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W o r d s & I m a g e s :
E d w i n K o h
The quaint little town of Taiping boasts tranquil surrounds,
rich history andwonderful gastronomic adventures.
Welcome to the Town
of
Everlasting Peace
THE FIREFLY OPTION:
Fireflyflies to Ipoh fromSingapore. Informationon routes and
schedules canbe found atwww.fireflyz.com.my
W
e
hadjustentered
Taiping – reput-
edly Peninsular
Malaysia’s wet-
test town with
an average an-
nual rainfall of
about 4,000mm– andwere eager to lay eyes
on those magnificent angsana trees, which
have graced many pre-wedding albums.
Indeed, the Taiping Lake Gardens were
“peace and security”, and this was in stark
contrast to the many wars that dotted the
town’s colourful past. Nineteenth century
tales often recounted clashes between rival
Chinese societies overmining rights. Taiping
also stoodon theBritish lineof retreat during
the Japanese invasion of Malaya.
Despite (or perhaps, because of) its dark
past, there were no signs of waning tourist
arrivals at a town that was a good three
hours from Kuala Lumpur.
Trees arching over a road at the Taiping Lake Gardens
the town’s crown jewel, and we were suf-
ficiently awed by the century-old trees with
branches that arched over the road and
bowed reverently towards the surface of
the lake.
The public garden had been converted
from an abandoned mining site and was
the first to be established inMalaya in 1880.
The entire surrounds were impeccably
maintained till this day.
TheChinese characters forTaipingmeant