I found out about a hidden monument in the jungles of Bukit Larut from a group of Malaysian hikers that I met along the road. With the help of a Malaysian guy who was doing some road repairs, I was finally able to locate the trail head and he volunteered to escort me on the jungle trail to the monument. See part I of story

Although a short hike of only 250 meters, one should not attempt it alone. It is so easy to get lost and the footing up the muddy slope is somewhat difficult as the trail is overgrown by the dense jungle vegetation. I found myself climbing over branches and vines; fortunately, my guide knew exactly where to step.

Of course, one must be prepared to “pick up” a couple of leeches.

After about 15 minutes of relatively strenuous hiking, we finally reached the monument. Partially covered by vines and jungle greenery, the monument commemorates the visit of Mr. Birch, the first Englishman to climb this hill. Engraved on the stone was the following:

“THE FIRST ENGLISHMAN TO CLIMB THIS HILL WAS MR T.W.W. BIRCH. FIRST BRITISH RESIDENT OF PERAK IN 1875”

The hill to the monument was later remained Birch Hill after the famous Englishman.

After returning to the main road safe and sound, I breathed a sigh of relief after completing this minitrek successfully without incident. Too bad that my all my camera batteries were dead so I wasn’t able to take any pictures of my expedition. Just the same, there was definitely a sense of exhilaration of having been one of the privileged few to have actually seen this almost forgotten monument – truly an important piece of Malaysian history.

While writing this blogpost, I did some research about this monument. It seems there is a discrepancy about the correctness of the inscription. An excellent report about the rediscovery of the forgotten monument and its context in Malaysian history (and the history of the state of Perak) explains everything.

Shortly after arriving in Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill), the historic hill station located only 9KM from the city of Taiping, I commenced on a hike to the electrical towers located about 3.5KM from my hotel. In order to reach Bukit Larut, you have to take the land rover shuttle in Taiping.

Situated at 1100 meters above sea level, Bukit Larut affords some excellent panoramic views of Taiping and on a clear day you can see the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The sunsets are simply spectacular.

Hiking up the narrow paved road to the towers, I met a group of tourists from Taiping - a middle aged lady and her three nieces - who accompanied me for the first Kilometer. Hugging the hillsides was the luxuriant green vegetation of the rainforest.

Nearing the power plant and twin electrical towers, I ran into some Malaysian hikers who excitedly told me about a relatively obscure trail off the side of the road that led to a monument dedicated to an old Englishmen. A gardener who was working on the road volunteered to be their tour guide and he escorted them through the dense jungle vegetation to the monument. Sharing with me some digital pictures of their mini trek fueled my curiosity.

Apparently few people – foreigners and Malaysians alike - are aware of this forgotten monument in the jungle. As I was intrigued by “this discovery” I asked them to give me more information about the trail. They warned me that although the trail was right off the main road, the signage was very poor, and the trail up the jungle slope to the hidden monument – although only 250 meters long - was difficult to navigate because of the somewhat treacherous footing. They recommended that if I found the trail that I do not attempt to make the hike by myself.

Continuing my hike, I passed the electrical power plant and started looking for trail. I must have wasted over 30 minutes or more trying to find the marker for the trailhead without any success. Just as I was about to give up and head back to my hotel, I sighted a Malaysian man who was working on the road. Sure enough he knew exactly where the trail was and volunteered to lead me to the monument.

Upcoming - The adventure continues with the treacherous hike through the Jungles of Bukit Larut to the Birch Monument