GRAND TOUR – Continued
My Maxwell Hill excursion was a bit of a washout.
I should have known better than to try to go in the afternoon when rain is more likely. This old hill station (now known as Bukit Larut) near Taiping is said to be the wettest place in Malaysia with 98 inches of rain a year. Only a Scot could have chosen this damp place to build a hill resort!
The only way to get up the hill other than walking is by using Government owned Land Rover service. It costs RM 6 for the return trip which I think is quite good value as it takes about 30 minutes to negotiate the 72 hair-pin bends and reach the top station at 1036 metres above sea level. At the top, when it is not raining, visitors can enjoy great views and cool fresh air.
When we were about two thirds of the way down the weather cleared up and this was the best view I was able to get.
The 4wd has to be booked earlier on. I went there but all trips r sold out for the day. So we just loiter at the foothill
is about 3 to 4 hours hiking up to Maxwell hill. you can start early in the morning. up and down will take about 7 hours. good exercise too.