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Published: March 19th 2009
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Getting from the jungle to the Cameron Highlands was a more arduous journey that it should have been. Even though they look pretty close on the map there is apparantely only one road linking them and it takes you the very long way round. So, we got on the coach at 8am and didn't arrive in the Cameron Highlands until around 4pm, despite the fact that we were only going around 150KM as the crow flies. Fun. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the Cameron Highlands really is the place to soothe away frustrations.
The Cameron Highlands cover a large region in central Malaysia around 5,000ft above sea level. Because of the altitude, the climate is significantly cooler than the rest of Malaysia and feels more like a pleasantly hot British day than the usual stifling Malay oven. The area is named after a British colonial surveyor called William Cameron who discovered and charted the region in 1885. Soon afterwards the British realised that the climate and soil were perfect for tea growing and covered vast sections of the area in plantations, most of which are still there today. The area has also retained a
lot of the colonial influence and arriving on the coach was odd because, even though we were in Malaysia you could just about convince somebody that it was Scotland. The rolling green hills look like something from a British tourism advert and all of the tudor style hotels and guest houses have signs outside proclaiming home made scones with strawberry jam and afternoon tea. The only give away would be that you can't understand what the locals say but that still doesn't sound too different from some of Scotland!
When we finally arrived the coach took us around various guesthouses rather than simply dropping us at the bus station because it would have been impossible to walk up and down the hills finding somewhere with a room. We stopped at a lovely place called the Cameronian Inn which had a room for 70RM (14 pounds) and checked in. The place was small and clean and we both instantly said that it reminded us of English coastal B&Bs. After dumping our bags we excitedly rushed back out to the dining area and ordered tea and scones which were among the finest I have ever had. We'd even walked past the
lady baking them in the kitchen on the way.
Most of the tea we'd had so far in Malaysia was vile. The Malays have quite a sweet tooth and any coffee or tea that you order will usually come with enough sugar in it to stand your spoon up, even if you ask for none. They don't seem to understand why people wouldn't have sugar so just throw more in for good measure and to persuade you that they are right. However, in the Cameron Highlands it's fantastic. Amy's face was a picture when she had the first sip after our long journey! After another few cups and a nice British sit down we turned in for the night.
The next morning we booked ourselves onto a tour of the region. For only 25RM (5 pounds) each, a young Malay guy picked us up in his car that was festooned with Liverpool stickers, flags and memorabilia and drove us around a variety of the sights. First off was the Rose Garden, a lovely garden centre on a hillside not far from our guesthouse. We wandered around for about half an hour, looking at all the colourful flowers although
we weren't particularly knowledgable about what we were looking at. We did say that we wished we'd had Nanny Heather with us! After that we went to a local strawberry farm where we saw the vast greenhouses that produce them and had a freshly blended strawberry milkshake that was lovely. Next was a butterly and insect park where we got to hold scorpions and huge beetles and grasshoppers before walking through the enclosed butterfly area which was home to hundreds of gorgeous butterflys. I tried to get some good pictures but the little buggers kept flitting off before I could get any good ones. Then we went to a honey bee farm and walked through the gardens where the hives were, being very careful not to disurb any of the bees. Finally we arrived at the highlight of the day: the Boh tea plantation. Boh is the largest black tea producer in Malaysia and the plantation in the Cameron Highlands is the biggest in the country. We drove up the hillside and stopped halfway to take some pictures of the incredible view. When we arrived at the factory we had a brief tour in which we learned how the tea
is picked, cut, dried, sorted and graded. We also found out that tea picking has to be one of the worst jobs in the world. Some of the tea is machine-cut but the finer brands require hand picking and almost all of these unfortunate souls come from the poorer countries surrounding Malaysia. They get the equivalent of 10p per kilo of leaves they pick and usually work 12 hours a day on the steep hillside in the heat. Even though the Cameron Highlands are cooler than the rest of Malaysia they are still pretty warm (25C when we were there) and you wouldn't want to do anything much more strenuous than have a picnic on the hillside. With some tea. All the tea-pickers live in purpose built villages surrounding the highlands with many people sharing one small and basic room. During the tour we were given a run down on the various different brands of tea that the plantation produces, Cameronian Gold Blend being the finest. The leaflet we were given actually called it a "masterpiece".
After the tour we were directed to the tea shop and the cafe which jutted out spectacularly over the hillside. We ordered a
pot of Gold Blend and chilled out for an utterly serene hour with tea and shortbread. The tour guide almost had to pull us away when the hour was up!
The rest of the day we just chilled out (an activity that seems very suited to the Cameron Highlands) at the guesthouse before wandering out for some food at a local restaurant that evening. Aside from the Britishness of the area, the other thing thing that we really noticed was the difference in the locals. Elsewhere in Malaysia everything seems rushed and a little manic. Here however, everybody is more laid back and the pace of life seems slower and more enjoyable, providing you are not a tea picker.
The next morning we packed up and headed out on a coach to Ipoh, a random, rather horrible town in Northern Malaysia. Ipoh was only a stopping point where we changed coaches but we had to kill 5 hours there and sat in the travel agents reading a book because we didn't fancy wandering too far in the dark. It just didn't have a very friendly feel. We braved a local cafe and did get some good food but
we were treated with some suspicion and didn't feel particularly welcome. 5 hours lafer, we got on the coach at midnight that was to take us over the border to Hat Yai and the beginning of our Thai adventure!
Arriving in Hat Yai the next morning we disembarked and found a surprisingly nice hotel called Louise's. Hat Yai is infamous as the first stop in Thailand as you head over the border from Malaysia, and there isn't really much of note there. Some people don't stop and keep heading north to the more exciting areas of Thailand but after a 9 hour overnight coach journey we needed somewhere to put our bags down and have a shower. During the day we had a bit of a wander and ate our first Thai meal before heading to a British themed pub which served Guinness and real ale instead of the usual dodgy Asian lagers and was showing the Man Utd vs Liverpool game. We've been good at doing the local thing so far but we were weak and needed a real beer and some familiar pub grub for once - forgive us! What a cracking game by the way.
The next morning we packed up and headed for Koh Phangan which is where we are now, and have been for a couple of days but I think I might write that section of the blog tomorrow. Right now I have a rather pressing engagement with a swimming pool and a cocktail that just can't wait. Not that I'm trying to make you jealous or anything.
Ta ta for now!
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Dil
non-member comment
Hello
Hi guys The Tea garden/flower garden are so beautiful. Keep posting up pic and blogs! I hate to say it I am JEALOUS :-p Looking forward to the next batch Dil