Memory Lane In Ipoh

Sat down for a coffee with a mate and talked about old times. Had a thought about my younger days spent growing up in Ipoh. The Ipoh I remembered is vastly different from the Ipoh of 2006, when I last visited with my family. The Ipoh in my memories was a clean town, I still remembered when it was named the cleanest town in Malaysia. I guess that claim has long since been forgotten.

Rummaging through those dusty boxes of memories I came across one marked "Memories - Ipoh 1986". It brings back many poignant memories. It was my last year in Ipoh because in 1987 my parents gave me the chance to study overseas. Since then I have never stayed permanently in Ipoh as I have made my home elsewhere with my wife and daughters. Yet somehow, deep inside, Ipoh still tugs at my heart strings. I think it is because that's where I spent so many of my formative years.

The school that I spent 11 years - 6 years of Primary schooling and 6 years of Secondary schooling still exists. Its hard to miss because it is quite an imposing building and located in a quite prominent part of the Old Town. St. Michaels Institution or SMI as we called it. Did a search on the web today and found out so many threads and discussions by students. Incredibly it would seem that someone even made a movie about 8 scouts on their Pengakap diRaja 5 day hike from the school's troop. The movie "Goodbye Boys" is directed by someone I know from the scout troop- Bernard Chauly. It seems Bernard is well-regarded in the film making circles and I would wish him every success. I hope to get a copy to watch one day.

02 Kinta Scout Troop mentioned in the story is actually the almagation of the 29th Ipoh Troop and the 24th Ipoh Troop. The 2 troops were fiercely competitive, and the merger was not without its complications - boys being boys. In those days I was in the 29th Ipoh mainly because of family ties. My dad and uncle had a long history with the 29th and SMI in those days. Actually come to think of it, my dad had a love for scouting that dates back to his time in the scouts. I think he was one of the last to receive the Queen Scout Award in '57.

I digress..

The last trip I went back to Ipoh I didn't go by the old Alma Mater. I had many good memories of my school and I was afraid that going there might change my perceptions or tarnish the rose-tinted haze that I tend to view my memories through. Ipoh has changed. No doubt about it. Gone are the calm and cool mornings. Gone are the trees that used to line the main roads and the pots of flowers that used to sit in the central divider of the main streets in the city centre. No longer is there a Sunday market near SuperKinta and the old Perak Emporium where the streets are closed for traffic. My favorite popiah stall is gone (the one near Lido/Cathay) and if anyone knows where it went, please let me know. The one thing I miss of all that has vanished are the flowing fountains that once had once graced several roundabouts in town. They have vanished, sacrificed on the alter of progress.

Entranced by my journey, I began to use other tools of the World Wide Web. .I checked on Google Earth and found such amazing changes that have happened to the town. The overgrown plots of land that dotted randomly across Pasir Pinji, Kg Simee, Gng Rapat have been cleared and rows and rows of terraced houses and shops now fill them. Gone are the fishing holes of disused mining pools and the sandy bike trails that unofficially linked housing developments with each other.

Each time I go back. I find that I lose another fond memory to the march of progress. What I remember is no longer there and that fills me with a sense of loss. If only I could preserve those memories into something that I can see but somehow the present seems to overwrite the past and as such sometimes I don't want to go back for fear of losing more. Isn't that weird?