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Published: December 26th 2008
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Tea Plantation
Anyone for a cuppa! As Mojca had departed for Bangkok, I was left in Penang wondering where to head to next. And the decision (and not a difficult one really) was to escape the humidity of the lowlands and head for the hills of central Malaysia, for 'The Cameron Highlands' to be precise!
At over 1400 meters above sea level, the highlands were a welcome change from the humid and stuffy weather that I had experienced almost everyday since I left home. It was a pleasure to actually sleep in a bed where I was tucked under a duvet instead of legs thrown out over the side of a sheet because even that was even proving too warm!
I had just got word from Borneo that I had been allocated a space at the overnight camp on the Mount Kinabalu climb, South East Asia's highest mountain and a two day trek.....and well I was not fit! So I needed to get some excercise in ASAP! And where better than the highlands. There are treks of varying degrees of difficulty around the hills and it was my intention to get in as many as I could over a few days before heading back to
More Tea
Just in case you wanted another cuppa! Kuala Lumpar and catching a flight to Borneo.
I have to admit, my time in the highlands was a little strange. For the first time in literally months I was alone. Since almost my first day in Laos I had travelled south in the company of others and now, here I was, finding myself alone once again. And where as it is always nice every now and again to get some alone time, some space to recollect thoughts and refocus attentions...I found myself finding this break in company an unwelcome intrusion. I had gotten very used to travelling with Mojca and for me now to be alone again was a little discomforting. But it had to be done and I had a mountain to climb so all self pity had to be set aside. Boots were taken out from the bottom of the bag, dusted off and given the first bit of excercise they had seen since trekking in Thailand! Over the space of the three days I was there I covered about 6 of the trails that led out from the town. As I was so high above sea level it was far easier to trek that at
The Shire
It was like something right out of Lord of the Rings the stuffy humidity of lower ground. In fact I survived a lot easier than I thought I would. I put this down to the fact that I had been hauling a big rucksack around with me in sweltering heat for the past few months.
Apart from the walks, I really liked The Cameron Highlands. The hills in between forest are dotted with tillage farms of all shape, size and description, from small vegtable gardens to huge tea plantations. And this perhaps is what the Highlands are most famous for. Tea plantations and also for being the area where Jim Thompson dissappeared....and if you do not know who Jim Thompson is, checkout my 'Bangkok Part Two blog'.... or just remain contant that they are famous for tea! I took a trek over the mountains from the town and headed up to 'Boh's Tea Plantation'. I arrived just in time for a quick tour of the factory. As I walked through the drying and pressing rooms I could not but be taken in by the homely smell of the tea and after the tour (I was the only one on it by the way so I got full attention!) finished I
made a quick dash into the Tea shop and had my first cup since leaving China. And for a person who is not a regular tea drinker, it was wonderful! And I have been having a more regular cup ever since! On my way back down the valley, I walked through all the tea shrubs stopping every second step to take a photo. The place, complemented by the day was truly beautiful.
And so after a few days of outdoor gymnasium up and down the hills of the Highlands I felt I was ready and it was back on a bus and down the hair raising 650 plus hairpin bends that brought us back closer to sea level and onto the main north-south highway. And within a few short hours I was again within eye shot of The Petronas Towers and Kuala Lumpar. Once more I made my way to Little India for some cheap accommodation and to meet up with Zaid, one of the people I had motorbiked through southern Laos with.
He had just arrived in Malaysia from Thailand and was interested in heading to Borneo and doing the climb with me. The unfortunate thing for me was that as I was walking in the highlands preparing for the big climb I managed to completely bust my hiking boots and left both of them in a pretty bad state. So after asking everybody in the Highlands was there someplace that they could be mended and receiveing nothing but blank faces...why mend boots when you can buy new ones for almost nothing, I was left with no option to buy a new pair of hiking boots in Kuala Lumpar. But I really didn't like the idea of that because the climb was only a few days away and I knew that new boots would mean blisters! And on a 4,100m climb, that is something I did not want! So instead I dragged poor Zaid around the streets of KL looking for somebody to repair my boots. But after endless walking and not finding one single person who could do anything for me I had to resign myself to the fact that I would be hiking in new boots. So after another short while I had the deed done and I was in possession of a pair of shining new hiking boots. And what a bargain too. 40 euro for what I would have easily paid 140 for in Ireland.
But Aidan's luck, or lack of it, kicked in once again and yes you guessed it, as we were leaving the shopping center we turned the corner and who was there in front of us but some guy sitting on the footpath repairing shoes. Zaid and I just looked at each other and laughed! We had passed there twice already and nobody had been there. It was like he was trying to play a joke on me! It turns out that I actually got the other boots repaired (for 3 euro!) as well because I sure as hell wanted to avoid all possibility of the dreaded blisters! So now instead of nearing my Asian leg of the trip and freeing myself of some of the weight in the bag like I had planned to do, I was now carrying around two heavy pairs of hiking boots! Yes people did look at me a bit strange! Two pairs of boots, a pair of sandals and a pair of flip-flops....and I call myself a backpacker!
After the shopping was finished and all repairs done we took it easy and headed to the Petronas Towers for one last luck before heading for some dinner (Sushi no less) and a final beer in mainland Malaysia. The following morning it was a bright and early start and we were off to the airport and heading for Kota Kinabalu, Borneo!!!
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J in Taiwan
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Stumbled on this
A traveler of Asia myself, I was actually looking for a shire wallpaper when I stumbled on this photo. Nice shot! Half convinces me of hopping over to Malaysia myself. So much green! Not much of that in my current destination. I guess the lack thereof has led to me reminiscing of the Shire, haha.