Taiping(太平), Part One – 七十二变

It has been a long, long week but most fortunately interesting one. July 2006 start with surprises, excitement, astonish …it has been brilliant, so far. Maybe because it is my birthday-month – usually a funny month because people who greets me “Happy Birthday” kinda change these couple of years, with only one exception, my insurance agent, haha!!! But amazingly, some greetings can be of far and from most unlikely person. If I could say something here, it will be Terima Kasih, Thank you, Go raibth maith agat, ありがとう, Nandri, 감사합니다, Dank u!

But honestly, it is going back to Taiping again that makes early July such a special moment. Taiping, 太平(tai4 ping2), might well be the first and only town in Malaysia named after a Chinese name – if you read kanji or Chinese, it literarily means “Eternal Peace”. I live all my life some 40 minutes bus ride away from this town. Spent much of my wonderful childhood time here – mostly with grandpa, walking into toy-department, my first KCF meal, or devoured the hot-steamed kacang kuda on our way back, totally unaffected by the uneasy ride in diesel-powered Red&Yellow Omni bus*.

Anyway, the七十二变(qi1 shi2 er3 bian4) or “72 transformations” does not refer to my childhood experience, nor the power of 孙悟空(sun1 wu3 kong1) in “Journey To The West”. I am referring to 72 hair-pin bends one will “enjoy” before reaching the summit of Maxwell Hill, or Bukit Larut, 1250m a.s.l. Believe it or not, this is only my third trip to Maxwell Hill, some 10 years apart. Just had too much of its Lake Garden, clock tower, Matang hawker center, zoo, museum? Haha!

Uphill, most visitors will hang out around 1000m level where most hill resorts are located. Founded some 100 years ago this is the first and oldest hill resort in Malaysia, once a perfect get-away for colonial high-ranked officers where they felt just like home. Home – all thanks to average of 20 degree Celsius uphill, breath-taking clouds shift through the mountains, high concentration of flora and fauna in undisturbed forest. You may not like the 200 inches of rain a year, but its tropical RAIN forest, no?

More later.

*Red &Yellow Omni bus shuffled between Kuala Kangsar and Taiping. Padang Rengas, my hometown, is somewhere in between, but closer to KK.


In the R&Y bus, heading towards town centre. The bus doesn't change a bit. I can even recognize some ticket operator!


Just outside of bus station. Opposite Nagoya Textile House is The Store supermarket. My toy-department :p


Inside Land Rover, looking out. Tea Garden(656m), is where sometimes driver stop over to, well, have some tea :) Experience the ride, HERE!



Speedy bunglow, the highest government-owned resort. Less crowded, closer to the summit (2 km hike)


Jisu, enjoying the view