K M Cheng-Travel Journal: Malaysia (My 5 days visit to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Sepetang, Taiping & Ipoh, Perak) May 8 2024 Day 3

Petai Lane, Bidor, Perak

Port Weld Fishing Village
Kuala Sepetang, Perak

My Charcoal Factory
Kuala Sepetang, Perak

Spritzer's EcoPark
Taiping, Perak

Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary
Taiping, Perak

Burmese Pool
Taiping, Perak

Maxwell Base Camp
Taiping, Perak

Taiping Mall, Perak

Taiping Lake Gardens, Taiping, Perak

Day 3 Wednesday May 8 2024 (Kuala Sepetang, & Taiping, Perak) - kick start our outstation trip from my Subang Jaya home to Kuala Sepetang (by car 271km) & stay overnight in Taiping. Along the way, our group visited Bidor for a wan tan noodle breakfast; next is a visit to Port Weld Scenic Bridge & fishing village & My Charcoal Factory in Kuala Sepetang; in Taiping, our group visited Spritzer EcoPark, Burmese Pool, Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary, Taiping Mall, Maxwell Base Camp & Taiping Lake Garden, a long & productive day indeed !

Travel itinerary: SS17, Subang Jaya, Selangor > Kuala Sepetang, Perak (approx 271km, toll KL > Ipoh Rm14.50, Ipoh > Kuala Sepetang Rm12.50)

Total Expenses incurred (3 days 2 nights, 4 pax): Rm227 (US$47) per pax

Petrol: Rm110 @Rm27.50
Toll: Rm52 @Rm13
Hotel (Taiping & Ipoh): Rm99 + Rm67 (twin sharing) @ Rm83 per pax
Food: Rm415 (4 pax) @ Rm104 per pax

1) The start (07.00) of of our group's early morning drive (a car driven by my brother Weng) via the North-South Highway from SS17, Subang Jaya, Selangor > Bidor (stopover for breakfast) > Kuala Sepetang, Perak (approx 290km, toll Rm14.50 + Rm12.50)

2) A stopover (45 mins) for a noodle breakfast in Bidor town, Perak (Subang Jaya, Selangor > Bidor, Perak approx 140km, toll Rm14.50)

3) Wan Tan noodle breakfast in Pun Chun Restaurant, Jalan Besar, Bidor, Perak, each of us savoured a bowl of wan tan noodle soup @ Rm11 (US$2.30, a treat from KM), each of us also bought home a few packets of "chicken" biscuits (Rm8), Shat Kek Ma (Rm8) & Tou Sah Peah (Rm14.50 for a pack of 3).

4) Countryside scenery from Bidor > Kuala Sepetang, Perak (via Ipoh, an ex-tin mining town, flanked by towering white limestone cliffs & cave temples).

5) A brief stopover for toilet run & light refreshment (sliced fresh fruit) in Rest & Recreation (R & R) along the North South Highway from Ipoh > Kuala Sepetang.

6) Port Weld (Kuala Sepetang) Scenic Bridge, Sungai Reba, Perak; my last visit was during the Covid year of Aug 2022 !

7) Port Weld View Tour package offered by local travel agency - visit to fish farm, eagle feeding, firefly & Kuala Sangga etc

8) Scenic view of Kuala Sepetang fishing village from the Port Weld scenic bridge - the bridge spans Sepetang River & bridges the Port Weld Fishing Village with the other side of the village on the south bank, sunset view is equally scenic especially in the evening !

9) A stroll in Kuala Sepetang traditional "sleepy" fishing village on the south bank of Port Weld

10) Port Weld fishing village, Kuala Sepetang, Perak

11) My Charcoal Factory, Jalan Taiping - Kuala Sepetang, Kampung Menteri, Kuala Sepetang Perak - an old fashioned charcoal factory that bakes local mangrove logs in kilns, interesting & highly educational for 1st timers, my 2nd visit !

12) Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve Eco Park, Kampung Kuala Sepetang, Perak - trails through heavily wooded mangrove forests with scenic views & abundant native wildlife, closed on Wednesday at the time of our group's visit !

14) Spritzer EcoPark, Reservoir Off, Jalan Air Kuning, Taiping, Perak - a landscaped park offering a cafe & tours of Spritzer water's bottling plant, an ideal place for family outing.

15) Cafe, Spritzer Eco Park, Taiping

16) 18 Hole Mini Golf, Spritzer EcoPark, Taiping

17) Boardwalk, Spritzer EcoPark - Taiping historical first railway sleepers - 216 steps to Cactus Rock. You are entering positive zone. Please leave your negative thoughts outside !

18) Cactus Rock, Spritzer EcoPark, Jalan Air Kuning, Taiping, Perak - age 200 - 214 million years ! This rock is the remnants of granite outcrop, which has undergone weathering & erosion process along parallel-vertical joints, leaving the column-like structure, This rock belongs to Maxwell Hill intrusive which is part of the Main Range Pluton, the granite rocks are the source of tin ore in Taiping & surrounding area.

19) Heart Lock, Spritzer EcoPark, Jalan Air Kuning, Taiping, Perak

20) Antique Wood Garden, Spritzer EcoPark, Taiping, Perak

21) Cactus Walk, Spritzer EcoPark, Taiping, Perak

22) Lunch in Pusat Makanan (Food Court) 3939, Jalan Kota, Taiping, Perak, each of us enjoyed a bowl of noodle soup (Rm6) & popiah @Rm2.60.

Pork Noodle @Rm6.00 (US$1.25)

Har Mee @Rm6.50 (US$1.35)

Popiah @ Rm2.60 (US$0.54)

23) Hotel Accommodation (1 night): Kimal Hotel, Jalan Taming Sari, Taiping, Perak, room tariff Rm99 (double bed room)

24) Ansari Famous Cendol, Taming Sari, Taiping, Perak - savouring a bowl of cendol Rm2 (US$0.40)

25) Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary, Taiping, Perak - a Buddhist monastery in Taiping, founded in 2000 by Ven Aggacita as a training centre for Malaysian Theravada Buddhist monks.

26) Burmese Pool, Kolam Renang Batu Besar, Taiping - free admission, the name Burmese Pool is believed to have originated from Burmese soldiers who discovered the place in the 1920s, the soldiers from the Burma Rifle Regiment were brought were brought to replace the Malay State Guide which was dissolved then, the Burmese Pool is a natural pool & was originally used for recreational & leisure activities by the soldiers, main water source for this pool is the Batu Tegoh River.

27) Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill) Base Camp, Taiping, Perak - a hill resort located 10km from Taiping, in July 2023, the Taiping Tourism Malaysia inaugurated an eco tourism product ie a conservation trail at Maxwell Base Camp, a new attraction at Bukit Larut, Taiping; the suspended 4 wheel drive service (due to landslide risks) to Maxwell peak is expected to resume service in 15 Oct 2014.

28) Taiping Mall, Jalan Tupai, Taiping, Perak - due to heavy rain in the late afternoon, it made sense for our group to take "refuge" in a shopping mall hence our window shopping in Taiping Mall to past time before heading to Taiping Lake Gardens !

29) Taiping Lake Gardens, Jalan Pekeliling, Taiping, Perak - the 1st public garden established during the British colonial rule in Malaysia, the garden is located near Bukit Larut & Taiping Zoo, picturesque & scenic, ideal for morning & evening walks & family outing during the weekends !

30) Group's dinner in 899 Food Court, Taiping, Perak - after the Taiping Lake Garden evening visit, our group had a small eat in 899 Food Court & ordered a mix of fried kway teow, fried rice, oyster omelette, chicken satay etc to whet our appetite for local hawker food in Taiping !