2018 Singapore-Thailand Drive – Taiping Tyrannosaurus

Day 2 – Kuala Lumpur to Taiping

Day 2 was a leisurely 270km drive from Kuala Lumpur to Taiping, a historical town in the state of Perak situated to on a plain to the west of the Bintang Mountains. We visited this hotel earlier this year and felt that it would be a nice place to rest and relax before crossing the border into Thailand.

The drive was pretty smooth, except we got held up for quite some time by a garbage truck at the petrol kiosk along the highway:

Normally I would patiently wait, but this garbage truck after clearing the trash at this spot, refused to let us pass and insisted on blocking us a second time just 30m down the road at the next trash point. Well, I’m just thankful that today was a short leg.

As usual, we enjoyed the scenery along the North-South Highway, especially above Ipoh when it meanders through the mountains. I never get tired of driving through this area. You have to be careful though, especially after the tunnel when it starts to go downhill. The curves are deceptively sharp, so I would advise drivers to go slow and cautiously, especially when driving alongside large trucks.

The good thing about only travelling 270km today was that it allowed us to arrive at the hotel early, with plenty of time to enjoy the facilities and the mall. Every time we stay at a hotel with a swimming pool, the kids will hound us for the opportunity to jump in. Today, we obliged. The Novotel pool was a simple one, but with a scenic view of the mountains, and it was a great way to unwind in the cool late afternoon air.

The great thing about Novotel Taiping is that it is super convenient and family friendly, located in the same compound as Taiping Mall, with easy access to food and shopping. It was the kids lucky day, as the mall was filled with fun amusement rides that day. Just RM15 for three kids and they had a great time driving the dinosaurs!

These are really the simple joys of life, seeing your children have a good time with big smiles on their faces. What more can we ask for? One thing is for certain though. I’m not going to let any of them drive my car, after seeing how reckless they were on the dinosaurs!

This is part 3 of my 2018 Drive from Singapore to Thailand Blog Series, click HERE for part 4 where I share about all the changes at the Malaysia-Thailand border crossing!

2018 Drive from Singapore to Thailand Blog Series:

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