Our stomach’s are back to normal today which means that we can feast on all the lovely dishes on offer in Taiping which, in our opinion, has been one of the best places in Malaysia for food.
For breakfast, we found a smaller food court with about 5 stalls and we each had a bowl of noodle soup. I noticed that the food stalls were all run by Cantonese speaking owners though I still just pointed at the food when we ordered.
Breakfast!
After breakfast, we decided to explore the small town a little bit more. We found a large building which housed a rather damp market inside selling textiles as well as food.
We then came across a park with a rather tranquil boating lake. We walked around the lake which had a nice walkway surrounded by nice plants and little bridges to walk over. It was very nice despite the water in the lake looking a bit slimy.
The lake
A rather pretty walkway
With swan pedal boats available, we decided to take up the opportunity to relax and soak up some sun. On our way to the platform, there were about 10 wild monkeys on the loose right by the entrance. They reminded me of Papa Lazarou from A League of Gentlemen and looked like the ferocious type which would not be shy in stealing your food. So we quickly walked past them when we faced with several tiny kittens sleeping on the steps….very cute! We could have easily stepped on them they were so small!
Scary monkeys
Cute
We finally got on the pedal boat after receiving some rather large life jackets (definitely made for the western tourists though how many actually visit Taiping, I’m not sure). Whilst pedaling around on the lake, we noticed a really large bird circling above the lake which we think was either a falcon or an eagle. Then later on, we noticed a giant iguana in the water which swam right by us.
On the pedal boat
We were amazed at the local wildlife just “hanging out” by the lake. It was like going into a nature reserve.
Following our exciting morning of spotting the wildlife, we headed back to the popiah stall for lunch where we enjoyed a larger helping of the fresh spring rolls! Again, it was amazing!
In the evening, we came across another food court though this was all outdoors. It was perfect with the sun shining down and there was a great buzz to the place. It was a square court with a nice patch of green in the middle surrounded by food stalls. With so much on offer, we finally settled on steamed chicken with beansprouts and a curry mee.
The outdoor food court
Chicken and beansprouts
Curry mee
Whilst we were eating, the stall owner said that John was “clever” for being able to use chopsticks to eat. With most dishes in Malaysia served with a spoon and fork, the lady said that she only knew how to eat with a spoon and fork and not with chopsticks…well, I think that’s what she was trying to say with her broken english and hand gestures!
