Background of Kuala Kangsar

1. Bus Stand 2. Clifford School 3. Clock Tower 4. First Rubber Tree 5. Golf Course 6. Handicraft Center 7. Hentian Sayong Chalet 8. Hospital 9. Hulu Kenas 10. Iskandar Bridge 11. Iskandariah Palace 12. Istana Hulu

13. Keris Monument 14. Ladies Hospital 15. The Malay College 16. Ubudiah Mosque 17. Merdeka Hall 18. Pavillion Square Tower 19. Railway Station 20. King's Pavillion (now SMPRPK) 21. Ridzuaniah Mosque 22. Royal Mousoment 23. Royal Museum 24. Traditional Handicraft Center 25. Traditional 'Pantai Besi' Center 26. Victoria Bridge

50 kilometers from Ipoh is Kuala Kangsar. While the former is the capital of Perak, Kuala Kangsar is the state's royal town. Compared to Ipoh, life in Kuala Kangsar is much more relaxed and slower-paced. It is a town littered with beautiful historical attractions, with beautiful green mountains and the massive Perak river as a backdrop. Ambrose B. Rathborne in his Camping and Tramping in Malaya (1883) wrote that it had "one of the prettiest view in the Straits... overlooking Sungai Perak, up whose beautiful valley an uninterrupted view is obtained."

Before the discovery of tin in the Kinta Valley, Kuala Kangsar was Perak's major town. The Sultan of Perak had already made Kuala Kangsar his residence for quite sometime. The old Istana Kuning has now been converted into the Royal Museum while the Sultan himself keeps his official residence at Iskandariah Palace. Not far from Iskandariah Palace is Ubudiah mosque, an edifice regarded by many as the most beautiful of its kind in the country. On the way to Bukit Candan where both are situated, you can see a majestic colonial building perched on the hillside. This is the King's Pavillion, once the Residency and much later part of MCKK. It housed the youngest batch. Now it houses SM Raja Perempuan Kalsom, formerly known as the Government English Girls School.

The Perak riverside, better known as the Lembah is laced with parks, small handicraft shops, eating stalls and walkways. In the olden days, the Collegians had an affectionate name for the place - 'New York' and frequented the stalls there every weekend.

The main road of the town itself is littered with old Chinese shops, although new shops are slowly making way. The famous Yut Loy restaurant-serving its famous paus is located along the main road. At the end of the road is a roundabout that brings you either to the golf course, the solitary cinema (Lido) or to Clifford School, MCKK's favourite arch-nemesis. Clifford is in fact older than MCKK, having been established in the late 1890's. The school is situated opposite MCKK. Rubber, a commodity once synonomous to Malaya was first planted in Kuala Kangsar, and the country's first rubber tree is maintained a few hundred meters away from the College. On the other side of the road which passes in front of the College is the train station. The train is the traditional way for many Collegians of the past, and to this day the students still do enjoy the train ride every now and then despite the advent of the North-South Highway. It posseses an old world charm to it, making each ride an experience to remember.