There is a lot more to discover in Perak beyond limestone caves, glorious tin mining past and Ipoh White Coffee.

4 AUGUST 2025
Leaving KL at 10am, our road trip to Taiping included the following off-the-beaten-path and small town must-eat detours :

1. Papan Heritage Village
2. Pun Chun Restaurant Bidor
3. Pinnacle Lake of Malim Nawar
4. Batu Gajah drive through

Papan Heritage Village

One such hidden gem is Papan Village – a single-street town boasting a row of forgotten heritage shophouses with tales of past riches, a former World War II clinic, an istana built in the 1890s, secret societies, and even radioactive minerals. 

Located at the foothills of the Kledang Range, Papan sits just below Ulu Johan valley, a site once known to be flush with tin ore.

A row of century-old decaying shophouses is what draws visitors to this intriguing ghost of a town.

A single road (Main Street) crosses straight through the town, with at least 30 shophouses in various stages of disrepair including an old swing and abandoned car on the grass verge.

Despite its empty streets and dilapidated shophouses, Papan is not completely deserted.

About 31 mostly elderly residents occupy 10 old shophouses along Main Street, while another 150+ live in the surrounding traditional new village-style wooden houses.

Chew Seng Leong, Head of the Papan Heritage Conservation Group

A resident chilling outside his home on the main street.

Papan was once home to 2,400 people, mainly Chinese tin miners, during the tin rush (1877 - 1920). However the tin price collapse in 1985 marked the final exodus of residents to nearby towns and cities for better job opportunities.

Abandoned, overtaken by nature

Peeling paint, broken windows, and overgrown vegetation create a surreal, almost mystical atmosphere. This is what visitors come to experience.

Beauty in Decay

Amidst the rot and decay, these abandoned structures developed a whole new aesthetic charm. The juxtaposition of man-made structures with the relentless forces of nature creates a compelling and haunting appeal.

Though ravaged by time, the upper facade supports new life with sprouting roots and creepers entwined between broken shutters.

Observing dominant vegetation, I couldn’t help christening two of them as Jungle lot (left) and Garden lot (right).

Glimpses of the past

Completely reclaimed by nature, if these walls could talk, a fascinating tale is just waiting to be told.

Left : Why is this lone brick wall with crumbling pillar still standing?
Right : How families sit and eat together nightly and when did they leave?

With the ever present danger of falling debris, we did not venture inside, capturing interior scenes from a safe spot outside.

Spying the odd signboard here and there only gave rise to more questions on how people lived and their daily activities within these forgotten spaces.

Left : Lot 35, MCA branch an dfghjRight : Lot 27 at road junction

I was prevented from a closer inspection of the only 3-storey building on the main street by grazing cows. Feeling the menacing glare of the alpha male (brown cow), I respectfully retreated.
The road disappears into the hills ahead, towards Papan Recreational Forest.

Up till now I had focused single mindedly on the dilapidated, barely sparing a glance for the lived-in lots or newer structures (school / basketball court) and multi-purpose hall where the old market used to be.

I was reminded of this fact while passing a shophouse next to the Chinese school. I realised my error and took shots below.

Lot 53, The Tong Onn Association is one of the few remaining shophouses that is occupied and well maintained.

War Heroine – Sybil Kathigasu

Trained nurse and midwife Sybil Kathigasu, operated a clinic with her husband Dr Abdon Clement Kathigasu from Lot 74.

Arrested, tortured, and imprisoned by the Japanese in 1943, she stoically did not betray those she helped. In 1948 she was awarded the George Medal for her courageous acts.

Today, her clinic stands as a memorial to her heroic deeds. News clippings about Sybil (in various languages) adorn the front facade.

Managed by the Perak Heritage Association, the Memorial is currently closed and more funds are needed for repair and maintenance.

Tourism Information Centre

Thereafter, I popped into the Tourism Information Center, to make sure I did not miss any of the must-sees.

Istana Raja Billah

Turning into an alley off the Main street, we first came to an arched entrance with a staircase leading to an imposing mansion with a wooden upper floor, perched on a hill.

Completed in 1896, the two-storey palace was once the biggest structure in Papan. Built by Raja Billah for his personal use, it once served as a large gathering house (Rumah Besar) for the Mandailing community.

It was gazetted as a heritage building by the Department of National Heritage in 2012. Sadly, just like the majority of buildings in Papan, the mansion has seen better days.

The mansion was featured in two films. In 1999, it was the location site for one of King Mongkut’s Palace scene from ‘Anna and the King‘. Its ‘haunted’ reputation manifested after the shooting of horror documentary titled ‘Penunggu Istana‘ in 2011.

On 1 February 2025, a signboard was installed, providing information of this historical site to visitors, so as to preserve its legacy. 

According to twins sisters Aziah & Azila Abdullah, 47, (fifth-generation descendants of Raja Billah) the Rumah Besar is accessible to visitors, but the upper floor is closed due to deteriorating wood, leaks, and disturbance by the monkeys. They visit weekly to clean the area and are happy to show visitors the ground floor.

Masjid Lama Papan

Right next to the mansion is one of the oldest mosques in Perak, believed to be built by Raja Billah in 1888.

The Mandailings
Before tin, Papan was originally a lumber town supplying chenggal trees from nearby forests to the local timber industry. It was home to a large Mandailing community from Sumatera who migrated here in the mid-1800s.

In 1876, the British handed Malay-Mandailing chief Raja Asal the right to administer Papan in appreciation of his help during the Perak War uprising. Upon his passing two years later, he was succeeded by his nephew Raja Billah. 

Under Raja Bilah, Papan thrived as an administrative centre for tin mining activities in the Kinta Valley. Well accepted by both the Malays and the Chinese miners, the British appointed Raja Billah as the first Chief Headman (Penghulu) in 1882.

After a fulfilling hour wandering around the deserted Papan Heritage village, we headed for the last item on my list.

St Paul The Hermit & Reservoir

Getting to the reservoir took us longer than expected. Continuing along Main street, we overshot by more than a kilometer, passing abandoned tin mining ponds and the cultivated terraces of Papan Agro Valley and Papan Durian Valley. Established in 2007, Papan Agro Valley grows and distribute fresh produce such as durian, livestock and fish.

After an eye-opening detour, we back tracked and found the turning to the reservoir, followed by a short uphill walk with a herd of cows on sentry duty. Cow stampede averted, we then had to deal with liberal cow droppings at the top.

The vantage point on top of a hillock at the end of Papan town presented views of lush greenery and Papan Agro Valley. In the background, Papan Recreational Forest Reserve looked enchanting with swirls of mist floating above the treetops.

And finally the reservoir which was a bit of let down. It was unkept, dry and not as deep as I expected.

The more interesting discovery was the shrine of St. Paul the Hermit.

Below, I have labelled the key places we visited in and around Papan.

Restore, Conserve & Care

Realising Papan’s historic value, the Papan Heritage Conservation group initiated a program in 2019 to revive the area as a tourist attraction and to preserve its history. For first time visitors, the Papan Heritage Gallery is a good starting point to learn about Papan’s origin and history, complemented by artifacts and old items donated from residents.

While the row of decaying shophouses are undoubtedly the biggest draw, other new attractions include the floor painting alley, New Village History Gallery, the banyan tree rooted in the wall, the Papan Mosque, Raja Billah’s Original House and Sybil Kathigasu Memorial.

History of Papan

1840s	Established as a lumber town by the Mandailing community originally from Sumatera
1875	Assassination of the 1st British Resident of Perak, J.W.W. Birch during the Perak War
1876	Mandailing Chief Raja Asal, awarded the rights to administer the town, in appreciation of his help in quelling the Perak War
1880s	Start of tin mine boom
1882	Raja Billah appointed as the first local chief
1887	Papan Riot – clash between secret societies Ghee Hin & Hai San
1911	Devastating fire, start of decline
1942-5	WWII, insurgents and Japanese occupation
1948	George Medal for Gallantry awarded to war-heroine Sybil Kathigasu
1985	Tin price collapse triggers the final exodus of residents
2019	Revive & preserve Papan’s rich heritage

The town of Papan, derived from the Malay word for plank, is located at the foot of the Kledang range, just off Jalan Lahat, 16km south of Ipoh, in the Kinta district in central Perak. It was once a prosperous town, supplying chenggal trees from nearby forest to the local timber industry and later transforming into a flourishing tin-mining town in the 1800s. 

Radiation Scare

In 1982, a rare earth processing plant set up by Asia Rare Earth Sdn Bhd (ARE) commenced operations at nearby Bukit Merah Industrial Park, Perak. The radioactive waste would then be transported to a dumpsite in Papan!

Rare earth minerals are important elements in a variety of technology-based products - anything with a display screen (TVs and smartphones), speakers, aircraft engines, X-rays and MRI machines, hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as energy-saving light bulbs. However, mining rare earth minerals leaves behind harmful radioactive waste (thorium & uranium) that will stay on the earth for decades.

The repercussions were immediate and tragic. Residents suffered from leukemia, miscarriages and birth defects. When tested, two-thirds of children were found to have high levels of lead in their blood. According to reports, the processing of radioactive materials at Bukit Merah had been associated with 8 cases of leukemia and 7 deaths.

Then ensued a long-drawn battle to shut down the ARE factory and to stop the disposal of radioactive waste in their backyard. Following multiple protests, the proposed dumpsite was relocated further away, in the Kledang Range.

ARE disregarded two court orders (1985 & 1992) to cease operations. The community did not give up, going to Japan and bringing it to the attention of *Mitsubishi Japan. The ARE factory finally shut down in 1994 at the intervention of Mitsubishi Japan and local/ international pressure.

*The ARE factory was set up in Malaysia by Mitsubishi Chemicals, a unit of the Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi in collaboration with the local government. The irony – the technology used was one that was already banned in 1971 in Japan itself! 

The factory decommissioning and decontamination exercise was carried out only 9 years later in 2003 and 2005 respectively.

1982	Asian Rare Earth S/B (ARE) factory begins operations in Bukit Merah New Village
1983	ARE build trenches of a waste dump for storing radioactive waste in Papan
1984	Papan residents stage two protests against proposed location of waste dump First anti-nuclear protest by residents of Papan, Pusing, Lahat, Bukit Merah New Village
1985	Waste disposal site relocated to Kledang Range 5km from Papan town
1987	ARE starts building permanent waste dump in the Kledang Range
1994	Rare earth plant closed
2003/5	Decommissioning and decontamination of factory
2010	Building of a proper underground storage facility begins
2011-4	Decommissioning of LTSF and transfer of waste to NORM (naturally occurring radioactive material) Repository
2017	Project completion

Still Cleaning up…30 years on

Then came another shocking discovery in 2010. The 80,000 200-litre drums containing radioactive waste have since corroded, leaking contaminated water (via rain seepage) into the Long-Term Storage Facility located in the Kledang Range behind Papan town. The periodic draining of the facility contaminated the environment and nearby river.

In January 2011 construction of a proper underground storage facility called an engineered cell (EC) finally started. From 2011 to 2014, the storage facility was decommissioned and all wastes (contaminated equipment, concrete structure, soil and materials) were retrieved, stabilized and disposed of, into a near-surface disposal facility built at the NORM Repository. Source : #NORM2020

Lest we forget, this is a story that needs to be told over and over again

• How a rare earth mining company’s irresponsible disposal of Radioactive Waste endangered the lives of people living in the vicinity.
• How Papan, together with the support of residents from nearby towns fought valiantly to shut down the ARE factory.
• How the price was paid in blood, disease and death.

More details at Chronology of events in the Bukit Merah Asian Rare Earth development

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Pun Chun Restaurant Bidor

Our lunch stop at Bidor to try the famous wanton mee. The taste was average and too pricey at RM12.00 each. We also tried one of the supersized pastry. Again, sub-par.

The small town vibes were not lost on me. Seeing the row of pre-war shophouses and local fruits displayed at a sundry shop, I switched into nostalgic mode, recalling my childhood trips to Raub.

Pinnacle Lake of Malim Nawar

The sky did not look promising with dark clouds hovering above us throughout the hour long drive. It brightened up a little just as we entered the access road to Pinnacle Lake. It did not last😔

This was the gloomy sight that greeted us upon arrival. Though not heavy, the raindrops created ripples, shattering the mirror-like surface and turning the water an insipid grey.

Huddled under my umbrella, I tried to get in as many shots as possible before the rain got heavier. It was an exercise in futility. The whipping rain attacked our umbrellas, upturning them easily.

My shots came out less sharp and too dark.

Q : So what’s the fuss over this off-the-beaten-path destination?
A : nature, otherworldly landscape, an authentic experience and no crowds.

We’re talking about unusual looking limestone formations rising from the depths of abandoned mining pits filled with water.

Mining activities in the 1900s left behind open pits and exposed limestone pinnacles. Partially submerged (due to rain and groundwater) today, Pinnacle Lake offers a tranquil escape against a dramatic landscape of floating rocks in a beautiful lake.

Sculpted by erosion, these natural formations have unique shapes, textures and sizes.

We walked along the water edge in both directions, looking for alternate vantage points for different perspective shots. Our patience was rewarded. The rain eased slightly, the sky brightened, restoring lushness to the surrounding greenery.

NB. The karst formations in Pinnacle Lake are best appreciated by kayaking among the clusters of rock. Unfortunately, the kayak rental company I contacted were busy. Perhaps, if our group was larger, they might have obliged.  

Batu Gajah drive through

We got into Taiping after 7pm.

Roadtrip to Taiping
4 August – Papan – a town frozen in time
5 August – Taiping : the ‘Rain Town’ of Perak
6 August – Victoria Bridge, Kuala Kangsar