Joyful Reminisces at the Ultra Blissful Cave Temple of Ipoh


Two cars carrying four ‘boys’ and four ‘girls’ congregated at Bukit Merah R & R[Rest and Recreation] at 9.35 am on December 30, 2008 before heading for Ipoh to visit Song Hooi’s ladies' footwear factory.

They were warmly received by the host, Song Hooi at Ipoh at around 10.40 am with a welcoming breakfast followed by his guided tour of two caves, the Ultra Blissful Cave Temple[极乐洞] and the Perak Cave Temple[霹雳洞].



Special mention must be made here concerning ‘the classmates of the sixties’ who were too engrossed in the reminiscence of their student days. This was further made extremely humorous by Seng Kwang and Kim Boon so that all ‘the children’ had a great fun and a good laugh over their school days so much so that it finally prompted the caretaker of the Ultra Blissful Cave Temple to remind them to tone down their volume as a show of respect for this holy Biddhist shrine. It was very embarrassing for 'the children’ whose ages added up to at least 495 years old, an age almost touching half a millennium.


Visiting the shoe factory was the climax of the day. It was especially so for the ‘girls’ as the factory only produces elegant shoes for their gender. As said by the Operation Director of Weng Bee Marketing Private Limited Company, Mr. William Ng Song Hooi, “It’s much easier to earn money from ladies as they are more fashion conscious.” Phaik Hooi is a typical example of a lady who is very fanciful about shoes. Believe it or not her collection of shoes may be equal to or even surpassed that of Mrs. Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines! Of course, this is just an exaggeration in the highest degree that even a child who was born yesterday without a sound mind would find it hard to swallow.

The visit of the day came to a full circle with another round of Ipoh’s famous Bean Shoots Chicken noodles[芽菜鸡粿条] provided by Song Hooi. The home bound journey was delayed by an hour or so because of the heavy downpour after the meal. Nevertheless ‘the children’ were very happy and in high spirits. They were very thankful to Song Hooi. If not for him and his efforts the trip would not be possible. Before the day was over, the ‘girls’ were already contemplating their future activities; gathering at Kuala Lumpur and a trip to Sabah which were already sparkling off in their minds.