Yesterday was a mid-week day off, justified by having worked the last two weekends, and having a wedding anniversary.

So we hired a deep purple Myvi, and hit the road.

First up, Kellie's Castle. We took the slow road. With the mountains to our left, we trundled along past pretty kampong houses and bright temples, through stands of palm oil and banana, past roadside stalls and trim schools and signs to other places we would like to go one day.

The Castle, with its views, its architecture, and its ruins, turned out to be extremely photogenic. We saw none of its supposed ghosts, but its incompleteness -- a reminder of thwarted dreams -- adds a palpable layer of pathos. Such huge ideas, blighted by misjudgement and terrible calamity. Such vaulting social ambition (the main purpose of the castle was to entertain the grand), but such a sense of insecurity (there were escape staircases everywhere). Such exuberant eclecticism in the design, and such a sad end to it all (death by pneumonia in Lisbon, on the way to collect the lift...).





















Next, on to Gopeng, a pretty little Malaysian town whose fortunes rose and fell with the tin and rubber trade. We demolished a plate of duck rice (it was one of those birds where you seem to end up with more than you started with), and followed it up with an excellent cendol (with pulut) from a roadside stall. (And in one of those unforgettable acts of random kindness, a local who was finishing off his cendol paid for ours... We didn't realize until he'd gone. We asked the stallholder and the other customer to pass on our thanks. I so hope he gets them.)

Then we wandered. There are a few streets of nice shophouses (many boasting interesting sculptured friezes). There's a little museum that displays old photos of the town, as well as items like dulang (the pans women used to separate the metal and silt from a river bed). It also offers a home for the old typewriters and radios that locals don't quite know what to do with, and boasts some jolly lanterns.











Near Gopeng are a number of other sights, but our No. 3 for the day was Kek Lok Tong, just outside Ipoh. This is a huge cave temple, with fabulous rock formations and a sound-absorbing serenity. We lit a candle for our anniversary, and then slowly toured, stopping now and then to feel the cave breath, and listen to the soft drips and echoes.

The cave goes right through the mountain, and at the back there is a pretty garden, with a lake and a series of rocks hosting tiny Buddhas. It's a bit of a pity that there's a huge quarry right next door. But that's been the fate of this area for a long time, I guess.

















The road from Ipoh to Kuala Kangsar is very urban for a very long time, it seems, and it takes a while to get out into the karst (where fresh quarries also lurk). But the run-up to Perak's proudly "royal town" gets you nicely back in touch with the kampung again.

We stopped for a quick break by the big, fast River Perak, where a bold monitor lizard was demonstrating ferry-gliding techniques. We noted that the beautiful wooden structure of the Istana Kenangan seems to be undergoing some mega-restoration, so we didn't see it this time either.





And then we headed home. Awesome day. I want more days like this.