Monday, August 17, 2015

Taiping time

One last wee trip before summer break ended. Taiping is on the mainland, just under two hours' drive from Penang.  It is the home of former tin mines, now converted into a beautiful lake area, and of the country's oldest hill station, where [privileged, foreign] people went to cool off.  Besides the lake and the hill, which is known as Bukit Larut and, formerly, Maxwell Hill, people travel to Taiping these days for its' zoo and its mangrove tour.  We went for the hill climb.

The travel guides speak of a scenic forest trail leading to a tea house at 5 kilometers, where you can refresh yourselves and make the choice whether to carry on to the top or not.

We chose a hotel very near the foot of the hill, Sentosa Villa--a very relaxing place in a large and well kept garden setting















Here is the lake

and the drive along the lake. We missed the the opportunity to take a paddle boat out.

We passed by the zoo and saw siamang (apes) walking by out front! My first sighting in Malaysia.  Escapees?

So, we started out for the hike, and when the ranger station at the foot of the hill announced, "no trail,  no tea house," we set out on the paved road.
at the ranger station
It's a private road, used only by park land rovers.  Steep, narrow, lovely foliage.  Great ferns

We found the road not as unrelenting as Penang Hill, and when we reached the defunct tea house, decided to carry on to the top of the hill.

Made it!  Six miles...

Taiping is the rainiest place in the whole country.  We were very lucky.  The rain waited until we were at the top of the hill, and had a bus shelter to sit in
We sat and watched the rain, hoping for a Land Rover to appear to take us back down--it did!

In the evening we went into Taiping town for some great hawker food.  The highlight was famous Omar"s po piah--think spring rolls but smaller and spicy. Mmmmmmmm
the master at work

The food court

And, to accompany your food, water from The Source: 


Seen in the Taiping Mall--a beauty contest
















and
ah the elusive adverb

The town is charming, small, lined with old shophouses like these--well, not all with such intriguing signs):

 Back at the bungalow, our second and last evening on the porch

Back to Penang, to school and the old grind.  Our car passed a milestone--that's kilometers, but still... Hopefully it will last another two years!!








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