It's been quite sometime since I took a road trip... So with a few "hiking kakis" we decided to take a short break up north ...Hiking in Lumut and Taiping
Day 1
We started off early for a 2 hour drive and along the way took a short break in Teluk Intan to try their famous Chee Cheong Fun and visited the leaning tower The original plan was to take the coastal road but after considering time factor we just went via North South Highway. The journey took about 2 hours to reach Teluk Intan
The place to get delicious Chee Cheong Fun in Teluk Intan. The shop is located inside a residential wooden house and does not look very inviting. There is no dine in and they only offer take away. 
The Chee Cheong Fun was smooth and silky and there is no sauce to accompany the CCF, but instead it is filled with vegetables and some dried shrimps, giving it a flavourful taste. It's very different from the traditional CCF that we always get in Klang Valley.
After the yummy breakfast, it was time for some Instagram moments with the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan
The Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan is the Malaysian equivalent of the world-famous Pisa Leaning Tower in Italy. The tower is about 25.5 metres tall and, from the outside, looks like an 8 storey building, though inside it is actually divided into 3 storeys. The tower was built by a contractor Leong Choon Chong in 1885, also known as the Clock Tower, was to store water for the locals during the drought season and for emergency use in case of fire. The clock on the tower was also used to keep time.
We proceeded to Lumut for our first hiking adventure - Bukit Engku Busu.
The Trailhead of Bukit Engku Busu
The initial 100m or so is relatively easy with flat terrain, thereafter the climb starts all the way to the peak. The trail consist mostly dirt tracks with plenty of exposed tree roots due to soil erosion. However there are plenty of ropes to assist you with the climb, and judging from the size of the ropes and the way it is secured, the naval base must have provided these ropes
The trail going up to the Peak
You know you're getting close to the peak when you reach a rocky trail and will come face to face with an almost near vertical rock face (below) but fortunately it's only a short climb. For the less adventurers there is another trail around the rock
The amazing view
We spent sometime at this point enjoying all the Instagram moments while enjoying the amazing view and clear weather.Once you reach the peak there's not much view but the area is quite big and well kept, clean and shady.
The total time taken to hike up the peak was about 2 hrs (with all the stops and photography session) which is a bit too long as you can complete it in about an hour while it took us about 45 mins to come down. Total distance is only about 1.6 km from the trailhead to the peak
Overall it was a good hiking experience especially with the views, some floral and fauna, insects and a good workout
From Lumut, we proceeded to Taiping for our next adventure.
Upon reaching Taiping, our first stop was the famous Taiping Cendol, Ansari Cendol
Still as good as ever
We then proceeded to have dinner, looked up several places but they were closed and somehow I guess it was a blessing in disguise as we finally found a restaurant just close by to our hotel, Restoran New Bee Guan
It was half packed when we arrived and the place got filled up quite fast, I guess it is a popular place for dining. Got our orders done quickly and needless to say, it didn't take long before the food arrived. With all the hiking earlier, it was a matter of minutes before we cleaned out our dishes.....😎😎😎
House Specialty Fried Tofu (Left) and Egg Fuyong
Vegetarian Yam Basket & Inchi Kabin Chicken
Except for the Inchi Kabin chicken which we found tasted more like normal fried chicken, the rest of the dishes were delicious. The House Specialty Tofu has a good texture, crispy on the outside, soft in the inside while the egg fuyong was fluffy. The vegetarian yam basket was loaded with lots of vegetables and the yam basket was crispy. The only let down was the Inchi Kabin, lack the aroma and taste. The total cost was very reasonable, something you will not be able to pay in Klang Valley.
After dinner we checked in to our hotel and 😴😴😴😴😴😴
Day 2
We got up early to get breakfast before heading out to our next hike. Just behind the hotel is a wet market and you can get some local delicacies, kuih, nasi lemak, paus etc
Alternatively, you can head off to a kopitiam located next to the hotel for a hearty breakfast
The original plan was to hike up Bukit Larut or Maxwell Hill. Unfortunately for us, the Hill station was closed to everyone and even the jeeps were not operating. However, the public is allowed to hike up to Station 3 or the Bungalow. We decided not to proceed but instead took a leisure walk around Taiping Lake Gardens.
We were blessed with great weather, calm waters on the lake, blooming flora and some migratory birds.
The beautiful and serene Taiping Lake Gardens
The most iconic section of Taiping Lake Gardens is the Raintree Walk, the main Instagram place whenever anyone visits Taiping, a not to be missed stop
On weekends, this place is very crowded and you can even rent bikes to cycle around the lake, but I found the rates to be a bit on the high side.
Bikes arranged neatlyAfter our morning hiking (actually strolling) fix, we checked out and headed to visit a few worthy places
Pit Stop 1 - Antong Coffee Mill
The place to get your coffee fix and shop a little for your daily dose of good aromatic coffee. There is an old wooden house next to the mill where apparently Sun Yat Sen stayed whenever he is in Taiping. There are old photos and some relics in the house itself
The house where Sun Yat Sen stayed
Pit Stop 2 - Kuala Sepetang or Port Weld
Headed off to the old town of Port Weld or now known as Kuala Sepetang. The sea port was once a thriving port for steamers and trade vessels from Penang. The sea line became an important link for the export of tin to Europe and the United States. There used to be a railway station which was located at the centre of town, the first railway line in the Peninsular.
There are some places worth visiting whenever you're in Port Weld.
First Stop - Charcoal Kiln
Along the way to Kuala Sepetang you will come across some charcoal kiln. You can visit one of the many kilns to see how charcoal is produced
Opposite the charcoal kiln is the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve, an eco reserve promoting the reservation and importance of mangrove forest. There is a boardwalk that takes you right in to the forest and you can observe different mangrove species and life
Third Stop - Port Weld
This was once an important town and port but all that has gone and tourism as well as fishing has now becoming an important economic contribution to the people living here. There's tours to take you out to see eagles, fire flies, mangrove forest etc. You can also shop for fresh as well as dried seafood here and relatively cheaper
Dried shrimps, salted fish, dried squids, salted fish heads......😍😍😍😍
We did a quick stop for lunch at Port Weld and had a simple meal at Restoran Kang Kao but the wait was forever....We waited for quite a while before the food finally arrived.
After lunch we headed off to Ipoh for some final shopping before heading home to Klang Valley.
We first stopped by Kampung Kacang Putih to get our snacking fix....This place is dedicated to everything kacang putih, muruku, all Indian snacks
We then drove in to Ipoh town for our next shopping..... mostly food shopping..😁😁😁😁
Having loaded the boot to the brim with all our shopping, we headed back home, a trip that we enjoyed thoroughly though we couldn't achieve some of the things we wanted to do, there's always another day!!!!!
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