Eawasin, from the guesthouse, suggested that we do an extra stop between Tanah Rata and Penang. We followed his advice and the four of us took a bus to Ipoh and then to Taiping, a colonial city in north western Malaysia. While the people here were charming, there was not a great deal to do. It rained heavily the first day as we tried to find internet. There is a very nice lake garden, which is worth seeing. However, Taiping is not the reason we came here. We came here in search of Orangutans on the mysterious Palau Orang Utan. It was not easy to find and we worked out that between the four of us it is cheapest to get a taxi there. The island is located near a resort town called Laketown, where everything is ridiculously expensive. You can easily spend RM2000 a night here. Not a backpacker’s kind of place. Entry to the island costs RM36 per person. This will give you a “Foreigner” wristband. The island itself is quite a remarkable conservation effort of these magnificent creatures. They have minimal human interaction and roam free in their 5 acre designated area. As a visitor, you are in the cage to see them, separated by two fences in order not to disturb them. There is a nursery where young infants are looked after if there are complications at birth. Forced breeding is not encouraged and Orangutans have a very slow reproduction cycle, hence why every effort is made to safe newborns. If you have a soft spot for these animals or are unsure, this is a great place to visit.
