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| Right next to the information center in Papan. |
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| On the KTM commuter train from Taiping to Ipoh @8.10 am |
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| Ipoh is the last stop for this line so we had ample time to take photo with the train |
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| Captivated by this old fashioned wooden seats in Ipoh train station |
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| Majestic Walk is a corridor named after The Majestic Station Hotel located on the 2nd floor of the Ipoh Railway Station. The hotel ceased operations in 2011 |
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| The Ipoh Railway Station is fondly referred to as the Taj Mahal of Ipoh by locals. This building from 1917 was built on the same location of the old station from 1894 |
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| Ipoh Municipal Council from 1914 |
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| Walking through concubine lane |
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| Masjid Panglima Kinta in white |
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| We followed the river trail which began as a walking path by the side of Masjid Panglima Kinta. The path later turned into dirt and gravel tracks |
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| Kinta River on the right |
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| After we crossed Jambatan Lorong Lahat and Jambatan Jalan Raja Ariff Shah, we had to cross the railway line via a flyover at Jalan Kuala Pari. This photo is taken on quiter road after Tan Kor Seng & Sons, Rubber Works @ https://maps.app.goo.gl/adVMpfAQp5jCiTk36 |
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| MPI, please get this repaired! |
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| Bahai Memorial Centre. Personally very surprised to find so much ancient Chinese influences from a religion originating from Iran |
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| We had to cross this Bailey Bridge to get into the village. |
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There is definitely more "residents" in this cemetery than the village itself!
Papan Memorial Berhad is 1.5 km away and is a totally different cemetery |
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| Kuan Yin temple |
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| Laluan Papan 12 directly opposite Kuan Yin Temple |
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| Near the temple, the houses look as if they were from the new village era, a concept introduced by General Briggs during the Malayan Emergency. These are newer and lived in. |
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| The idea of the new village was to isolate the communist symphatizers from the communists |
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| Yip Sei's mansion was the 1st property that greeted us as we approached the fringe of the village. It appeared still lived in. |
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| An abandoned house across the road from Yip Sei's mansion |
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| Surprisingly all the cars on the streets belongs to visitors. The able bodied residents have gone out to work on a weekday while the few old folks hang out at Yee Hin, the one and only coffee shop in the village |
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| House of Sibyl Kathigasu. Sibyl was a trained nurse who spied for the British in efforts to free Malaya from the Japanese Imperial Army. She received the George Medal for Gallantry a few months before her death |
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| Map of the village |
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| Useful information |
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| Broken stairs |
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| This room is next to the stairs. It came with a dressing table which we avoided taking photos of in case some unwanted reflection appears in the mirror |
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| Courtyard. This should be part of the kitchen. The building extends to another room behind which could have been a tool shed or animal yard where horses are kept |
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| This photo is taken from Google Maps. At the time when we were there, a Chinese man in his mid 60's was tending to the plants outside the house. The motorcycle was placed in the same position as this photo. He shares that the house is still lived in despite the dilapidated floor upstairs. He claims that he has another house outside but returns to tend to the plants. The other occupants of the house has gone out to work. |
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| This abandoned house is directly next to his house |
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| Before starting our tour, we came to Yee Hin Coffee Shop for drinks and pau. Unfortunately, the pau maker is still recovering from surgery and thus we had to be contented with their kumquat drinks |
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| After our drinks, we started our tour with a visit to St Paul The Hermit chapel. It was an extremely steep climb up the hill. |
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| This simple chapel began as a shed some 20 years ago by shepherds who pray to St Paul for the safety and protection of their livestock |
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| The chapel is built next to an abandoned reservoir |
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| Papan Middle Alley |
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| These houses looked lived in with clean laundry hanging to dry |
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| Papan Book House, access through the front door |
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| Street painting |
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| Very instagramable |
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| Open courtyard |
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| Papan Book House. Next door is another pau seller |
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| Rumah Besar Raja Bilal, built in 1896 |
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| Side view of the Rumah Besar aka nobleman's residence in Mandailing terms |
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| Side staircase |
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| Abandoned surau with a note, "Peringatan : Bomoh, Pawang Dana, Pemburu Barang Mistik & Antik DiLarang Masuk". In other words, Shaman, Witch doctor, Mystical and Antique Hunters are not allowed to enter! |
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| Tea break in Ipoh before heading back to the train station |
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| We took the train home. The front carriage has ample space for bikes and luggage |
Papan....an almost Ghost Town!
Papan....an almost Radioactive Town!
Out of curiosity, we visited Papan, a town frozen in time. There are no new buildings in Papan. Anything that stands is either badly dilapidated to the brink of collapse or built before the 1950's.
Throughout our time spent in Papan, we met more tourists than locals. To put it plainly, every young faces we see are tourists whilst we can easily differentiate the locals by their weathered faces and choice of clothing.
Papan began as a lumber town, hence the name, Papan. However, just as Ipoh developed in the 1820's due to tin, so did Papan. The tin rush in 1880's pushed Papan's development and by the turn of the 20th century, it was a lively and busy town.
As tin deposits dwindled in Papan in the 1970's, a mining company soon found new deposits in the town center itself. 60 houses were bought over with more earmarked for relocation to Kg Papan Baru. However, before the plans took shape, tin prices took a plummet and the entire idea was shelved altogether.
The next exodus could be attributed to the radioactive rare earth saga nearby, namely Kg Bukit Merah. In 1982, Asian Rare Earth Sdn Bhd, partly owned by Mitsubishi Chemicals Ltd began processing the rare earth in a facility located in Kg Bukit Merah.
Papan was then earmarked as the dump site for the radioactive earth, a by product. The dumpsite in Papan was built but did not meet standards and was never used thanks to intense lobbying by locals. Resulting from this, ARE dumped the rare earth on the open fields and lake behind the facility. Today, the lake is known as Clearwater Lake with influential lakeside homes.
ARE finally closed its operations in 1992 but decontamination only began between 2003 to 2005. 80,000 radioactive drums filled with rare earth were finally buried deep in the ground within the Kledang Range in 2010, marked as Norm Respository on Google Maps.
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Papan Book House
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