Above: Poached chicken and beansprouts, and rice noodle soup topped with shredded chicken, are two of Ipoh’s famous dishes..
I landed at KLIA LCCT 20 minutes ahead of schedule on AirAsia. I had booked online a bus to Ipoh allowing for 2h30 in between. So I had a leisurely lunch.
I kept an eye out for the earlier bus but didn’t notice it. By 1400 the bus still hadn’t arrived at the platform where I had been told to wait. One of their staff told me to wait till 1400 then go seek her help inside the arrival hall (secure area). I sought her assistance at 1400and waited till 1400 for a specific bus with a registration she had provided. I went back in to find another staff member who was unwilling to help.
The bus company was Plusliner which is quite respectable. Their service start at the main airport terminal and some miscommunication meant that they didn’t pick me up. Their fares were slightly cheaper and they gave a hefty online discount meaning that my return fare was only a tad cheaper than their competitor’s one way fare. But I’d rather still not ruin my day waiting in the heat and humidity not being able to read, buy drinks etc for fear of missing the bus.
As no one could give me a good answer on when the bus would come, I bought a ticket on another company who only operated the Ipoh route. Good focused company rather than one that is everything to everyone.
I got to Ipoh around 2000. This is a perfect example of an easy day gone wrong and long. As opposed to hard situations which just magically solve themselves.
After all that, I was so pleased to see my hotel room at the French Hotel. I felt good for treating myself to something nicer. It was a tad more that Tune Hotel but better value; I could have switched to Tune when they had a super promo but I resisted. This hotel’s complimentary map is essentially a guide to eating in the city … I look forward to trying the various specialties that Ipoh is known for, but started with the poached chicken with bean sprouts.
Venue for poached chicken and beansprouts.