Taiping
Tues 9th Sept
I got up early enough to slowly drink my coffee and pack my rucksack. I said goodbye to ‘D’ and headed off towards the railway station. I stopped to have a milk tea. The lady who has served me before asked where I was from. England I said. My son lives in Nottingham, she said.
At the station I was directed towards the ticket machine. Very up to date. I needed 2 attempts..!! Various screen selections; paid using my Monzo card; and out came the ticket…I was very pleased with myself.
I got to the station early because I was afraid the Kommuter train could be packed. In the end it left bang on time at 10:55 and it was only half full. The journey was only 50 mins to Taiping, so I was pleased I went for the 6.80RM Kommuter fare instead of the 30RM fancy train fare.
I came out of the station at Taiping, walked to the main and branched left into the town. I walked slowly, taking it all in and looking for any hotels. 1st one Cherry Inn was only 80.00 but the guy annoyed me by saying I would need to take my shoes off and my rucksack. I refused as I only wanted to see the room. What I was really looking for was a hotel with a rooftop terrace/garden.
The next hotels were nicer but of course a bit more expensive. I decided on having one more try with Knight Alley before going back to Cherry. Knight A was great and a bit cheaper at 75RM so I went for it. Of course it’s 75 + 10 + 3 taxes. That was fine. But I needed to leave a 50 key deposit that would be returned when I left.
Great room but only weird thing is that the toilet is up against the window facing the street. Fortunately it was a frosted window. A first for me, but life/travelling is all about ‘1st s’ …!! I got into my shorts and went to the Lake area. Beautiful/relaxing and I had a little stroll. I’ll explore more later…
I wandered around town a bit before returning to the hotel. It was humid so I needed a shower. But I was also feeling hungry. I walked around looking for the bar that I’d seen earlier in the day…but no luck. I stopped at a restaurant and had a fried rice dish; it was very spicy and hot, so perfect. I don’t know if I’m eating Chinese or Thai; Malay cuisine is not obvious.
I found a restaurant around the corner that sold big bottles of Tiger, so it was a good end to the day. I had 3 of them..!!! The guys were great and gave me a box of playing cards as a present. Although I’m very grateful, it’s quite heavy in terms of my
limited rucksack space.
I think it was after 18:00 and I went back to my room. Time to relax and take in all the different experiences from Malaysia. Oh, I remembered it was aunt Mary’s birthday and I recorded a video wearing my zebra shirt to send ro cousin Renato to forward to Mary.
What on earth is going on…is this crazy or what ??
Wed 10th Sept.
I got going early again. Had a coffee and a bun with a weird filling…but tasty. I walked around the lake park to the start of the walk to Bukit Larut…or Maxwell hill in British days. Built in 1884 for their officers, it’s the oldest hill retreat in Malaysia and is just over 1,000m above sea level. Ladies were carried up in sedan chairs in those days, and although the bungalows are still preserved, I didn’t get that far.
I walked through the main gate and no entrance charge was required. I got to a signboard that gave me 2 options…left and right. I went for right, because although it looked steeper, it seemed to be the more direct route. It was certainly steep…almost vertical.
I really wasn’t prepared for such a hike; I was wearing my flip flops !!! Fortunately there were lots of tree roots providing firm under foot purchase, and the ground was dry. This climb was literally through the forest. I often had to pull myself up grabbing tree roots and branches.
There was no respite from the vertical climb, but I felt I had to keep going. It was well over an hour before the path met the tarmac road, and reached it dripping in sweat. I kept going upwards for about 15 minutes and reached a roadside shelter where there was a group of people who offered me two cups of tea. In the meantime I took my shirt off to not only allow my body to dry off, but my shirt to dry as much as possible.
Ok, my legs were tired, but once again my lungs/breathing was absolutely fine; I think I only sat down once when I saw a conveniently positioned log. After a 25 minute rest at the shelter I started walk down the tarmac road. I couldn’t have walked back down through the forest anyway, as my flip flop straps would’ve broken under the downward pressure.
The walk down took almost as long as the walk up, because the road followed a very windy route. And, it was still pretty steep and I didn’t want to risk slipping or tripping. Back at the gate the ground levelled off and tiredness of my legs really kicked in.
But what an achievement, what an adventure. There was no intention for it to be a challenge, but it certainly turned out that way. I took a pic from the top and was amazed at how far I’d walked vertically. The sign at the bottom said it was a vertical hike; that was the clue and warning. !!!
I walked slowly around the lake park and to the hotel. I relaxed, had a shower, and went to ask if I could use the massage chair. I experienced my first mechanical massage; it felt quite rough at first, but there are lots of settings you can adjust.
After my 15 minutes was up, I went to my room to get ready to go out. Unfortunately it started to rain heavily. I waited in reception for a while, but when it looked like the rain wasn’t subsiding, I got going with my umbrella. When it’s really warm you don’t mind walking through puddles in flip flops. Amazingly I found the bar I was looking all over for, on the day before. I told the guy, and he said he’d closed early due to lack of customers.
I ordered a Tiger then another. Then the subject of food came up and chicken was mentioned. I said yes, thinking it would come with rice or noodles, but it was just deep fried chicken with a spicy sauce. I took a pic of it in the wok with the young lady squeezing the pre prepared mixture on it. When it was served it was hot and tasted superb.
In the meantime I got talking to a very friendly guy on the next table. He gave me a piece of his chicken which was coated in a different sauce…equally delicious. Then he started reaching across and pouring beer from his table into my glass. Okay, it was a different beer but they are all pretty much the same.
Everyone was smiley and friendly and happy and there was a great atmosphere and a really good end to the day. Thunder and lightening but I was under cover and enjoying the ambience.
I was introduced to a lady who came and sat next to me and used her translator app to say a few things. Then I was asked to give her 20RM…which I did…and she went off. I didn’t understand what it was all about, but didn’t ask any questions as it was only about £3.50. I’ve got a lot to learn about local customs…!!!
In a state of near inebriation I walked back to my room. I was very happy at Knight Alley and more than happy with Taiping, that I’d extended my stay by one day to Friday.
Thurs 11th Sept
I got going eventually. I’d soaked a shirt overnight. I went to the seating area and had a coffee and one of those bun things. I was very happy and decided to stay the whole weekend. Reception said the weekend was fully booked, so I extended to Friday but had to check out on Saturday.
It was a day to relax. I went to the lake park and found a secluded spot to lay in the hot sun. After an hour and a half I walked into town to find some accommodation for Sat/Sun.
The first hotel I called into was Axlite and although a lesser standard, the room was fine and cheaper. Back to Knight Alley where I paid for Friday. I took it easy. I had a session on the massage chair. I ironed my shirt. I could see the rain clouds forming and decided to head for the same restaurant as the day before.
I asked what food was on offer but the manager said the lady wasn’t cooking that day. I said I would have a couple of beers, go out to eat and come back. I was on my second beer when he came over with a bag of thighs and a bag with one drumstick. I asked how much, but he said it was on the house. The gentle nature, the generosity of these people knows no bounds.
The chicken was delicious. Then the rain came down…torrential. I waited and waited in the hope it would subside. Whatever, I had my umbrella and it wasn’t far to the hotel so I wouldn’t get too wet. The rain did stop and I walked back to the hotel.
I did a FB post of my vertical climb, and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Fri 12th Sept
Actually, I had a terrible night’s sleep….just drifting in an out and thinking too much. At 08:30 I slowly got myself together. I had a coffee and a strawberry jam type of filling in a roll in the seating area.
After 10:00 I had a gentle stroll in town and headed towards the train station to check on times of komuter trains to Butterworth. So, every 2 hours…09:47, 11:47, 13:47…. It’ll be good to catch the early one on Monday if possible.
Then back into town, but keeping an eye out for a tailor to sew up the shoulders of my zebra shirt. Back to my hotel for a rest…my calves are still sore after the vertical climb. I took it easy as it was beginning to rain heavily.
I left just after 15:00, partly to try again for a tailor, and also to look for somewhere to eat some food. No luck with the tailor but some chicken being Bbqd caught my eye and I checked there was some satay sauce to accompany it. Success. !!! 6 little skewers of tasty chicken and delicious satay…for just over £1.
From there it was over to my regular place for a Tiger or 2. I was still feeling peckish so I ordered prawn curry and rice; not a lot of choice, but it forces you to try something different. I was given some type of deep fried flat fish (about the size of the palm of your hand), by a kind lady. Not sure yet to what extent you’re supposed to reciprocate.
And then back to my room for an early night. I’m glad to be staying on in Taiping because my right leg needs more time to recover from the hike. I thought my alarm was going off, but it was Phil phoning around 11pm..!! Had a good chat for nearly an hour.
Sat 13th Sept.
I had a better night’s sleep. I washed, packed and had my coffee and bun and checked out. I was reimbursed my 50RM deposit. I thanked the ladies in reception and walked the 5 minutes to Axlite.
The room isn’t great (small) compared to Knight A, but much cheaper and will suffice for 2 nights. 103RM..or £18 per night, with a/c and drinking water provided.
My mission was to try to get to Kuala Sepetang. The receptionist said there were no buses but I read that there were.
The bus terminal was only 10 minutes away and I found that there were buses. I had just missed the 10:10 but there was another one just over half an hour later. It cost 2.40, or 50pence, and took 30 minutes and I was the only passenger the whole way.
I aimed for a return bus an hour later, so gave myself an hour to see the town. A coastal town still known by some by its colonial namenof Port Weld.It’s a thriving fishing village intersected by tributeries. The houses went down to the water’s edge and there were lots of boats moored. Maybe they only go out at night ?? The water was dirty/muddy. The streets were narrow and littered with little shrines.
There was one big temple…the Turtle Temple. Quite a few houses producing some food for passers by. Apart from that there wasn’t much else. I went back over the arched bridge…which is used by both pedestrians and motorcycles…and headed slowly to the bus stand.
The driver earlier had said the return was 1 hour. He repeated it. But as I had to wait, I wondered if he meant I o’clock. I only had to wait 25 mins and the bus arrived at 12:40. 3 passengers this time but it still took only 30 minutes.
I went straight back to the hotel and relaxed in my new room. I had a chat with the receptionist and went walkabout. I didn’t want to arrive too early at the bar. I saw a I ‘love’ Taiping sign. I saw a tailor not far from the bar so I knew where to go to fix my zebra shirt. And then I walked around the corner into my bar.
I wasn’t hungry, but had my 2 beers. Then I had my zebra shirt shoulders fixed/sewn up for 2RM..or, 35pence. I went next door for something different. I don’t know what I ate but it was delicious !! I had a beer there as well and bought a packet of popadom munchies for my room.
Before reaching my room I popped into a place called Capitol, not realising it was a nightclub. I had an expensive Tiger and went back to my Axlite room.
Sun 14th Sept
I had a very good sleep. I realise, looking back, that the bed and pillow were rather uncomfortable at Knight A. I didn’t get going until after 10:00. I walked and walked and eventually settled on a place for a tea. I ordered hot, milk tea…that’s not what I got. I got a choc/coffee mix…but I didn’t make a fuss…at least it was hot.
Then I headed to the lake park. I had a very pleasant walk, and the water lillys were absolutely beautiful. I went to the same area as a couple of days ago and lay in the sun for 45 minutes. A chilled day; I bought a small bottle of water and went to my room.
I washed my zebra shirt, had a shower and went across the road for a nasi goreng ayam…basically it is chicken and rice. I had a slow wander and ended up at my favourite bar/restaurant before 16:00.
A couple of beers; good company; 2 x fried chicken legs on the house; a piece of chicken from the next table…all good fun.
The convivial atmosphere made me drink 4 beers…a lot. A guy had brought in a fresh fish which the lady chef from Myanmar cooked up. I had some of the soup and mushroom which was incredibly delicious.
4 beers was enough, and I went back to my room before 19:00. A chiĺled day.
Mon 15th Sept
My bed is very comfortable; I’m sleeping well. I paid for 2 more nights; the same rate as the weeked, although I was expecting it to be a bit cheaper. I washed my check shirt.
I really fancied a tea/coffee. I settled for a coffee in a smart café. My cappuccino, which I thought cost 12RM, actually cost 15RM because I chose to have soya milk.
I headed off to the lake park. I walked along/through a different area this time, so I’ve covered the whole park now. Lots of water, trees, little bridges, water lillys, birds….beautiful.
My other mission for the day was to find an ATM; it took me while to even find a bank. The machines at the first one didn’t recognise my card, but I was able to draw 1,000..about £180 from the second one. I went back to my room briefly then headed virtually across the road to the covered market full of food kiosks.
I really fancied noodles, so I had a Mee Bihun. Noodles in a soup with half an egg, some veg, a little piece of chicken, some sort of bread, and crunchy stuff. Spicy, tasty and surprisingly filling. From there I walked slowly to my ‘pub’. I was there from around 4pm to 6pm. In addition to my 3 Tigers I had 2 tiny shots of Grants whiskey that was offered to me. And I was offered a little bit of birthday chocolate cake by a lady a couple of tables away. I went over and thanked her.
Another good day.
Tues 16th Sept.
I took my time getting going. 1st mission of the day was to find a proper milk tea and order it using the proper terminology…Teh Tarik.!! I failed, because the restaurant I went into only sold Chinese tea. I stayed anyway. 2 little cups come in a bowl of hot water; I guess you are getting the choice of hot or cold…I don’t know.
I returned to my room and grabbed my kikoi and walked over to the lake park. At the first bridge there was a lady in a very interesting ‘outfit’ having her photo taken. I lay in the sun for a short time. Back at the hotel I ironed my check shirt and spoke to Linda in NZ. I showered and rushed off to get something to eat.
I returned to the same covered market. I had a bihun again but it was totally different. No soup but chicken, and the noodles were vermicelli style…absolutely delicious for 6RM..£1 basically.
I checked with the tailor if he could fix my check shirt pocket which was starting to tear, but he said it was too difficult. I took a photo of my zebra shirt next to the sewing machine to remind myself where I got it mended.
Then to my regular bar. I was left alone this time, which I was happy about as I just wanted to relax. Back to the Axlite at around 7pm to do a bit of packing for Butterworth. I texted with Tor for a while about my travels.