No big plans for this visit. Actually I had one specific plan. Through a friend I came in contact with Syed Bakar, a retired teacher who has been living from 1952 until about 1995 in Pokok Assam. Pokok Assam is one of the New Villages, created during the Malayan Emergency, and I am interested in its history. But he was away during my visit, giving art classes in Sabah (although now 83 year old !), so meeting him will have to wait until my next visit 😉
I will write this blog as a kind of diary.
Monday, 25 March
I arrived in Taiping in the afternoon, traveling by ETS, comfortable, but bring some warm clothes! Preparing for the trip I could not find my umbrella, which you definitely need in Malaysia’s wettest town. Fortunately it was sunny when I arrived and I decided to walk to my hotel. First I stopped at Ansari for cendol. There I bumped into May Cheah, an old friend.
I decided to buy an umbrella in the Taiping Mall and just before I reached there, the first raindrops fell. When I continued my walk, with umbrella, it was absolutely pouring. As I was hungry, I managed to reach Casual Market for a plate of Char Koay Teow, but there I had to wait until the rain got less.
I had booked a room in my favourite Hotel Furama and after taking some rest I went out to Prima for a light meal of Chee Cheong Fun. After the heavy rain the atmosphere was cool and fresh. I walked back having a look at the beautifully restored Shun Tak Association and the Silver Jubilee Jetty (1932). A nice first day.
Tuesday, 26 March
I had breakfast with my friend Yeap at the Lian Thong restaurant. It is a popular eatery in Taiping. Yummie soft-boiled eggs on toast! The shop is housed in an attractive building, just forget about the ugly background.
No blog about Taiping is complete without a few pictures of the Lake Gardens. The fallen tree at the Raintree Walk is very attractive.
I hired a bicycle at hotel Furama, so I could explore a few places further away from the town centre. My first destination was the Kempe Club in Assam Kumbang. Built in 1922 as an alternative for the more posh New Club . In its heydays very popular with sport fields around the club. Now no longer an official club, but a group of (senior) citizens uses the building for their meetings.
The caretaker invited me in and offered me teh tarik. More people arrived and a game of mahjong was started. The different races mix here easily like in the days of yore. Very pleasant atmosphere.
My next stop was an abandoned pre-war bungalow, next to the official residence of the MPT chairman (who recently received in Berlin an award for Taiping being third in the Best of Cities category in the world). See my report About Taiping.
It must have been an impressive bungalow until it was abandoned about 20 years ago. It may have been occupied by government servants (KE VII school staff?
Now it is an impressive ruine, you can just walk around and enter it (at your own risk). I must confess that I am fascinated by decaying buildings, but of course it is a shame that the authorities have allowed this to happen.
For my lunch I went to the Casual Market, the Malay section, where I had a plate of popiah’s at Famous OMar Popiah.
I had dinner in Prima with my friends George and Jenny, and I invited them for coffee and cake at Yinn’s Patisserie, next to Yeap’s shop. A few years ago beautifully renovated by the brother of Yeap. Thean Hock was in the cafe and happy to show us around.
Wednesday 27 March
A “social” morning. I went to Tong’s CCF shop for breakfast with George, who was in Taiping for Cheng Beng and , not surprisingly, met a former classmate ;-). After that I visited Suet Fun, who has closed the Nest bungalow, up Maxwell Hill, for one year, because she is going to write a book about Maxwell Hill. I wish her good luck!
My next destination was the Taiping Municipal Gallery, which was now open, although still only partially operational. But at least there are several posters and banners about the things you can see and do in Taiping.
I met the friendly manager and asked her if she had ever visited the ruined Railway building opposite the Gallery. She had not yet, because she was a bit scared of the squatter who had taken the building as his “residence”. I had a look, he was not there and , with me as a guide, she and her assistant were brave enough to have a look inside 😉 .
In the afternoon my friend Bok Kin and her husband Ng Teng Hin picked me up from my hotel to visit the tomb of Ng Boo Bee and his relatives. Ng Boo Bee is the most famous tin miner, opium farmer and contractor in the history of British Malaya and Teng Hin is a great-grandson.
The grave is located in the Hokkien Cemetery of Taiping. Cheng Beng was approaching, when Chinese visit the graves of their ancestors for cleaning and prayers. Ng Boo Bee’s grave is almost a fortress, very impressive.
My friends told me that last year the grave had been thoroughly cleaned and repaired, they walked around and inspected it, but everything still looked in good condition.
There are also graves of descendants, both around the main grave and on a separate plot. From left to right, the graves of Ng Boo Bee’s mistress, one of his sons, and a grandson (Teng Hin’s father).
The graves are decorated with statues of lions and guardians.
I like to visit cemeteries, see for example my recent post about KL Cemeteries. We walked around a bit, beautiful trees, there is a War Memorial for those who lost their lives during the Japanese occupation. And there is cattle roaming around, not always good for the graves, but very romantic.
After visiting the cemetery we had dinner in West Joy Cafe, near Prima. Nice Thai food, will come back.
Thursday 28 March
My original plan was to go back home by train on Thursday. But when our Singapore friend ST Lee told me that he was coming back for Cheng Beng that day, and would like to meet me, I changed my plan: Aric decided to come by car, we would stay one more day in Taiping and drive back on Friday. I got a 50% refund on my train return ticket 😉
I decided to hire a bike again and first went back to Lian Thong for my breakfast. Soft-boiled eggs on toast again ;-). Had a nice conversation with Teoh, the owner.
When I told in my hotel about my cemetery visit, they told me about an isolated tombstone on the slope of Residence Hill, near the esplanade. I had a look, there are actually three tombstones, one of them recently painted, so somebody must take care about it. Would be nice to know who has been buried there.
Next I went to the Tourism Office in the Clocktower. Had a short chat with Miss Eng, she was busy as there were several visitors. A good sign, although the interior still looks more like an antique shop and there should be more leaflets, etc.
With my bicycle it was easy to ride the full length of Jalan Kota and take pictures of the heritage buildings along this street. Clockwise, from top left the Residence of the OBJ, the building of the Hokkien Association , the Malay Mosque ( oldest mosque of Taiping) and the Hosian Temple.
The Mariamman Temple can also be found along Jalan Kota. I was invited in, a priest prayed for me and I received some ash on my forehead. Nice.
I was clearly in the Cheng Beng mood and decided to have a look at the Hai San Communal Memorial, located in the new Botanical Garden of Taiping. Hai San and Ghee Hin were the two fighting groups of Chinese during the Larut wars. This grave is dated 1864 and could well be the oldest monument of Taiping.
The Botanical Garden is still under development and looks a bit barren.
Close by is the impressive Taiping War Cemetery, immaculately maintained, with separate sections for Christians and the other religions.
I rode back to my hotel through the Lake Gardens. I will hire a bicycle more often during my future visits, Taiping is very suitable for cycling and the bicycles of Furama Hotel are very good quality.
Aric arrived in the afternoon and, after some rest, we drove to Barrack Road 100 to meet St Lee and his sister Mrs Long. It was a very pleasant meeting with dinner in the Chinese Recreation Club (CRC).
Friday 29 March
The next morning we took them to the new Telegraph Museum, which they found interesting.
ST got quite excited when he saw this railway bridge (actually not related to the museum, but to the former First Galleria next door). This bridge has been relocated here from Bukit Mertajam and ST (who is from BM) has been crossing this bridge numerous times when he was schooling!
Then it was already time for a farewell meal! We went to the Lighthouse Restaurant in Matang and enjoyed their famous seafood porridge. Delicious.
A very nice trip!
Nice , as usual , Jan. Glad you had a good trip. Will catch you next time you are here.
Cheers !
Thanks for your write ups. I’m a Georgian and I know the Yeap brothers. Interesting to see the grave of Ng Boo Bee for the first time.
Well written & interesting with nice photos.
A very interesting write up. I return to Taiping every year,. I grew up in Pokok Assam.
The abandoned pre-war building was occupied be an English man and his Malay wife & family during the ‘Japanese Occupation’. I met his daughter when I stayed at the bed & breakfast accomodation she runs in the Cotswolds, England.
Hi,
I am a Taiping Lang but will definitely unable to write up such beautiful things about Taiping. Thank you for making more people to know about Taiping and indeed helped Taiping’s economy. Stay healthy and we will wait for more write-ups….
I was in KEVII and I know Mrs. Long. Glad to have a glimpse of her in one of your photoes
Effortless work as the flow shows. But to some it’s difficult to impossible. I was in Huat lian for 6 years, SGI for 7 years, KE for 3 days at lower six arts in 1968 and spoke to headmaster Long that I was leaving the flowerbed of roses to science class in SGI. One must love taking many shots of photos or even streams of videos to make such presentations alive and nostalgic.
Disappointment and apathy are going to continue due to the sad state of affair since the formation of Malaysia. When the generation that grew up post 80, Taiping would have lost it’s historical shine as those born in the 50s had departed. Any vibrant presentation of any township of Malaya, Sabah or Sarawak would have been killed by the education system that has a tinge of bumiputraism, Malay supremacy and the Malays fear of their rights being eroded which had been the greatest ridicule and criticism of the people who had lived in great harmony before bumiputraism came in to ruin it since 1970. Sad to be born in Taiping, happy to be brought up in Taiping, sad to see Taiping being subject to bumiputraism and no longer feel affiliated to Taiping except visiting some old friends who once thought this country would be as close and loving as Taiping. Fractunity is also bad inter school in those days differentiating each other from different schools. We should have the loving spirit and cooperation like the KE and treacher girl schools, SGI and the convent. All schools should always speak good of one another so that ex students feel close to each other no matter which school you came from. Though many had tried to get connected through our carreers and associations post school. Few KE married convent, SGI marrying treachers. Today’s education system are going down the drain. That’s my view. stable9999@yahoo.com.sg
As you are an interesting person, you should add in details of your parents or guardians who once traverse Taiping.
MOTHER TAIPING CALLS
Come home, come home!
If now now, when?
Wherever you may roam,
are you not weary of wandering and wondering,
-where is your place of rest?
Waste no more time,
for there is neither a past nor is there a future
but only in the Now are you able
to undertake the return journey
for you do not exist in the hereafter.
Coming to Taiping,
you are just a little bird in the hand,
with a fluttering heartbeat,
have not learnt to fly from the nest,
to face the challenge, as eagles do.
Ours is a birthright to claim a common inheritance
not merely for your favourite waterhole,
but to defend it from invaders of body mind and soul,
abide in the central place of Peace
as lion kings and lion queens
She calls home the builders,
coming forward to support the cause for Taiping,
the town of Everlasting Peace,
which is a beacon of Hope
we will put before the world.
Maitri 017-2180333
Left KE 1966
I grew up in Taiping and I would like to say thank you for continuing frank write up about Taiping
I am a born bred taipingite. Left taiping for some years n return to taiping to settle down. My kids are now growing up in taiping n I love my hometown very much.
Thank you a million for your beautiful writeup of my hometown….