Like On Tour - Taiping Day 1

Personally I have never been on a group tour where the itinerary is all lined up back to back to make your trip worthwhile, but our trip up north was like that for the boys.

The target of the trip was really to visit my grandma in Taiping. She is 87 this year. She is my mom's mom, my only living grandparent. The only living great-grandparent my boys have.

My grandma.
Photo taken in early 70's
at the National Monument.

We started our journey quite early, about 9am we had hit the highway. We arrived in Taiping for lunch about 12pm and about 12.45 we decided to head for the zoo. Only one of my cousin brothers tagged along. His sisters had tuition classes to go to.

Considering a relatively small zoo, we actually enjoyed ourselves a lot. Maybe it's just Taiping, the town where time seems to stand still. We were at the zoo for about three hours, but it felt like the whole day. The enclosures we hung around most were the rhinoceros's, the elephants', deers and hippopotamus (this was because we were trying very hard to see one, and when we finally spotted some ears, eyes and nostrils at the far end of the lake, we were trying to get Max to see them).


One of the thrills we had was when a zoo keeper brought a young orangutan for a walk and ice-cream and I got to shake hands with it. It's really such a gentle creature. My boys sat for a little beside it, but were too nervous to do anything else. Of course we did not want them to get a fright in case it decides to be too friendly and give them a cuddle. I think Grandma was most nervous of all.


The walk ends with a crowd gathering around some people taking photos with a python around their neck and a view of the Macaws.

After we exited the zoo, we were suppose to check into a hotel. The relative we usually stay with is away and my aunts place was a little inconvenient to house the boys.

On the way out, Micah asked, "Are we going to paddle boats on the lake now?"
Well, on the way to the zoo, we had to drive through the lake gardens and he had wanted to go boating. Absentmindedly I said we could after the zoo, so then he was holding me up on my word. So we went. I can't remember when was the last time I did this on the lake. Maybe as a pre-teen or early teen. That's like eons ago.

So we bought the tickets waited for our turn. Grandma and I were a little on the edge because we weren't too sure about the boys' safety. So when we saw they were taking a big boat out, we opted for a boatride rather than a paddle boat, which 2 of my cousins went for and said it was exhausting!

The boat ride was fun and easy - very safe. The scenery beautiful - the lake , surrounded by greens, at the foot of Maxwell Hill.
(When these Taiping cousins of mine heard my son was named Maxwell, they laughed and quipped, "Like Maxwell Hill?")

After our short boat ride, it was about 5pm and we went back to the hotel to freshen up. We were hoping to rest a little before dinner. A couple of hours in an enclosed area, i.e. the hotel room, got the boys restless and were jumping too much on the bed for the two grandmas' nerves. So we took them out again. We walked down the road from where our hotel was to...

The FUN FAIR!

It's those old fashion fun fairs with rides and game booths and a horror house even. We were like the first on the fairgrounds as it was only about 7.30pm and not really dark yet. So we were privileged to go on rides without having to queue for anything.

the boys loved the two different kinds of train rides.


And they also enjoyed the merry-so-round. Max of course rode in a jeep while Micah chose a horse. We were worried if they would sit still, and reminded them many times, ok, nagged and nagged, to not to get up because they could get hurt.


Micah and I went on the ferris wheel twice. Once just the two of us, and the second time with Max and another cousin sis. On the second time, we got a gift, a memento, from the fair - a green cicada. It was on the floor of our cab the second time round, so I got hold of it and placed it into a clear plastic bag. the boys were thrilled. My cousins were shocked.

As we were leaving the fairground Micah had another treat. We spotted a digger/tractor parked behind some trailers and we went to take a close-up look. The boys are such boys, the love all kinds of machines. So Micah was delighted to touch one and get his photo taken.

Then we had dinner and sent my mom to stay at my aunts. On the way there both boys feel fast asleep in the car. What a day.



To be continued...