Taiping (GPS: 4.85152, 100.74085), (Chinese: 太平; Pinyin: Tàipíng; Hokkien with Taiji romanisation: Thai1peng2), the second biggest town in Perak after Ipoh.
Located to the north of the state, Taiping was established during the tin mining age, and saw much of the activities associated with that ore. When the seat of Perak's administration moved to Kuala Kangsar in Upper Perak in 1877, Taiping became the administrative capital of Perak. It was only after the Second World War had ended, in 1945, that the state administrative capital was moved to Ipoh.
Taiping is basically a two-street town. The two main roads in Taiping are Jalan Kota (Kota Road) and Jalan Taming Sari (Main Road). Cutting perpendicular to these two main roads are cross roads to form a grid. This town plan dates from 1880, when a massive fire destroyed much of the old town, giving the British authorities an opportunity to re-plan the town. The Larut Matang District office is located at the northern end of the town while the Indian Muslim Mosque at the southern end.
Most people go to Taiping by road. Taiping is accessible from the North South Expressway. Coming from the north, you use Exit 148 to Kamunting, while coming from the south, you use Exit 146 at Changkat Jering. There are buses to Taiping from Penang (Sungai Nibong Express Bus Terminal) and Kuala Lumpur (Puduraya).
Going to Taiping by plane
There is no regular commercial airport in Taiping, so the closest are Penang International Airport and Ipoh Airport. Penang is 1½ hours away on the road, depending on traffic situation, while Ipoh is an hour away.
Going to Taiping by train
The Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM, (https://www.ktmb.com.my/) operates train services linking Taiping to Butterworth in the north, and Kuala Lumpur in the south, arriving at the newly rebuilt Taiping Railway Station. Beginning on 11 July, 2014, the KTM Electric Train Service (ETS) provides a high-speed connection to Taiping from Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth. The train from KL Sentral arrives in Taiping in the afternoon, while the train from Butterworth Railway Station arrives in the evening.
Getting around Taiping
Taiping is a fairly compact town, and most of the places of interest can actually be visited on foot, except for places like the Taiping Lake Gardens, Taiping Zoo and Maxwell Hill. For these, taxi is probably the only option. Otherwise, it is advisable to drive. Since 2015, there is the Rapid Kamunting RKM20 (Jejak Warisan Loop) Bus Service, which makes a loop around Taiping, passing many of the heritage sites in town. In addition, there is also the Rapid Kamunting RKM10 Taiping Loop Bus Service that follows a route between Kamunting and Taiping.
The Rapid Kamunting bus launched on 3 March 2016 to serve the Greater Kamunting area, which includes Taiping. In Taiping, the bus terminates at the Taiping Bus Hub (GPS: 4.85017, 100.73971) . As of June 2018, there are now three bus routes namely RKM10 (Taiping Loop), RKM20 (Jejak Warisan Loop) and RKM30.
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