Super-wet Taiping sits in the rain shadow of the Perak hills, not far from the sunny beaches and multicultural streets of George Town and Penang.
Like Penang, this city has been influenced greatly by settlers from China over the centuries, and the spot was once the focus of a mass exodus of Cantonese and San folk, who came in the tin rush to mine the nearby ridges.
Today, it’s got some pretty urban gardens and parklands to explore – don’t miss relaxing Maxwell Hill, the mirror-like waters of Taiping Lake Gardens, or the sobering Taiping War Cemetery.
Meanwhile, the town center displays a medley of colonial-era facades and timber Asian builds, all of which hide local cookhouses and emporiums.
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