Taiping Travelogue Day 2

Day 2 started with me waking up at 630am 

due to disobediently overactive nasal mucus production.

oh, i also boiled a kettle of water

for the entire family in the house too.

-_____________-"

anyhow, the lil sis, mum and i shared a queen bed in her master-bedroom

while dee & kimlai had their romantic moments on a mat at the living room

with uncle thiam.

hehehe

according to dee, the weather was reaaaaaally conducive for resting/sleeping

because it wasn't humid at all!

before we all departed for breakfast...

top right: see, dee & kimlai were sleeping so soundly!

*snores*

bottom right: scenic view right outside mum's house, it's Maxwell Hills (咖啡山).

ain't it breathtaking? 

*takes a calming deep breath*

left: my traveling buddy who's also captivated by the beauty of this little town 

:)

and off we went to the same food stall for breakfast

because we just couldn't get enough!

with another pair of sweet lovebirds :)

mum and uncle thiam were our tour guides,

recommending other delicious dishes which 

we may not have tried the previous day.

1st: the stall waiter looked quite hostile but he was actually very welcoming!

2nd: dee was merrily indulging in the iced milk tea

that sis & kimlai bought from the market.

somehow, stalls in Malaysia can brew and prepare more fragrant and traditional coffees and teas

without compromising their taste and aroma

due to rising costs of ingredients.

*thumbs up*

we realised this eatery has weekend specials!

O.o

1st: (weekend exclusive) braised chicken feet that swept us off our feet instantly.

dee & i unanimously exclaimed that it was the BEST we've tried thus far!

om nom nom

2nd: with my impending flu, i decided to have something light and less heaty.

beehoon soup with shredded chicken and fishballs.

decent enough for me to finish the entire bowl (with mum, of course!)

3rd: (weekend exclusive) fried fishcake with prawns.

it wasn't as oily as i thought it would be.

yummy!

the rest ordered similar dishes like penang laksa and wanton mee

hence i didn't take repetitive pictures :)

after which,

mum drove us to the next destination

yup, 

4 of us occupied the backseats.

limited space, we all know!

top: our aggressive driver! hahaha

bottom right: uncle thiam joined us wherever we headed to :)

embarked on a short journey to a charming little nature reserve

 

last: it was a Sunday, which explained the crowd.

inched nearer to our destination

just like a nature trail

our uncles joined this expedition as well!

1st: we had identified a strategic spot for us to put our food and whatnot

(mum bought A LOT of food again, when we just had breakfast, no?)

2nd: everyone started to make themselves comfortable by.... eating?

3rd: dee, too, made himself comfortable on a huge rock.

hahahaha

the 4 of us began exploring the wonders of Taiping Lake Garden

Rapid-moving water seemed to be washing the rocks clean,

making them extremely wet and slippery,

hence we were extra prudent when moving around

to prevent ourselves from slipping and falling.

bottom right: kimlai basked in the cooling therapeutic water jubilantly

1st: sis was smiling cheek to cheek as well!

somehow, 山水 is kinda uplifting to everyone

3rd: lil sis has a pair of endless legs, don't you think so?

:)

i even jokingly mentioned to sis that this experience resembled an institution's orientation camp

where the guys would 'assist' the girls

through inevitable physical contacts

just to ensure their safety.

hahahaha

(nonsense, i know!)

see what i meant by orientation camps now?

hehehe

it was really a pleasurable lazy afternoon

where we did nothing but soaked ourselves in tranquilizing moving water

1st: clear and clean water! (seems like a water therapy, no?)

2nd: a picturesque view that must be captured and remembered!

:)

it was evidently a hearty enjoyment for dee..

1st: he was attempting to 'shower' me with more love. lol

3rd: dee was avoiding the strong current! hahaha

and the 2 guys relished their isolated moments with relaxing water flow

3rd: yup, dee was singing to his heart's content! so cute!

moreover, the mild to moderate water current seemed to provide a gentle massage as well!

:)

after immersing in this priceless serenity..

2nd: mum and uncles were also having a good time

eating and munching nonstop

3rd: lil sis couldn't resist the generous serving of rojak.

fruits were ultra fresh, as usual!

:)

unexpectedly, mum even brought DURIANS to Taiping Lake Garden. 

hahahaha

durians. FRESH coconut drinks.

fried kway tiao. rojak. peanuts.

what a unique picnic experience we had!

the guys decided to take a chilly dip!

last: all of us, especially mum, laughed hysterically

when they tried to 'slide' down

because of the bumpy rocks.

just take a look at this video  (below)

and you'll understand what I meant by BUMPY!

hahahahahaa

and our last shots before departing from this ethereal utopia..

:)

mum then drove us back home to wash up

and get ready for the next activity.

in the late afternoon, after a heavy downpour,

Maxwell Hills (咖啡山) presented a different look that was even more alluring~~

you might wonder what our next activity was..

yup, we were preparing a mini BBQ session right at mum's front yard!

hehehe

it was still drizzling hence fire-starting was made slightly more challenging

but it was the guys' task so lil sis & i were spared!

muahahahaha

bottom left: mum continued eating fresh rambutans

while waiting for the bbq pit to be fire-ready!

lol

camwhored a little before the actual grilling commenced!

 

then, it was another endless round of eating and munching.

(i swear it was unintentional for us to eat all day long, hahaha)

in the evening, more relatives dropped by our house

and the atmosphere became very lively all of a sudden :)

i reckoned we were far too occupied with eating and grilling (vicious cycle)

thus there weren't decent shots of the scrumptious bbq dishes.

please make-do with those below.. 

:P

baked potato with overflowing mozzarella cheese, sambal chili long beans with prawns and fish,

grilled chicken wings (uncle thiam marinated them with special seasoning!),

grilled garlic sausages and mushroom sausages,

portobello mushrooms with overflowing mozzarella cheese AND sambal chili

*bloated tummies*

at about 10pm,

cousin brought his adorable kids over to mum's place!

infectious smiles and laughter filled the living room instantly!

awwwwwwww~~

these cheeky little ones simply melt your heart, don't they?

:)

day 2 ended with us playing mahjong till wee hours of the morning

and we were really reluctant to leave this peaceful little town.

do catch the Day 3 post 

which will be up soon!

:)