We've taken the bus to Bau a couple of times this year. On the way to nearby sights -- a cave the first time round; a cave temple the second -- we've passed by the impressive Huanglao Xianshi Temple and the Blue Lake, and we've grabbed meals and snacks in the Siang Siang foodcourt.

But until today we'd never actually visited Bau with the specific aim of spending time in the little town itself.


Yet it's definitely worth doing that. OK, a couple of hours will suffice, for a little photography tour and lunch (take your pick from the usual myriad of eateries). But they're a very pleasant couple of hours.

The beginning of the outward journey was a bit slow, on account of the ongoing roadworks for the Pan Borneo Highway. But we reached Bau in just over an hour.


We started at the Shuixing Gong or Mercury Temple. (According to Chee-Beng Tan, one of the names on the tablet at the main altar is Shuide Xingjun, the Taoist deity associated with the planet Mercury, and with water and rain.)

Its candy colours and resident cat make it very photogenic.







Next up is the curious Buddhist shrine that doubles as a roundabout:


Bau doesn't have many examples of old wooden shophouses left, but there are a few:


What it does have is a rather attractive little rock garden:




Bau is a small town, and you rapidly come to the edge, with its picturesque cliff wall:


Turning back into town, you find a tower or chimney (which has so far eluded identification):


Finally, there's the memorial to the Hakka gold miners who founded the settlement:



So, another of our cheap-and-cheerful outings (this one cost MYR 31, including bus and lunch) gets a big tick.