Ipoh is Malaysia's quiet third city, a place that was once rich from tin and now lives on its food. Around the Kinta valley, limestone hills rise abruptly from the flat plain like islands, their sides streaked and their caves home to Buddhist temples. Ipoh sits among them, with a colonial old town of shophouses, a grand railway station sometimes called the Taj Mahal of Ipoh, and a famous coffee culture. The white coffee here is roasted with margarine and served with condensed milk, and it is a point of local pride. The city has about 670,000 people, which gives it all the fuel and services you need.
The wealth that built the old town came from tin. In the nineteenth century, Chinese and Malay miners, and British investors, turned the Kinta valley into one of the richest tin-producing areas in the world, and the mansions and clan houses of that era remain. Walk through the Concubine Lane and the street art in the old town, and you can see the effect. Food is the main attraction: chicken with bean sprouts, hor fun noodles in broth, dim sum and egg tarts, plus pomelo, which grows in the district.
As a starting point for Cameron Highlands, Ipoh is easy. The road leaves the city through the suburbs and heads toward the hills, with the highway to Tapah and the turn-off onto the mountain road. Traffic is heavy in the city, and motorbikes are everywhere, so keep an eye on mirrors. The air is hot and humid, with afternoon storms common, so early starts are better. Fill the tank and eat well, because the climb ahead takes time.
Cave temples are a particular feature. Sam Poh Tong and Kek Lok Tong are carved into the limestone, with gardens and pools, and they make a cool stop. The best months are the drier period from December to March, though the weather in Malaysia is rarely predictable. The evenings are lively, with night markets, and the city is relaxed. It is the kind of place where the best plan is to eat twice and leave late.