My Taiping

I was browsing when I saw this beautiful photo. And I immediately knew where this was taken. Taiping lake gardens, of course. And I was somewhat compelled to write about the town.

Taiping (we locals call it Tepen) was developed by the British because of the abundance of tin. It was the first town to have a swimming pool, The Coronation pool, at the foot of Bukit Maxwell (tak tahu ada lagi ke tidak pool tu pun).

It has the first lake garden and the zoo. If you had not been to the lake garden, you simply must go, at least once. Many times it has been called the most beautiful lake garden in Malaysia with branches of old trees covering the roads like canopies. Simply gorgeous.

(photo from denslee.com)

It has the first port, Port Weld now called Kuala Sepetang. And the first museum too. It is also the place with the most rainfall in Malaysia. Out of nowhere you'd get rain. Clouds around the tops of Maxwell Hills are somewhat a permanent fixture.

From town center you can see the green hills, the waterfall (I cant remember what waterfall is called) and puffy clouds with blue skies. It is beautiful, trust me.

A friend once asked me for the to-do-things in Taiping. I had problem with the request because I dont do things in Taiping. It is simply the place where I grew up and where I visit my mum. It is just home to me.

I took quite some time to come up with the list. I had ten things not to be missed (if I can recall them all here) ~
1. Lake Garden (of course) - seriously the most beautiful lake garden if you ask me. You only have to look at the photos to believe.
2. Zoo & Night Safari - the zoo is passable. My mum's comment of the night safari - buat kacau binatang kat dalam tu nak tidur je!
3. Burmese Pool - a nice, shaded place where you can wade and swim (it is not a swimming pool per se but a stream with cool / cold water)
4. Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill) - you can only get to the top on the land rover services provided. Or walk (we used to do this as teenagers during school break)
5. Muzium
6. Kuala Sepetang - was a busy tin port but now a fishing port
7. Railway Station - an old and rundown building, but the first railway station in Malaysia I am told
8. Wet Market - bustling place with fresh stuff where afternoons are filled with 'judi hujan' (they bet to see if it will rain)
(I cant remember the last two)

Things are still cheap in Taiping. And I mean cheap cheap. Compared to city prices. I am told the food is great too (but I wouldnt know - food from my mum's kitchen has always been scrumptious). But dont just take my words, you've got to visit. You'll fall in love too with the greens, the clean air and the easy pace of the place.

(photo from Wiki)

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