Boarding a bus to Ipoh

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By Lee Pei Suang
Photo by Oh Chin Eng

Kampar, Jan 19 (J-on)- I went on a trip to Ipoh by bus last month with my course mates. It was the first time I boarded a bus in Kampar and my first time taking a bus trip to a place that far. There are other available ways one can travel to Ipoh from Kampar, namely by car, motorbike or bus.

Since we do not have enough cars to accommodate the whole lot of us, we decided to take the bus. Moreover, it seemed to be more economical.

We arrived at the bus stand nearby our house around nine in the morning and the KINTA bus with a sign stating IPOH on the front of the bus arrived short while later. I noticed that the bus was so old that I could easily spot its rusts, plus, there was small puddles of water on the floor of the bus when I stepped onboard. I reckoned that it was probably caused by the rain early in the morning.

After the last passenger boarded, the bus started to move slowly before picking up enough momentum to sped up.

As soon the bus was moving on smoother pace, the bus conductor began to collect our bus fares. A bus fare to Ipoh costs RM3.40 (from East Lake) but RM4 (from West Lake) per person.

As I look out of the window from my seat, I saw the bus passing a number of other land vehicles, mostly cars and motorcycles.

We had the chance to catch a glimpse of the Malay village as the bus took the old road instead of the highway which is a faster journey. Moreover, it really stretched our time because the bus made pit-stops along the journey till we reached Medan Kit.




Upon arrival at the Medan Kit bus station. The feel of the environment was so packed and noisy. There were hawkers selling tidbits in every corner, bus ticket sellers were yelling at the waiting passengers from their counters and the noise heightened whenever a bus arrived.

We hopped onto a bus to the Ipoh Jaya Jusco, noticing that the busses were similar in a way. I wonder if all public buses in Ipoh are as under-maintained like this.

On the bus to Jaya Jusco, I really enjoyed the scenery of the town through the window. There was no air conditioning in the bus thus we opened the windows of the bus in order to get some fresh air.

Along the journey the bus came to a sudden halt. We thought there must be some passenger who wanted to get down but there were no signs of that. Apparently it was the bus driver himself who got down. Weird.

None of us had a clue of what had occurred. This occurred several times before we unraveled the mystery. The driver was looking for a public phone booth to make a phone call. Whatever it is, I think it must have been a really urgent phone.



After approximately half an hour, we arrived at Jaya Jusco. It costs RM1.60 for a bus ticket to Jaya Jusco from the Medan Kit bus station. After spending the day with my friends in Jaya Jusco, we went back to Kampar a friend gave us a lift to a nearby bus station.

Rounding up, each of us had spent around RM8 for the journey. It looks like it was not as economical taking a bus ride to Ipoh, as what we initially thought. We should have planned wiser.

Nonetheless, it had been a fun and interesting journey with my friends from my university, watching people standing up in the bus, seeing the bus driver stopping every few minutes to make a phone call and viewing a new place from the window of the bus.

I hope I would have another opportunity like this in future, hopefully taking bus trips to even further destination.

Filed Under: English , Features