Morning in Taiping Lake Garden

A visit to Taiping always warrants getting to rediscover our beloved Taiping Lake Garden. This time round, we were up with the dawn chorus. So were Taipingites .  The Lake Garden is a  pocket of haven, tranquil in the morning, punctuated by the animal calls of the Zoo in its midst. My hubby bumped into an ex -staff and his wife, 'Hey, long time no see!' Quickly mobile numbers were exchanged.

 The  100 year old rain trees still stand as sentinels. Long may they live! The old zig - zag bridge also stands, reminding me of the blissful hours with my school friends; one of whom has turned a granny. A few of us, young 15 year olds, snapped photos, each taking turns as we daintily posed, our hemlines spread out in semi - circles on the grassy turf. So, instead of walking the pavements, following the joggers, it was a good time to zig - zag and remember the good times, once again.

Still early but am so wide -eyed!

These trees bring fame to Taiping .

How low can you go? 

A hornbill must have strayed from the Zoo nearby.

What do we want to see? Clear skies and everything nice!

 I did the zig -zag, once again like those times . Only thing the teen days are gone with senior days to enjoy!

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The sun had risen ; the world awakes..

A solitary jacaranda  stands out among the greenery.

Get your latest news from the vendor after your walk.

Time to clean up after the visitors. Please keepTaiping clean.

Visit Taiping

Seemingly, time is elastic in Taiping. How did we manage to squeeze doing a few things amidst  the busy Chinese New Year celebration? The 3 days spent there were more than fruitfully spent :

1. We visited The First Galleria/  Galleria Pertama - the 121 year old building, formerly the Topo and Survey Offic was restored by the Department of Heritage Malaysia  (JWM) in 2009 - 2010 at a cost of nearly RM 2 million, is now a private town museum of Taiping.
The visit was extra special as an exhibition , The Role of Sri Lankan in Taiping  since 1883 -1963,  recognised their contributions to the growth and welfare of Taiping and her citizens. The Acting High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, Major-General S W Lalith Daulaga officiated the launch on 13 January, 2013. It was just coincidental  that we were there while the exhibition was on, even during the CNY. It made us proud  as the grandchildren got to witness  their paternal grandfather's esteemed place among the other noble citizens of Taiping. They saw his pictures and read about their grandfather's achievements.
Do pay a visit to Galleria Pertama - there's much to know about Taiping's many firsts. No town/city  in the country can ever  hold this grand record.

2. We made a 40 minute drive on an evening to Port Weld or Kuala Sepetang, as it is now known, to enjoy seafood. The salty air lets you know you have arrived!

3. I would say a morning walk in the Lake Garden  rewards you a thousandfold.  The serenity and beauty  of the place makes it a popular venue for the locals to exercise and meet up with friends.

4. We paid a visit to our family oil palm estate and were briefed by the mandor on the happenings there - such as ' invasions' by water buffalos as evidenced by their tracks on the mud, frequent encounters with pythons as they hide among the clusters of fruits on the oil palm trees to ensnare their prey.

5. No kidding. We even made a visit to a shopping mall, Taiping Sentral and had to battle with the traffic to park! Also, as it is sited next to TESCO, another giant outlet , looks like all roads leads there!!Thought we had left all that behind in KL and not bemoan jams and more jams! We trooped into a frutti yoghurt outlet  looking for dessert. We came to the conclusion that Taiping folk have much disposable income judging by what we paid for the yoghurt, and toppings, all weighed! Do not fret for your cuppa Starbucks etc, you'll get to enjoy it there too!

One of the oldest clubs in the country-  has the distinction of the 1st golf course in the Federated Malay States.(FMS)

The District Officer's residence on a hillock - built in the 1890s.

The white on the head and the ring round the eyes makes this monkey so attractive.

Taiping's beloved  Lake Garden.

Dawn breaking through as seen from the reflection .

Happy to see Rotary Corner in the Lake Garden.

Galleria Pertama - do head there to get to know Taiping town better. Many firsts - a heritage town.

In the  Study of Galleria Pertama , we watched a video which explains  the room and its history.

A visit to an oil palm estate. The mandor showed us the water buffalo tracks .

Port Weld ( Kuala Sepetang ) - we came for the sea food.

A pocket of paradise in Taiping - the Lake Garden

Whichever way they twist, 'sentries' in a row, they seek the waters

Mirror my lovely branches

Lightly treading the waters

The plaque that says ' The Oldest Lake Garden in Malaysia

Pink fluffy flowers

In the shady embrace of the branches of the raintree

Looking through the eyes of Nature

Many a date/romance on this bridge

A little pocket of paradise on Earth sits in Taiping. So much of the fame of Taiping is owed to it. And whenever a conversation crops up about my hometown in Perak, in another breath, the Taiping Lake Garden inevitably surfaces.

KL is now my home but when the odd 'balik kampung' (back to one's village) visits take place, never would I miss a drive/stroll round the Taiping Lake Garden, still in awe of the natural beauty. The air always was ( still is!) fresher in the Lake Garden. We roamed the roads round the lakes and cycled aimlessly, taken many pictures in many favourite spots, and picnicked with classmates. My friend, Yen Peng, taught me how to ride a bike where the main children's playground stands. How we slid down those grassy slopes and shrieked with glee!

Those hide-and -seek days are gone but still loving you!

Love me forever!

Taiping in the Larut district, Perak was a town built on tin and wars were fought among the Chinese secret socieities for the lucrative mines in the 1870s. And to think its name in Chinese means 'everlasting peace'! The towkays earned their riches, the labour from China are now stories we hear of the enterprising migrants who left China to seek their fortunes and make a new home here and the dredges that pumped ore from the mining ponds are all long gone.

Fortune smiled on Taiping in 1880 when Colonel E S F Walker decided to turn the old mining ponds into the Lake Garden. Many little islands and lakes were created and a public garden - all of 62 hectacres of land at the foot of Bukit Larut (formerly known as Maxwell Hill) make up the Lake Garden.

I love the Lake Garden, a haven for everyone to enjoy. Luckily over the years, being the proud owners of this priceless green gem which no other town or city in the country can boast of, the people have not marred its beauty. In the mornings and evenings, the call of the natural beauty sees the townfolks enjoying the big parkland - walking , jogging, biking. The serenity is broken by the calls of the animals in the Zoo which is sited there. Newly -weds also love the setting for the photos to remember their wonderful day.

The clear lakes with the hills in the backdrop are picturesque. But I just love the raintrees ( Samanea saman). That, I would say, is the icing on the cake! Majestic trunks, green umbrella -shaped canopies, long branches extending tentacle -like, arching over heads and telegraph wires , dipping ever so gracefully to kiss the sweet waters of the lakes on the other side of the road. And in the bosom of their curvy, sturdier branches, the bird's nests sit prettily and grow unperturbed and really make it their home. In bloom, the tiny pink flowers look like powder puff. These trees stand in a nice row as if they have been appointed sentries to guard the beauty of the Lake Garden for posterity. If only they could speak! What tales will they tell? Well over 100 years and more, they continue to mesmerize .

Taiping is very much a historical town. It is blessed with many 'firsts' in Malaysia - for example, first prison, first British Resident's house, first hill resort (all in , more than 30 in the list!) . If there's an itch to check this town out, do not delay. Go 'cuti-cuti ( holiday) in Taiping! The Lake Garden will just take your breath away!

Natural beauty for all to enjoy

The morning sun casting its glow

Spready branches skimming the water surface

How low can you go?

Island in the sun

Old, huge and sturdy

Come , live here and make your home

Paddleboat pleasures

The zig -zag bridge still stands and what fun we had.