Last CNY,
I wanted to take a short family trip with one overnight stay
somewhere not too far from my hometown.
In the end, though, it was just the two of us on a two-day, one-night trip to Taiping.
**P.S. Although there was business class on this ETS train,
we did not take this business class lol!
We took the train from Sungai Petani to Taiping,
and the journey took a little over an hour.
Once we arrived,
we walked to the hotel,
and the old town’s charming streets and historic buildings
made a wonderful first impression.
Taiping is one of Malaysia’s oldest towns,
known for its rich colonial heritage,
beautiful Lake Gardens, and relaxed, nostalgic atmosphere.
Taiping is a small town,
but it has a large shopping mall where we found our luggage at a good price.
We also enjoyed a very local meal at Wah Cheong Roasted Duck.
The roast duck and sausage were really delicious!
Besides the delicious food,
the shop was filled with a nostalgic charm that made the meal feel even more special.
We stayed at Novotel Taiping,
a "standard" choice in terms of both price and location.
It is close to Taiping Mall and within easy reach of the town’s main attractions.
Can’t quite remember which floor we stayed on,
but we had a lovely view from our room.
After a short rest,
we decided to visit the famous Taiping Lake Gardens.
Yes....
we were first greeted by monitor lizards at the lake gardens.
The lake was calm and beautiful,
with reflections of the trees shimmering on the water.
Surrounded by lush greenery and giant rain trees,
Taiping Lake Gardens was a peaceful place to slow down and enjoy the scenery.
Taiping Lake Gardens has several distinct "areas", each with its own character,
like this Taiping Lake Chinese Bridge,
lotus bay....
(everything can be found on Google Maps)
Taiping Zoo is right beside the Lake Gardens,
so we spotted a few animals from the surrounding area without paying to enter.
Since we weren’t planning to visit the zoo,
it was a fun little bonus during our walk.
After nearly two hours of wandering around the Lake Gardens,
we headed out
and treated ourselves to a relaxing tea-time break before heading back to the hotel.
P.S. Spotted a cool nice shop on our way back!!
After a refreshing dip in the hotel pool,
we headed out again to explore more of Taiping.
We visited Clock Tower.
Then Dataran Warisan Taiping.
a heritage square in the heart of town,
where historic buildings and old-fashioned street lamps
create a lovely setting for an evening stroll and photos.
We wandered around that area,
from Menara Jam Bara to local shops...
I was surprised to discover that
Taiping has plenty of murals and art around town now.
Wandering past the colourful walls gave the place a little “mini Penang” feel.
We wanted visit a famous night market,
but unfortunately....
the weather wasn’t on our side....
So we ended up simply having our dinner
at a food court/ coffee shop...
Pusat Makanan 3939!
We tried something that we had never tasted before,
called "Pat's Inchi Cabin"!
The other food we tried there
was pretty good too.
The next morning,
Yi Jing's sister, Chu Yun brought us to the local,
very famous Larut Matang Hawker Center Food Court
for breakfast.
I think it is one of the BIGGEST food court we ever visited...
Many thanks again for bringing us around,
and not to forget,
dropping us at the train station too!
Arne was so happy to find a fridge magnet
for sale at the train station!
Happy ending for this trip!
XOXO
-Bong-
