Tea-Time in the Cameron Highlands

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Cameron Highlands: beautiful, peaceful, and cool. We had planned on skipping these jungly hills where tea is grown, fearing that it would be too sedate. But the day we were leaving for Taman Negara, one guy we talked to in Kota Bharu made such a good case for the Highlands, that we changed plans and took an overnight bus to this place ASAP. We arrived at Father’s Guest House without reservations around 6:30 a.m., looking like some sad travelers, hoping for a room. And luckily we got one.

I don’t know if I would have loved the Highlands as much without this great hostel, Father’s Guest House. It’s a sociable place, and we had such a good time at nights there playing Grabble (little game that Adam introduced using only the Scrabble squares), drinking beers, and talking with the other travelers. (Everyone, it seems, has a firm and similar opinion on Bush.) Father’s Guest House also has a good kitchen, movies, and tables about the grounds where we read and wrote.

One day we went on a tour with Frances, who grew up in the Highlands, and he took us to hunt for The Flower, the Rafflesia. The hike was great and we cooled off in the end in a little waterfall. We also went to a village and tried out a blow gun (I hit the bulls-eye on the first try) , went up to the Boh tea plantation, and then hiked some more into the mossy forest which looked like something out of Lord of the Rings.

One day we rented two mopeds to explore the area on our own. (*30 RG per person.) I totally recommend doing this as the hills are so gorgeous, and you can explore the secondary and dirt roads, seeing more of Malaysia. It’s also nice to go at your own pace and stop on the roadside for a nap or tea when one has the urge. Now, I did have a bit of trouble learning to drive this moped. Actually, I smacked myself and the moped into a parked car. It seems that I confuse the brake and accelerator. What happened is, well, maybe the details don’t matter here…. Quick summary: I went over two lanes of traffic, into a big ol’ jeep (luckily already heavily dented), realized that I wasn’t so great a driver, and decided to quietly go on my way before anyone asked for some money for damages. The plan was to admit my defeat, return the bike, and just ride on the back of Adam’s. But the bike was cracked in a few places, someone tattled on me, blah blah blah, and in the end I was just the dumb blonde American causing problems in the town square. All in all, fun experience.

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Photos

The Big Ol' Flower
Stemless and rootless, I love this thing. Rafflesia.

First Seven-Leaf Rafflesia Discovered
And we saw it! This is about day 6 of the flower--and the color is still pretty good.

Cameron Highlands
Tea, tea, and more tea. These are tea trees kept pruned to be shrub-sized.

Dining out at the Smokehouse
I finally had some wine!

Waiting for Dinner
This is a pretty place to eat, all English and whatnot.

After the Smack
See my knee bruise? Very lucky all in all.

Comments

[marcus b]

Looks awesome
Adam- Trying to plan a trip in a few weeks, considering Malaysia, Thailand, etc.. Thanks for such a detailed blog, it's very heplful. -mb

[Cousin Helen]

Had no idea
Had no idea that it was so beautiful there. Loved the tea in the Highlands. Keep the blogs coming.....