We're Going on a Road Trip!
A week ago, the office asked me to give a lecture at a community college in Jitra, Kedah on Monday, 20 March 2023. The lecture was part of a nationwide programme happening at more than 140 community colleges, involving around 30,000 students — a scale big enough for the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR).
With such short notice, and with the school holidays ending, all ETS train tickets heading north were sold out. A bus ride would take six to seven hours anyway, so we decided to drive.
Planning the Journey
Jitra is about 450 km from Kuala Lumpur, so we planned to split the drive:
- Saturday: KL → Taiping
- Sunday: Taiping → Jitra
- Monday: After the lecture, drive south to Ipoh
- Tuesday: Ipoh → KL
We booked the hotels, and our good friend — who works in the used car business — kindly lent us a comfortable SUV for the long journey.
KL to Taiping
We left home at 9:20am and reached Taiping at 12 noon. (You can watch the hyperlapse in our previous video.)
We headed to the hotel, but check in was only at 3pm. So we drove into town for lunch at Bismillah Cendol. We had:
- Pasembur — RM8.00 each
- Kacang Jagung Cendol — RM2.20
- Pulut Jagung Cendol — RM2.60
Total: RM12.80 (≈ USD/EUR3).
With two hours to spare, we drove back near the hotel and parked at DoubleTap Café. We decided to first take a drive around the Taiping Lake Gardens, then stopped at a Petronas station to refuel the “thirsty” SUV.
Coffee by the Lake
We returned to DoubleTap Café and ordered:
- Dalgona Coffee — RM15.00
- Iced Honey Lemon — RM8.00
- French Toast (shared) — RM8.00
Total: RM31.00 (≈ USD/EUR7).
We sat by a large window overlooking the lake — a peaceful hour well spent.
We then checked in at Flemington Hotel, where we booked a twin room for RM208.00 (≈ USD46/EUR44), fully paid using credits from our Booking.com wallet.
Evening in Taiping
After a nap, we planned to take an evening stroll at the Lake Gardens, but a heavy downpour delayed us. Once the rain eased at sunset, we headed out. (Watch our next video for the full walk.)
For dinner, we went to Tai Hu Food Court and had:
- Mata Kuching drinks — RM4.80
- Lor Bak — RM19.70
- Grilled Stingray — RM26.00
- Kueh Teow Thng — RM6.00
Total: RM56.50 (≈ USD13/EUR12).
We took another slow walk around the Lake Gardens before returning to the hotel. Our room came with breakfast for two, so we aimed for an early night.
More Tomorrow
Catch up with you tomorrow morning!
(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)
📍 Location:
Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/HQ3NCQcv6SA3dDDK8
Flemington Hotel - https://goo.gl/maps/ysGHwgfa7nsyZ1876
Bismillah Cendol - https://goo.gl/maps/7eVeNx3NgCm2qdUt8
New Clock Tower - https://goo.gl/maps/VNEEQUD7oC2exM868
DoubleTap Cafe - https://goo.gl/maps/GPNrvnte4mTJV7QH8
Taiping Lake Gardens - https://goo.gl/maps/iNhPPV8kgkwZEWhS7
Tai Hu Food Court - https://goo.gl/maps/dTnJjBg5WYXH8MXY7
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