Day trip to Taiping

Wow it's been so long since I have made a new posting. Noting much to write mah!!

OK , this time around I had some spare time on my hand and have decided to travel to Taiping yesterday (7 December). Why Taiping? well, there are various reasons:

• The rest of my family was off to Genting, I have been there so few time and I have got fed up of that place.
• Taiping was always mentioned by our fellow blogger Chuah Lye Hock
• Taiping is the hometown to a few nice people that I know
• Taiping has not been visit by me for a long time, hearing and reading about the changes at that town made me curious for a visit.
• Taiping can be reached in a day's travel, have fun and come back without having to spend a night there.

So off I go from my house just before 7.00 a.m., fill up my petrol tank and the first stop was Lata Kinjang. Where's this place? Well if you are traveling along the North South Highway after Tapah, you would notice a waterfall on the right side of the road. I was always curious about that nice waterfall which look magnificent but did not have the opportunity to visit it.

To reach the waterfall you have to turn off at Tapah and go to Chenderiang village and you will reach the waterfall. The waterfall is 800 feet high and one of the two highest watefall in Malaysia. The water was constantly splashing down with its roaring sound. No one was at that place when I reach there except the orang asli who were staying around that area. As usual, the ugly Malaysian littered the surrounding area of the waterfall with rubbish.

Next stop was Kampar where I had my breakfast, it was my father's hometown and in my younger days, we used to stop here to visit his aunt. But all of them are either dead or have moved to KL, no one in Kampar to visit now.

From Kampar, it was straight to Taiping. The last time I visited Taiping was during my audit assignment there which was in 1995, 10 years seem not so long a go because the condition of the town looks almost the same the last time I left there. Panaroma Hotel, which is the hotel that I stayed was still there, Fajar supermarket there, BCB branch next to the clock tower was still there. The only major changes were, the flyover just after Simpang, the big Public Bank branch which was converted from Public Finance Taiping. I took a drive around the town just to reminisce the last time I was there.

A must visit place in Taiping is the Lake Gardens. I noticed from the sign board that Taiping Lake Garden is the oldest lake garden in Malaysia. One thing that I like about the place is that it is very well kept by the town council. Another thing was the lovely old tress that have matured in this garden long before I was born.

Then off to Maxwell Hill or Bukit Larut which is now known. This my first time there. There are two ways of going up to the peak of the hill which has an elevation of slight more than 1,000 meters, walking up or take a ride on their Land Rovers. I took the latter instead and wow, what a ride. I have been to Cameron Highlands and Frasers Hill where you can drive up in your car. At Maxwell Hill, the road can only accommodate just one vehicle at one time and it really require a skill drive to drive up. Why? There are a total of 72 tight twisting hairpin corners leading up the high. The hairpin corners are almost 300 degrees turn and coupled with the slopping turn, even Micheal Schumacher will find it difficult to maneuver up this road. it took half an hour to reach the top and wow, the place is great even though there are not many houses or bungalows there. Took some photos there and waited for the next ride down the hill. The weather was cool and was foggy which blocked off the view of Taiping town from the hill. Then as usual, being the wettest town in Malaysia, it started raining.

Next lunch in town where I was recommended by Chuah to have the fried koey teow at stall 78 at the casual market. I was there slightly soak wet and cold. When the food was served, the taste was great where the warm reached my mouth and into my stomach on a cold, wet raining day in Taiping.

After the meal, it was already 3.00 p.m. where I have to start my journey home. Non stop rain all along the highway. Guess what I was driving down the highway at 120 to 130 kph on the wet highway. No problem, it was thrilling but I do know the danger. Once in a while I have to raise the adrenalin in my body to keep me excited.

The heavy rain took its toll at the roads of KL where I was stuck in a jam from Jalan Duta right up to Jalan Cheras before reaching home at 8.30 p.m.

For more photos of my trip please visit my photoblog.