A Malaysian Photo And Travel Blog

PS is an amazing image editing tool that has forever changed graphic design and digital photographic editing. I used it VERY sparingly and in VERY subtle ways. Well, all I have to say is PS opens my images to new possibilities and brings them to life.

Starting from today, I'll be publishing a series of weekly posts about my PS images. Join me as I explore the hidden power of PS CS3 (Version 10). In this first article of the series, I'll discuss about the best way (in my opinion) to restore Perak Tong mythical limestone cave paintings. Note: Unless stated otherwise, all my photos are original (without PS).

According to World66, Perak Tong (Perak Cave) is located north of Ipoh in Gunung Tasek. Built in 1926, it is similar to the other cave temples in having Buddhist statues, with a 12.8m tall statue of a sitting Buddha as its centerpiece. Mystical cave paintings adorn the walls, and the temple has a commanding view of the countryside at the top of its 385 step staircase. Click HERE to read my full article on Perak Tong.

The cave art is in a dilapidated condition, and it is very hard to photograph or decipher the layers in the dark. It definitely pushed my camera far over it's ISO limits. After almost three hours of Photoshopping, the cave paintings were 'restored', bringing it back to its original splendor. I would love to hear your thoughts! Please leave your comments :)

Note: This picture has been adjusted with Photoshop (PS) [Brightness/Contrast + Color Balance + Hue/Saturation + Levels + Smart Sharpen Filter: Radius 1.5 pixels, 450%]. Unless stated otherwise, all my photos are original (without PS).

A beautiful Goddess with magical shawls.

Note: This picture has been adjusted with Photoshop (PS) [Brightness/Contrast + Color/Balance + Levels + Smart Sharpen Filter: Radius 1.5 pixels, 400%]. Unless stated otherwise, all my photos are original (without PS).

An old man with frowned eyebrows and pursed lips. I wonder what he's thinking about? It must be the worldly problems and troubles.

Note: This picture has been adjusted with Photoshop (PS) [Brightness/Contrast + Levels + Smart Sharpen Filter: Radius 1.5 pixels, 300%]. Unless stated otherwise, all my photos are original (without PS).

A supersize Guardian in full uniform.

Note: This picture has been adjusted with Photoshop (PS) [Brightness/Contrast + Color Balance + Smart Sharpen Filter: Radius 1.5 pixels, 400%]. Unless stated otherwise, all my photos are original (without PS).

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This HSBC Building is a Victorian neo-Renaissance building constructed in 1931. A harmonious combination of pink and white colour.

One of my favourite Ipoh shots. Look like New York :)

A group of 14 Bangladeshis foreign workers having their day off visiting Ipoh city. It was the King's birthday.

In Malacca, the colour is RED. In Ipoh, WHITE is the preferred choice - perhaps symbolising PURE, INNOCENT & JUSTICE.

Two Bangladeshis were crossing the road. Strange....foreign migrant workers usually hold hands when crossing road :)

I nearly fainted after walking virtually non-stop in Ipoh city for four hours! It was a SUPER HOT morning.

Wish I had a longer lens to capture more buildings in one picture.

A rather out of this world design.

Snapped this abstract shot on the alleyway.

A side view of Sztolee building.

Colourful buildings.

This palace or perhaps mansion was still in construction (or renovation?). I need Perakian help to identify this building - the building is located in front of Ipoh Railway Station.

A close-up shot.

An interesting blue and white minaret.

A beautiful mosque with lots of brown coloured domes. Need help to identify the name of this mosque.

There were loads of YUMMYLICIOUS cookies in the shop. I was having a hard time choosing some goodies from this shop. I bought over RM50 worth of Ipoh biscuits from this shop. My mom LOVE every single bits!

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Ipoh is located in the rich tin bearing valley of the Kinta River. It grew up as a mining town. During the British Colonial Era, Ipoh was the second city of Malaysia. The buses in Ipoh are decades old but it is reliable - unlike those lousy and expensive buses in Kuala Lumpur.

Some rather odd looking shoe box buildings.

A three storey building next to a shop house.

More buildings.

I saw two biscuit shops in Ipoh. The famous one is Ching Han Guan Biscuit Manufacturing - pictures in Part 7B.

There were lots of buildings painted in white.......not sure of the reason.

A Chinese association.

Read more http://www.kayinchu.org.my/perak/index.htm

This post office is located right next to Ipoh Railway Station. Interesting building.

The Ipoh Station Square Cenotaph commemorates those who died in the first and second World Wars. Most major towns in Malaysia (including Singapore) has a Cenotaph in memory of those who died in the world wars. These monuments were erected after the first world war, but when the second World War was finished, some amendments were made to the Cenotaph to incorporate mention of those who died in it as well. The cenotaph has the following inscriptions "Memorial to the dead of the two world wars. Sacred to the memory of the men from the state of Perak who fell in the Great War. 1914-1918. And those who died in the 1939-45 war." Source: http://www.asiaexplorers.com/malaysia/ipoh_cenotaph.htm

A MAJESTIC building.

This railway station is HUGE! It has multiple boarding platforms and modern facilities.

I walked into the boarding platform without even buying any tickets! It was very quiet that morning. The next available train was going to Singapore in two more hours.

Intercity trains are available in Ipoh Railway Station. Ticket fares are cheap but the trains are painfully slow! It takes more than 14 hours for the train to travel from KL Sentral to Kedah.

Can you spot WALL-E in the picture??

A small petrol station in Ipoh.

On the third day of my solo trip to Perak, I decided to explore Ipoh city by foot. I started my journey by walking all the way to Ipoh Railway Station. Along the way, I saw endless row of traditional shop houses and buildings. Also visible were groups of Bangladeshi foreign workers taking the day off to explore the city.

After walking for almost one hour or nearly 2.5km, I reached Ipoh Railway Station. The marble white building is simply beautiful and majestic. Strong Islamic and Morrish architecture influence can be seen from the building. I snapped some photos from outside before moving to the inner station.

Later, I walked across the road to Ipoh Station Square. I saw the Ipoh Tree in the middle of the square. The Ipoh Tree (Antiaris toxicarial), also known as pokok upas or pokok epu, is the tree that lend its name to the city of Ipoh. Next to the tree, there is one big cenotaph in remembrance of men from the state of Perak who fell in the two world wars.

Across the main road, there is a huge white castle that belongs to the royal family of Perak. Later, I spent another two and a half hours exploring Ipoh City. I managed to see the Birch Memorial, Belfield Street, HSBC building and a few other tourist attractions.

I was walking back to my car when I chanced upon a traditional cookie shop known as Ching Han Guan Biscuit Manufacturing. There were lots of customers that time. I move closer to survey the shop before making any purchase. The Chinese big boss is an old man wearing a simple white singlet. He was a courteous man. Customers felt at ease talking to him. On the inner part of the shop, I saw workers busy packing freshly baked cookies into small plastic bag. I bought nearly RM50 worth of Ipoh's authentic YUMMYLICIOUS cookies.

Overall, I spent three days trying to explore all places of interest in Perak. But, it seems Perak is a much bigger place than expected. I only managed to explore Taiping (Matang Mangrove Forest, Matang Charcoal Factories, Taiping Zoo and Taiping Lake Garden) and Ipoh city (Perak Tong, Sam Poh Tong, Ling Sen Tong and a few other cave temples + buildings in Ipoh city). The Buddhist cave temples are an eye opener to me. Being a humanist and nonbeliever, I was blown away with the religious rites and settings in the caves. The cave temples in Ipoh, Perak are truly amazing and far grander than Batu Caves in Selangor.

Most visitors reach Ipoh by car or bus. Exit the North-South Expressway (E1) at the Jelapang Interchange (Exit 141), if you're coming from Penang. If you're coming from Kuala Lumpur, exit the expressway at the Ipoh Selatan Interchange (Exit 139).

Refer to Google Maps below for more info about Ipoh's Tourist Attractions.

Read these articles before you travel:

http://www.asiaexplorers.com/malaysia/ipoh_travel_guide.htm

http://www.peraktourism.com/

http://www.cuti.com.my/guide_perak.htm