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Published: October 17th 2005
Tea Plantation
Ummm... tea leavesWho's idea was it to come here?!?!?
oh,... it would probably be mine! It's flippin' freezing here! I've had to put socks, proper shoes (ones that constrict my toes) and up to 3 tops at a time on whilst being here (and its actually only about 20 degrees at lowest, but I've become acclimatized to the heat now!) Nonetheless, it's beautiful and a refreshing change to be here and well worth freezing my diddlies off for!
Friday 14th October
I got up at stupid o'clock to get the local bus to the bus station on Penang. I had been told to get the 25/29 bus... but I hadn't seen one in the 30 mins or so that I’d been stood waiting, so I stopped a number 69 bus and asked for the 'stesen bas?'... "eh?!"... erm... 'the bus station'... "oh, yeah, no probs"... great, I hopped aboard.
Have faith in the Malaysian people 'cos my little bus driver made a detour and unscheduled stop at the bus station for me! Transferred onto a bigger bus (that was marginally less rickety) and started off in the direction of the Cameron Highlands.
I’d had people say to me
over the last couple of days that the journey up into the Cameron Highlands was truly beautiful… they weren’t kiddin! After a brief stop in Ipoh (home to many millionaires in its day, apparently, because it was close to the rich tin mines) I managed to stay awake to see the spectacular green undulating mountains of the Perak/Pahang regions of Malaysia. The vegetation here is so lush, a mixture of jungle, tea plantations and fruit and vegetable farms.
When we arrived in Tanah Rata I was, after getting over the shock of the cold, taken aback at how much it looked like a cross between a small Scottish town (goes by the name of Kirkcudbright!) and a European ski resort! (boy, if this place ever got snow it would be Awesome!) I got out of the bus station, swatting a few guesthouse touts on the way, and headed to the Cameronian Inn (I’d been recommended this by someone on the way and it was in the bible (Lonely Planet), the signs in town leading to it also said … ‘Cameronian Inn, fresh scones with jam and cream’… SOLD!)
The Cameronian inn is a quaint little place that looks
more like home than a guesthouse. They have a little tv room, reading room, only a handful of bedrooms, and you can help yourself to as many cups of tea and coffee throughout the day as you like!
Having settled into my room I had to try one of their freshly baked scones with jam and cream, washed down with a cup of tea… yummy! I then ventured out into town and had a look around. I found somewhere to have some more food (the T-café) where I ate noodles with… ‘stuff’.. the usual veg and chicken combo, followed by chocolate cake and cream,… I LOVE CAKES!
Saturday 15th October
Woke early in an attempt to get booked onto an all day trek. It paid off, because at about 9am our guide for the day came to pick us up (me and a bloke called Mike, a Brit who had just finished working in Sydney as a doctor for 2 years, joined Hayley and Lorna from England and Melissa and Erin from the USA)
Our first stop was at the Boh Tea estate. We watched a short film about the development of the tea estate and
how tea is produced and then took a trip around the tea factory. Did you know… tea leaves are picked from a bush every 15 days. It takes 5kg of leaves to make 1kg of tea. Once picked, the tea leaves are then withered in a drying process to reduce their moisture content, they are then rolled to twist and rupture the leaf cells and release the juiced for fermentation. The fermentation process is the real science behind the taste of tea… it has to be strictly controlled to develop the different flavours and aromas of the tea. Once this has been perfected the tea leaves are then fired which turns the leaves black. So far, all this can be done by a number of machines, but it is the final process of sorting the tea, which is done by hand (not a job that I aspire to!) We saw one lady removing the stalks and sorting the tea into grades. The tea is then sorted to be sold for use as teabags or just as leaves. However, one job I wouldn’t mind doing is becoming a ‘tea taster’ (no kiddin!) we saw the little guy who has the v.
Tanah Rata
A bird's eye view of the town and surrounding area where I was staying in the Cameron Highlands important job of tasting the tea to make sure that it is good stuff (I guess… how would you know if it wasn’t good?)
Well, watching all that hard work made us thirsty… we had to sample the local brew! I had a cup of ‘Cameronian tea’ with a mini strawberry pie… yum!
We then took a wander down the road through the tea plantation. I never imagined that I would find such beauty in a tea bush, but the organized chaotic planting of the bushes and the sheer extent of the plantation over the vast hills and mounds, around rocks and against a backdrop of the jungle was just incredible. In parts, the road was also lined with beautiful flowers including orchids and poinsettias!
We jumped back into the jeep and headed into the jungle! With a local Orang Asli tribe man we set off on foot up a rather steep incline (required some scrambling!) into the dense jungle. On the way we learnt some jungle craft,... you can eat pretty much everything in the jungle! we found food in flower buds and water in tree trunks... amazing! we continued to walk, and walk, and walk!
Orang Asli village
Some little kiddies peeking out from their house in the local trabe village It was amazing how the climate had changed again within a matter of miles. We were in hot and humid jungle when this morning we had been taking a leisurely stroll through cool and breezy tea fields.
We eventually came out of the jungle to a local village where we were greeted by lots of local children practising their English (They seem to have mastered "hello" and "bye bye"!)
It was a surprisingly short walk back to the main road to the jeep (and these people dont live a 'western' influenced life?!) and then off to get some lunch. Lunch had been prepared by a local indian family. We ate a variety of curries with rice off a banana leaf 'plate'. All very scrummy!
Once we had re-fueled we were back on our way to visit a waterfall. Another short trek through the jungle brought us to a small waterfall. I felt obliged to dip a toe in (I wasn't going any further... it was flippin freezing!) and after about 15mins, we turned around and headed back to the guesthouse.
That evening I joined the rest of the group for a beer and some food (at
Pitcher plant
It's amazing what you come across in the jungle... i was half expecting this to be filled with beer... but unfortunately not. the T-cafe again!... Did I mention that they do great Cheescake there!?)
Sunday 16th October
Had a little lie in before heading into town to pick up some shopping. I went to the supermarket and invested in a big packet of biscuits, chocolate milk (I haven't had any calcium in I don't know HOW long!), and an apple (oh my god, I've not seen an apple in months!)
At about 1pm I set of with Yam (it could have been Yim, or Yem... not quite sure) the guesthouse's resident guide on a Sunday stroll (Re: trek) of the surrounding area. I had wanted to go up to the highest point (Gunung Brinchang; 2031m) but that would apparantly take too long, so I settled for the next best thing... Gunung Jasar at just under 1,700m above sea level and across to Gunung Perdah (1,576m)
At first I was concerned that my guide was going to be a bit shy and quiet... but after about 200m of walking and until we returned to the guesthouse he just didn't shut up!!! On the way up the mountain through the jungle I learnt all about the different flora and fauna.
I was shown a great variety of flowers, including tiny orchids, and plants, including the 'pitcher plant' (it forms a little jug and is actually carniverous... I mean it eats flies and things!) and a gizziolion varieties of fern (in fact if he showed me another I was almost ready to throttle him!) As well as blue, red and white mushrooms and a couple of bugs, thrown in for good measure! It was fascinating, but not quite as interesting as the socio-economic rundown of the Malaysian population that he gave me on the way. I now know what an average single person/family of 4 earn and need to live on each month, how much a house/flat/apartment in this town and KL costs to buy/rent, how much a malaysian/imported car costs to buy and run, how the entire health system works and all the different religions and their own traditional foods in Malaysia! Phew... well, I couldn't (wouldn't want to) learn all that by reading a book... but a great guy all the same ... who by the way, on our walk would also collect any litter that was lying around (bless!)
The view from the top was well worth
YUMMY!
Me and a whole lot of strawberries (600g to be precise!) ... I won't post the 'after' photo, just take it from me... they were good! having my ear talked off for!
When we arrived back at the guesthouse at about 6pm he even admitted himself that the walk would probably take only about 2-3 hours instead of 5 if he didn't stop and talk all the way!
Monday 17th october
BACK UP TO DATE FOLKS! Well, kinda... i know there's a lot inbetween that i still need to fill you in on, but i have a note of it and when i'm really bored (which will probably never happen... but i promise to get most of it posted soon) then i'll backtrack and update it.
However, before then, i've done stuff this morning worth noting...
relaxing start... then took a taxi from my town (Tanah Rata) to the next town (Brinchang) to go and pick some strawberries! :o)
Now, some of you may think that I get enough of picking blummin fruit at home... but this is different... I'm in Malaysia!
I entered the strawberry farm and was in strwaberry heaven! I picked lovely jubly strawberries for about 20 mins. until I had a punet of about 600g of THE MOST delicious strawberries ever! (dad,.. we havent had any at home for a while, otherwise yours would have been the best you understand... I didn't succumb to buying any jam,... i've put my order in for when you come out and join me!)
I've then spent the last good couple of hours working my way through most of the strawberries with a cup of tea and the occasional scone or piece of shortbread... life doesn't get much better (until the next white sandy beach I guess!)
Well,... hope that I've either bored you sufficiently/provided a good distraction from work/ or made you green with envy!
Until next time,... keep in touch, miss you all lots,
Clare xxx
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Mum
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walking & talking.
Well Clare..as usual you have managed to bring the place to life!! Although I am sure I saw a posting from your guide who was talking about this "English girl" who talked his ears off and ate the local villagers out of house and home!As for the strawberries...you left home too early..we've been harvesting some great ones for a few weeks now..I promise to pack the jam when we come out to Bali but its either blackcurrant or raspberry ..strawberries didn't get as far as the jam stage!!.