Taiping

Taiping is a historic tin-mining town in Perak that served as the state administrative center from 1875 to 1937. The town is famous for Malaysia's heaviest rainfall, Lake Gardens created from abandoned tin mines, and a compact colonial-era town center with arcades. It's an ideal stop for budget travelers seeking authentic Malaysian food, history, and nature without the crowds of larger cities.

The name Taiping combines the Chinese characters 太 (tai - 'great') and 平 (ping - 'peace'). Tin deposits discovered in the 19th century attracted Chinese settlers organized into feuding groups: the Cantonese Ghee Hin (義興) and Hakka Hai San (海山) societies. British intervention in the early 1870s ended the feuding, and the town (formerly Klian Pauh) acquired its present name. The British made Taiping the administrative center for Perak in 1875 until the capital moved to Ipoh in 1937.

Taiping Airport has a dilapidated wooden terminal building dating back to 1929 and a short runway only capable of handling small turboprops. There are no scheduled flights, so flying in is only an option for private aircraft. The nearest long-distance bus station is in Kamunting, with stage buses serving suburbs and rural areas. Taiping sits on a coastal plain at the foothills of the Bintang Range.

The compact town center is easily explored on foot, with arcades providing protection from the elements on both sides of the road. Taxis are available for hire for trips to Maxwell Hill, the long-distance bus station at Kamunting, and the Matang Mangrove Reserve. Stage buses fan out in all directions serving the suburbs and rural hinterland.

Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut) is a quiet hill station at about 1000m altitude, accessible via a narrow single-track paved road on dilapidated four-wheel drives run by the municipality, with accommodation in resthouses and bungalows. Taiping Zoo is the first zoo established in Malaysia, with daytime visits (adults RM12, children RM8) from 08:30-18:00 and Night Safari (adults RM16, children RM10) from 20:00-23:00 weekdays and 20:00-24:00 on Saturdays. The Lake Gardens feature interconnected ponds surrounded by century-old rain trees (Samanea saman). Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve covers forty acres with diverse flora and fauna.

A stroll through town reveals traditional two-storey brick and plaster buildings with stucco façades and wooden shutters, alongside incongruous modern four or five-storey buildings. The bluish-green hills of the Bintang Range dominate views to the east, giving way to the Lake Gardens. Taiping has a unique betting culture where locals gather at the city's oldest wet market to wager on what time the rain will fall.

Taiping is famous for cheap, delicious hawker food. Notable dishes include roti canai at Bismillah Restaurant, nasi briani in front of POS, laksa at the Food Court beside Lake Gardens, wan tan mee at Larut Matang Food Court and Tong Ah Coffee Shop, char keuy teow at Hawker's Center, tim sum at Kum Loong Restaurant on Jalan Kota, and curry mee at Prima Coffee Shop. Cendol is available behind Bismillah Restaurant. The best reference point for most eating places is the Panorama Hotel/The Store shopping centre, with the wet market beside it.

The Larut Matang Food Court offers mountain ice drinks similar to ais kacang, a popular shaved ice dessert common throughout Malaysia.

You can buy local fresh fruit at the wet market. Hiong Piah is a local traditional delicacy not to be missed, and Antong Coffee is a local specialty worth purchasing.

Budget accommodation includes Sojourn Beds & Cafe hostel at 54 Jalan Kota (from RM59 including breakfast, AC, and hot shower) and Hotel DE Raintown at 17 Jalan Lim Swee Aun (from RM58 for double rooms with hot shower). Mid-range options include Flemington Hotel with lake views (116 rooms), Novotel Taiping Perak at No 1 Jalan Tupai (RM113 with restaurant, gym, and rooftop pool), and West Inn Taiping at 21 Jalan Kamunting (from RM58 with 18 furnished suites). SSL Traders Hotel in Kamunting offers boutique rooms from RM120-170.

From Taiping, you can travel north to Butterworth (via Simpang Ampat) or south to Ipoh (via Kuala Kangsar), the state capital known for good Malaysian food. Nearby destinations include Pangkor for quiet beaches, Bukit Merah with a theme park and Orang Utan Island, Penang as a food paradise with beaches and history, and Kuala Sepetang, a fishing village with seafood eateries.