TAIPING LAKE GARDEN

Like a troupe of dancers they stand on parade. Arching as far back as possibly they can, they lurch forward dramatically in graceful abandon, to touch the water with gentle sustained reverence. This act of artistry of the archaic angsana trees never fails to enthrall visitors as they ushered into the world of mystique of the Taiping Lake Gardens. The magic continues one step onto the islands among the expanse of tranquil water where the rays of the early morning sun shine obliquely through the clumps of bamboo, palm and isolated trees.
Motley of people throngs the gardens everyday, throughout the day. With the availability of walkways, exercise stations, boating facilities, playground and even a zoo. It becomes a heaven for strollers, health buff, pleasure seekers and parents with children. At dusk, as the sun withdraws, the luscious moon lures another tribe of people to the fold. These are courting couples, come to enjoy the air laden with the scent of flowering angsana trees cacophony of the crickets chirping and frogs croaking. It is hard to imagine that prior to 1884, this ‘green lung’ now teeming with people round the clock was a desolate, depleted tin mine. It has come to be what it is today by kind courtesy of a British officer, Colonel E.S.F Walker.