We set off for the bus around 8.45am to go to Ipoh centre. We checked with a local lady and she said the bus should come around 9.30.am, just wait outside. She was serving an Indian breakfast dish of Apam. As we had a little time we thought we should try one. It's texture was a little like a crumpet and it was served with a dish of coconut milk to dip it in - very nice. When we went to pay, the lady would not take our money, she said it was on her - how very kind.
We were told we could stand anywhere on the road and flag down the bus, so we waited.... and we waited ... After about an hour with no sign of a bus we decided to walk on a little further. We asked another local and again were told to just stand at the side of the road and a bus will come .. so we waited ... and we waited. After another half an hour we decided to head to the main road in Bercham, where we actually found a bus stop. Again we asked if there was a bus due and this time we were told it would be quicker to get a Grab car however we don't have data on our phones so we waited ... and we waited. After a total wait of 2 hours, when we were just about to give up, along came a bus!! The 32B to the rescue.
By the time we got to Ipoh it was lunchtime so our first stop was a Chinese restaurant for some soy chicken with rice and veg. We then followed a heritage trail around the old part of Ipoh where we saw lots of beautiful old colonial buildings, old Chinese tea houses, and a Little India. We headed to a beautiful colonial building which houses a tea museum but unfortunately when we got there we discovered it was closed for renovations. We also followed a street art trail, much like in Penang with lovely paintings on the side of old buildings.
Before we knew it it was time to catch the bus back again. The bus left straight after we had purchased our tickets from the driver. We followed the main highway most of the way back. We passed a huge shopping mall and Tesco Extra.
Christine prepared dinner of a baked egg dish with tomato sauce followed with fresh pineapple. Darryl had a lesson in how to cut the pineapple into a fancy spiral.
Later in the evening we had a small snack of chicken satay and boiled peanuts, just to ensure we were were totally full, all washed down with local coffee.
At least now we know where to stand for the bus tomorrow!
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