Thousands visit Buki Larut (Maxwell Hill) to view tulips

Thousands visit hill to view tulips
Friday February 3, 2006
Story and picture by Raslan Baharom

TAIPING: Blooming tulips on Bukit Larut have been drawing thousands of holidaymakers to the hill this past week.

A local resident, SJK (C) Pokok Assam teacher Mary Ng, 40, who accompanied a group of relatives from Kuala Lumpur to the hill yesterday said she was impressed by the blooms.

“The tulips are beautiful and I feel proud that we can grow tulips here.

“Now, there is no need to go overseas to see such flowers,” she said while admiring the tulips at Cendana Hut, the tulip-growing site, which is about 1,128m above sea level.

Another visitor Nor Rashid Osman, from Selangor, said he had come to Bukit Larut after reading newspaper reports on the tulip-growing project.

But Nor Rashid, 36, who was accompanied by his wife Zalina Mohd Nayan, 32, and their children Noratikah, eight and Noralia Akmal, seven, said more could be done to draw visitors.

“The tulip-growing project is a good start to draw visitors to the hill but I hope the authorities explore growing other highland crops such as strawberries as is being done in Cameron Highlands,” said Nor Rashid.

Despite the hill’s rich flora and fauna, Nor Rashid said he was unable to get in touch with anyone who could organise outings into the jungle.

He said he was also given the run-around when he wanted to book the jeep service to go up the hill.

“I came here on Tuesday afternoon and was told that I should come back at 8.30am the following day to book the jeep service to make the journey up the hill,” he said.

A spokesman from the Larut Matang and Selama district office, which runs the jeep service, said seven jeeps were used to ferry passengers up the hill.

“The jeeps had carried more than 300 visitors daily and in the past eight days, more than 2,400 people had gone up the hill,” he said.

He also said all of the accommodation facilities on the hill were fully booked throughout the week. -- The Star.

PRETTY PETALS: A group of visitors admiring the lovely purple blooms at the tulip-growing site at Cendana Hut in Bukit Larut.