Taiping

Culture and History

The name Taiping is made up of two Chinese characters 太 (tai - 'great') and 平 (ping - 'peace'). The discovery of tin deposits in the area in the 19th century attracted settlers from China, who were organised into two feuding groups around the Cantonese Ghee Hin(義興) society and the Hakka Hai San (海山) society. British intervention in the early 1870's put an end to the feuding and the town, which used to be known as Klian Pauh, acquired its present name. The British made Taiping the administrative centre for the state of Perak in 1875. The town served this function until 1937 when the state capital was moved to Ipoh.

The town sits on a coastal plain at the foothills of the Bintang Range. This topography is responsible for the copious rainfall for which the town is known. An umbrella is not needed though as most of the time, it is just a drizzle. Locals do not wonder whether it will rain on a particular day, they wonder what time it will rain.

Travel to Taiping - Visa Requirements

By air

Penang International Airport is about one and a half hour's drive from Taiping. Kuala Lumpur International Airport is about a four hour drive south via the North-South Expressway

By road

Taiping is easily accessible from the PLUS North-South Expressway. From Penang (90 km) Kamunting is the nearest exit, whilst Changkat Jering is the most convenient exit from the motorway if you are travelling north from Ipoh (70 km).

Taiping is well connected to the rest of Peninsular Malaysia by express buses, which arrive at and depart from the long distance bus station at Kamunting (6 km from the town centre) as well as Simpang (7km from the town centre). Buses also travel direct from Taiping to Singapore and Hat Yai.

Southbound buses usually depart from Kamunting and call along Simpang (Medan Simpang) to pick up a few more passengers from Simpang before heading to the highway via Changkat Jering interchange. Bus tickets are available from counters located at Medan Kamunting and Medan Simpang.

By rail

Keretapi Tanah Melayu (formerly known as Malayan Railway) operates a number of daily services along the main north-south line which stops at Taiping station. One service, the Ekspres Langkawi, connects Taiping with Hat Yai.

Tours and Getting around Taiping

The compact town center is easily explored on foot. For trips further afield (e.g. to Maxwell Hill, the long-distance bus station at Kamunting, the Matang Mangrove Reserve), taxis are available for hire. Stage buses fan out in all directions serving the suburbs and the rural hinterland.

Taiping tourist attractions and sightseeing

• Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut) - a quiet hill station with an altitude of about 1000 m. Access is along a narrow single-track paved road on a fleet of dilapidated four-wheel drives run by the municipality. Accommodation is available in a couple of resthouses and a small number of bungalows.

• Taiping Lake Gardens - public gardens created out of abandoned surface tin mines. A series of interconnected ponds surrounded by flower beds, lawns, flowering shrubs and trees and playgrounds. Famous for a stretch of road lined by century-old rain trees (Samanea saman) whose branches arch down to the water's edge.

• Taiping Zoo and Night Safari Taiping zootaiping@zootaiping.gov.my [1] - the first zoo to be established in Malaysia. Packed at weekends with day-trippers from out of town.
  • Daytime zoo: adults RM12, child (3 to 12 years) RM8, discounts available for school groups, senior citizens (55+), tourist groups (20+ pax); open 08:30-18:00, feeding times 10am and noon.
  • Night safari: adults RM16, child (3 to 12 years) RM10, discounts available for senior citizens (55+) and tourist groups (20+ pax); open 20:00-23:00, except closes at midnight on Saturdays and eve of public holidays.

• Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve - forty acres of mangrove forest reserve. You will get to see a variety of flora and fauna in this undisturbed forest.

Taiping city tours

A stroll through the town can be a pleasant experience. You are mostly protected from the elements by the arcades on both sides of the road, a typical architectural feature in most Southeast Asian towns. Some of the older buildings have retained their stucco façades with picturesque wooden shutters. Sticking out incongruously amongst these traditional two-storey brick and plaster buildings are more modern buildings, some of them rising four or five storeys. The bluish-green hills of the Bintang Range, their summits often shrouded in cloud, are visible everywhere from the town when you look east. As you stroll in that direction, the urban landscape quickly gives way to the refreshing view of the Lake Gardens, with the hills still dominating the background.

Taiping souvenirs and shopping

You can buy local fresh fruit.

Taiping Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Taiping is famous for its cheap delicious hawker spreads. Notable among them are:

• Roti Canai Bismillah Restaurant, Hawker's Center
• Nasi Briani ex Kantin Polis - infront POS
• Laksa at the Food Court beside the Lake Gardens
• Ice Cream - Foodstalls Belakang Bomba
• Popiah - Foodstalls @ bawah supermarket, Prima Coffee Shop
• Wan Tan Mee - Larut Matang Food Court, Prima Coffee Shop, Tong Ah Coffee Shop (next to the wet market)
• Char Keuy Teow - Hawker's center
• Tim Sum - Kum Loong Restaurant (Jalan Kota - few lots away from Panorama Hotel) and Kong Meng (behind Panorama Hotel)
• Curry Mee - Prima Coffee Shop
• Cendol - Behind Bismillah Restaurant
• Ais Kacang - Larut Matang Food Court
• Combat Mee Goreng - Larut Matang Food Court
• Mee Rebus - Larut Matang Food Court
• Satay (near Pokok Assam market)
• Clay Pot Chicken Rice - Hawker's center
• Nasi Lemak
• Lobak
• Yong Tau Foo (near Fire Station also known as Belakang Bomba)

The best reference point for most of the eating places is the Panorama Hotel/The Store shopping centre. The wet market is beside the hotel with the Larut Matang Food Court located behind the wet market. Tong Ah Coffee Shop (with its Wantan Mee) is located beside the wet market. Prima Coffee Shop (there are 2 Primas which face each other - you decide which one you prefer) and Kum Loong Restaurant (Tim Sum) is located a short stroll along Jalan Kota (the road fronting the hotel and the wet market) from the hotel.

Taiping nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

• Mountain ice drink ( like ais kacang ) at Larut Matang Food Court

Taiping cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

Accommodation is available in a number of hotels, including:

• Hotel Meridian - rates start from RM68

• Hotel Seri Malaysia (a little far away from town area)

• New Champagne Hotel - 17, Jalan Lim Swee Aun, tel+fax: 05-806 5060 info@newchampagnehotel.com [2] - rates start at RM58, which gets you an air-con room with double bed, very small TV (cable/movie channels but no remote) and private bathroom (hot shower, cold sink, western toilet). No minibar, no lift. Reasonable value, clean albeit not spotless.

• Panorama Hotel, ☎ (605) 808 4111, [3]. Panorama Hotel situated right in the very heart of Taiping admist shopping centers, department stores and supermarkets, the Panorama Hotel offer guests a home away from home;The Hotel is located in the heart of town with 80 rooms, is wall to wall carpeted and centrally air-conditioned; No. 61-79, Jalan Kota.34000 Taiping.Perak Darul Ridzuan,Malaysia.rate starts at RM 78.20 Nett.  

Cheaper alternatives are available in traditional Chinese-run hotels in the town centre.

HOMESTAY also available, at Simpang area, which is a suburban area to Taiping. the enviroment is very nice and peaceful, just like the name of Taiping (mean peaceful in Chinese). That is a fully furnished bunglo house. Contact: 012-501 0402 or 012-508 6113

tel: 013-5304869 or 013-5525143 or 05-5453260 lokmanwati@yahoo.com. The location is nearby to the Maxwell Hill side with the tropical rain forest. Waterfall which is known as Burmesse Pool is about 150 meters from the house. Those who are looking for condusive environment are welcome. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, balcony, kitchen and hall. Musalla only 30 meters opposite to the house and mosque about 500 meters.

There is another HOMESTAY available near the Taiping Train station, tel 012-5122980 or 017-5126133, mailto:ynyong@hotmail.com. This newly bungalow has 4 fully air-con bedrooms with 2 bathrooms, kitchen with refrigerator, hot & cold filtered water dispenser, living hall with TV and sofa, and with plenty of car parking spaces. Pls refer to web sites below for more info. http://www.propnet.com.my/property/8009

Get out

• Ipoh, the state capital, known for good Malaysian food.
• Pangkor, known for its quiet beaches.
• Bukit Merah, which houses a theme park and the only Orang Utan Island in the country.
• Penang, a food paradise. Also colored with rich history and many beaches.

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