Taiping Holidayz

We decided to go to Taiping for the ongoing mid-term school holidays. My last visit to Taiping was about 15 years ago. The journey from Sg. Buloh to Taiping took us about 3 hours inclusive of the umpteen coffee and ciggy breaks.

Our choice of lodging was at Flemington Hotel which sits at the edge of the Taiping Lake Garden, about 5 minutes from the town itself. We got the lake-view rooms and it is very highly recommended that you request for one too if you intend to stay here. Waking up in the morning with the lakes, trees & hills as a backdrop view is priceless. The hotel is reasonably priced with excellent service to boot…right from the security guards to the housekeeping maids. The staffs accommodated all our whims & fancies and made the stay a memorable one. They have 4 F&B outlets, namely the RainTree Cafe, Lounge, Sky Bar and a Chinese Restaurant. The place is less than 2 years old. I made full use of the lounge to get reacquainted with Kahlua & Bailey’s Cream after some beer in the pool. The rooftop pool was also a nice place to chill out. I would only be staying there next time.

view from the Chinese Restaurant

view from RainTree Cafe

RainTree Cafe

lounge

lounge

SkyBar

Just a friendly reminder to folks planning to visit the Taiping Zoo…just forget about the much hyped Night Safari (even though I’ve not taken that Safari). The animals are not going to pose in the dark for you, they have to do the same during the morning shift too and taking pictures in the dark is never easy. You will be able to fully experience and enjoy the Ecological settings of the zoo much better during daylight. They even have train rides going through its enclaves in the morning. The storks are free to roam wherever they wish to go and that is what wildlife is all about. It’s also situated in the Lake garden area and about 3 minutes from Flemington.

The Maxwell Hill(Bukit Larut)  is about 3 minutes from Flemington. The Burmese pool is also located there. I decided to forego this one cause I wanted to be there by 7.30AM to catch the land rovers that will be taking you up the hills. The thought of rounding up the crew at that time was not an easy task…next time, maybe. 

The other place that we visited was Bukit Merah lake town resort. The fastest route from Flemington will be the straight road via Jalan Kamunting Lama and thence the Plus Highway (12 o’clock at the Kamunting roundabout as you’re heading out of town. It’s the next exit after Taiping, heading North. The place opens at 10AM. It is advisable to visit the Orangutan sanctuary, Eco-park and all the other rides before you go to the water park. The Orangutan’s bear an uncanny resemblance to us humans, right to the finger nails. I didn’t know that the females menstruate when they come of age and unfortunately for these primates they’re not spared from getting most of man’s dreaded disease i.e. heart complications, diabetes, kidney etc. As usual, outside food is not allowed but you can carry all these food stuffs and eat them along the way. The only place where it’s fully restricted is at the water park. They will safely store your eateries when you enter the site and return it upon your exit. If you’re going there, please remember to rent a 2 seater float at the entrance, it will safe you the long journey back from the pool area as you need them for some of the rides. A lot of souvenir’s can be purchased at the food stalls here...ladies accessories & fridge magnets are in abundance.

Orangutan Sanctuary

some of the animals at the Eco-park

The king cobra: the blurry stain of it's venom is visible on the tank.

Last but not least is the lake garden itself. It’s a must see if you’re going to Taiping. There are plenty of greeneries and lakes here to keep a nature lover like me grinning from ear to ear. It’s one of the largest gardens that I have come across. On weekends, it’s the place where newly weds come to take their after wedding photos. I witnessed at least 15 entourages while I was there on Sunday. 

Overall Taiping offers a variety of places to explore with lots of food available at cheap prices. It’s also a shopping haven for clothes and other fashion accessories. I will definitely be back for more.