Second half of KL and Cameron Highlands

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Another post on the wall!

So Erin and I decided that we were going to shop our faces off in KL for the entire duration of our stay there, and so now our legs are hating us for it. We did, however, see some of the sights in KL: some temples, the giant square that is used for all sorts of important events in the city, and the giant park they have (which included full-on orchid and hibiscus gardens). We went to see the Orchid garden, and it was pretty breathtaking, just the amount of flowers they had there and how cheaply they sold them for (a large Orchid plant --with tonnes of flowers-- sold for about $3.35 CAD... CRAZY HUH?). By the end of our time in KL, we began to slow our incredibly persistent pace of walking to a crawl.

Our second accommodation was in china town and called the "Red Dragon Hostel" and the building it is in (which is HUGE for a hostel-- I'll put some pictures up soon) used to be a theater, so the whole building is slightly altered... you can definitely tell it used to be a theater though.

Even though the first hostel we stayed in was located around much of the more upscale shopping, our location in Chinatown had its perks too. It's down the street from the bus station, and near enough places to shop and eat to keep one occupied for a few days at least. There was also this gigantic shopping emporium across the street which was practically like a dollar store to us, and they pretty much sold everything under the sun. AWESOME.

After some leg-breaking shopping sprees in KL (though the return was minimal), we caught our bus to the Cameron Highlands. The trip there was done on a 'regular' bus (the difference between 'regular' and 'super VIP' is the vip has about 10 seats more and a more plushy environment -- both have air con) in the rain. Now, a rainy day wouldn't be so bad if you were driving through the flat countryside, just cruising along, but this was the trip to the Cameron HIGHlands. The mountain passes were thinner than those of the rockies, and far more dangerous. There were numerous times where we almost had head-on collisions with other buses or cars, because the corners are so sharp and narrow. There was actually one time where we were about 1/2 a foot away from scraping the rock wall next to the bus to let the other bus through. All this in the rain. It was stressful at times (and my window leaked), but we were blessed with a GREAT view (mountains shrouded by clouds, winding mountain passes) and a great payoff in the end, as the little town we're staying in (Thana Rata) is very beautiful.

Today (the 30th), we went on a 'countryside tour', which included a trip to a huge rose garden, a 4000 acre tea plantation, a bee farm, butterfly gardens (where I got to hold a scorpion-- pictures soon!!!), and a really old Chinese Buddhist temple. It was a full day, and definitely worth the 15 bucks it cost!

We are currently staying in a little mountain chalet-type thing (that looks very dutch indeed-- pictures soon!(sorry!)), and it's actually cold here in the morning and nights. This morning, it was so cold we saw our breath (gasp!). Tomorrow morning we're heading back to KL to book our ticket to Singapore and shop around a bit more and just hang out.

I forgot to mention the AWESOME Indian restaurant we ate at last night (and we'll eat at tonight again). There's a bunch of stuff brought to you-- on 2 banana leaves-- and you're supposed to eat it all with your hands (they brought cutlery later, but I saw many of the locals eating with their right hand)... I definitely ate the whole meal with my hand (right hand only.. those are the rules!). Definitely the most unique eating experience we've had this whole trip... and we're going to do it again tonight!

So, that's about all I've got for now, but we'll be done Singapore in only a few days from now, and then Hong Kong, and then HOME. Things are blasting by so quickly now that it's closing in on the end of the trip, and I think we'll both be happy to get our feet back on familiar soil.

Well, at any rate, we'll post pictures soon, and a few more blog posts, and we love the messages/comments, so keep 'em coming!

Thanks for reading!

Ben

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Comments

[Auntie Jacky]

Local Customs
Good for you to observe those eating customs....much safer and a guaranty that they will serve you food! What on earth are you doing with all the shopping items?....looking/buying/shipping? Isn't Raffles Hotel in Singapore? If so, you MUST visit it...the height of the old Raj glory....afternoon tea at Raffles . You will enjoy Hong Kong too. Take photos 'cos that's all you have when you get back....apart for the loot / booty and plunder purchased! Stay safe.

[Jeff Ruehle]

Well I just came back from camping, and had to pop onto your travel blog to see what I've missed! I sure sounds like you've been keeping up on the transit excitement, and enjoying the wonderful food. You gotta love those people who just think they can do whatever they please, and must have their way even in totally foreign countries. I woulda loved to soak in the events of the night boat, and I can't wait to see your picts. I am also curious to know what it was like to hold a scorpion, I dunno if I could do it without hucking it across the room! Ciao