance and exit road to Chemor. Hunting operations for Communist terrorists are often carried out in the rubber plantations and hills around Chemor. 

And now Chemor has many reforms and will advanced by Wawasan 2020. Mydin Meru Raya, AEON Mall Ipoh Klebang and Econsave Klebang supermarkets were built to make it easier for residents to shop there. 

While in Chemor, we stayed at Abby Hotel located at Persiaran Perindustrian DTi2, Kanthan, Chemor, Perak.

Chemor may not be as popular as other cities in Malaysia, but don’t let that fool you. Chemor is a smaller but beautiful upcoming tourist destination that is worth a visit. You will be surprised by some of the unique things to do and places you can explore at this hidden destination.

You might wish to revisit it someday again, to take a break and relax at Chemor.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor
Lembah Keramat, K.L
8 July 2024 > 2 Muharram 1445H: 1.09 p.m