Taiping is also famous for its rainfalls for being the wettest town in Peninsular Malaysia even on the driest month which is in June. The average annual rainfallis about 3,000mm in Taiping while the peninsular's average is 2,000mm - 2,500mm. Its unusual rainfall has also led to a fertile collection of floar and century-old rain trees in the Taiping Lake Gardens.
The Malaysian time zone is 8 hours ahead of GMT (+8GMT).
Malaysia's currency unit is divided into two. The term Ringgit Malaysia (RM) is used to refer to paper money. The denominations are RM1, RM5, RM10, RM20, RM50 and RM100. Whereas coins are defined as sen (cents). The denominations are 5 sen, 10 sen, 20 sen and 50 sen.
Passports must be valid for at least 6 months at the time of entry. Visa requirements vary from time to time, so it is best to check with the Malaysian embassy or consulate or the Immigration Department website.
Be sure to have your hotel bookings printed. Booking a hotel in Taiping is easy,but if you are travelling during peak periods you may want to book in advance to avoid dissapointments. When booking a stay, be sure to check how far is it from the places you want to visit. Check if your hotel provides free WiFi. Most hotels provide free WiFi for their guests. But in case they don’t you will need to purchase a phone line with a data plan. There's a myriad of budget to 5-star hotels to choose in Taiping.
If you do not plan to switch on your roaming while you are travelling to Taiping, fret not as most hotels give you access to their wifi. Whilst most cafés in Taiping provides free Wifi with the purchase of a drink or food. It is also advisable to buy a pre-paid sim card with a data plan to make things easier when you are on the go.
Since the rain in Taiping is pretty unpredictable, it is best to pack clothes that are light and airy.
If you’re planning to go hiking, make sure you have your hiking shoes. Also, don’t forget to pack an extra pair of sandal for your normal walking.
Make sure to pack in your sunscreen, especially if you don’t want to be sunburnt. The sun can be scorching hot at times.
Since the rain can be pretty unpredictable in Taiping, don’t forget to pack your raincoat or a travel-sized umbrella. You don’t want to be soaked to your skin if it rains suddenly.
DO NOT forget to pack your prescription tablets and any other medicines that you think you might need in case you fall sick.
Each city has its unique area code for landlines. 05 is Taiping’s area code followed by the eight-digit number when you call from your mobile phone. Example: 05-12345678 Whereas, every call to a mobile phone requires a three-digit prefix (Maxis = 012, Celcom = 019, DiGi = 016), followed by the seven-digit subscriber number. Example: 012-123 4567
Malaysia mobile phones use the GSM network, if your phone has a roaming facility, it will automatically hook-up to a local network. Otherwise, prepaid sim cards can be purchased starting at RM20 for registration and talk time. The three main phone providers in Malaysia are Maxis, Celcom and DiGi. Buying pre-paid sim cards is easy since you can find kiosks selling pre-paid sim cards almost everywhere.
Police/Ambulance: 999 (112 from a mobile phone)
Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba): 994 (112 from a mobile phone)
Civil Defence Tel: 991