Cameron Highlands

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Cameron Highlands
We were picked up at 8:45 in a land rover. We learned today that there are over 2000 land rovers in the Cameron Highland area. We drove up 2032 meters above sea level stopping part way to take pictures of the beautiful tea plantations. At the top we climbed up a tower to see the mountainous views. Once in a while you can see the Malacca Strait, but there was a lot of fog and mist in the air so we could not. Once we all climbed down we went on a guided walk along the road to learn about some flora and fauna. We were taken into the mossy forest. The mossy forest is a natural environment that grows only at the highest elevations of Cameron Highlands and other mountain ranges across Malaysia. At such heights, low-level clouds in the sky, driven by winds, blanket the forests with constant mist and moisture, creating an ideal biotope for moss, ferns, lichen and orchids. This moist tropical evergreen forest is also a rich repository for a unique set of montane creatures, encompassing insects, snakes, frogs, birds and mammals - that thrive nowhere else but in this chilly atmosphere.

We visited the BOH Tea Plantation. BOH is Malaysias largest producer of black tea. Here we got to watch the different stages to make tea. The rollers twist and break the withered leaves, distorting and rupturing its internal cells. This exposes its juices for fermentation. The fermented leaves are fed into machines through which hot air is passed at temperatures of 100 degree's celsius. This halts the fermentation action, reduces the moisture content to less then 3% and crystalizes the juices, thus converting the leaves into its familiar black crisp form. The drying process takes approximately 20 minutes. After drying the tea is graded according to particle size by passing it through a series of vibrating sieves. Stalks and fibers are also extracted. Each grade of tea has its own density and flavour characteristics. We had the option to buy a cup of tea and a snack, so I had the loose vanilla tea, and Tristan had the most popular local tea (not sure of the name). The view from the tea room were breathtaking, with workers working below.
Next we were taken to a butterfly farm and shown different insects. I was the only one brave enough to hold them.
After lunch it started pouring rain. We wish we had only signed up for a half day tour as the afternoon wasn't that exciting. We visited a strawberry farm which we got to see strawberries before they are ripe. The rest of the strawberries were in gated areas. After the farm we went to a market that sells local vegetables, then onto the Time Tunnel Museum. It felt like we were in a Pawn shop. There was some local history, but also a lot of old Coke a Cola, bikes, nick nacks, etc. Our last stop was to visit a Buddhist temple with Chinese influence. It was a temple for believers in Caodaism.
For dinner we enjoyed Indian food at Kumar restaurant. Then hung out the rest of the evening at the guesthouse.

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Photos

Leaf
These things are cool. They produce a nectar that lures insects to its inside. Once they go in they can't get out. The top lip is rounded in to prevent them from escaping. Along the flower itself there are hairlike things to allow insects that don't fly to climb to the inside.