Kellie Castle, Perak

 

Kellie's Castle was meant to be a home away from home for Scottish Planter, William Kellie Smith in the 19th century in Perak. Being far from his home country, Kellie desired his new residence to be reminiscent of his residence back in Scotland. The castle is perched on top of a hill.

William Kellie Smith was an interesting man who was popular with his South Indian workers. Kind at heart, he erected a Hindu shrine for his workers on the castle premise. As a token of appreciation, his workers in return erected a statue of Kellie complete in a white suit and hat.

 

Construction of this unique castle begun in 1915. However, work came to an abrupt halt with Kellie's sudden death in 1926. The ruins of the uncompleted orange-coloured castle stand in isolation and was overgrown with plants and creepers. In the pale moonlight it takes on an aura of a castle caught in the timelessness of a fairy tale.

Recently, efforts have been made by the Perak State Government to rescue this magnificent structure from falling into ruins. Besides being  claimed to be haunted, the castle is believed to have hidden rooms and secret underground tunnels.

 

 

 

 

The road that leads to Kellie's Castle follows the contours of the land in a dizzying, maze-like fashion, adding to the mystery and romance of the place. There are also rumours that the spirit of Kellie is still wondering around the castle

 

 

 

 

 Getting there is about 30-minute drive and 14 km south of Ipoh City.

 

 

Enterance Fees: RM 4.00 per person

Batu Tenggek (War Memorial), Teluk Intan

Another attraction in Teluk Intan is the 'Batu Tenggek' (Sitting Boulder) which is situated at a junction in the town centre. The rock was believed to be placed by a British soldier and was a size of a matchbox. Over the years, the small rock grew bigger until it reached the size of a boulder. Upon closer inspection, crystal-like substances can be seen throughout the rock's surface. As crystals have expanding properties, this might explain the growing nature of the stone. This boulder is now part of a local war memorial built to commemorate World War I and World War II. The plaque on the memorial carries a line from Laurence Binyon's famous poem, For the Fallen :

At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them

Langkap Town, Perak

Langkap is a small town in Hilir Perak district, Perak, Malaysia. It is famous for its tobacco factory, which produces the Chap Kapal Terbang brand.

Major roads include Jalan Kampar - Langkap, Jalan Chui Chak, Jalan Chikus and Jalan Din Mydin.

Leaning Tower ( Menara Condong) Teluk Intan

Malaysia boasts its own equivalent to the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, right here at the heart of the Teluk Intan town centre. Like its Italian counterpart, the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan has a leftward slant, and all the ingredients to make it an architectural sight to behold. It was erected in 1885 by a Chinese builder, Mr. Leong Choon Cheong. It started to tilt four years after its construction finished due to an underground stream. The tower had a clock at the top, and still rings every 15 minutes now. The clock tower was originally used as a water tower, supplying water to the town area, while also reporting the time to all townfolks. It had also served as a beacon to guide ships into Teluk Intan Port.

Standing at 25.5 metres tall, its construction detail gives it an appearance comprising of 8 different levels. Once inside, however, one will be surprised to discover that the building is actually divided only into 3 storeys

Currently it is a local tourist attraction, and no longer stores water. The area around the tower was paved with bricks and became a plaza. The main street at the centre of Teluk Intan is also named after Mr. Leong Choon Cheong to commemorate his contribution. The name of the street is "Jalan Ah Cheong"