Cameron Highlands

We decided to do a short trip to somewhere not too far from AU and not too expensive. We have not  seen much of Asia, hence this 12 day trip to Malaysia. A further incentive was that Singapore Airlines had the best fare, and we have been keen for some time to try them.

The flight BNE-SIN-KUL (Kuala Lumpur) was fine, and not too tiring. We decided to rent a car at the airport and drive the same day (Monday) to the Cameron Highlands. Don does a very thorough check of any rental car (including photographing damage). The rental car attendant was left bemused at this eccentric attention to detail.

The drive to the Cameron Highlands involved a long and windy hill climb, and was perhaps not a great idea on the same day as the flight arrival.  However we made it to our very nice hotel in Tanah Rata. For dinner there we had the steamboat (pic below), essentially a DIY meal where the customer boils pieces of meat and vegetable in a broth. Tasty but messy. Probably popular with restaurants because the customers do the cooking.

Well rested, on Tuesday we did a guided tour covering a tea plantation and a forest known for its moss-laden trees.

The drive to the tea plantation is through scenic hills lined with rows of tea plants (pic below).

The tea harvesting process has become more automated over time, but still involves workers in the fields (pic below).

 At the plantation HQ, visitors get a quick tour of the tea processing factory. However we got the impression that the main attraction is the cafe where visitors actually drink tea (for a price). This is more relevant to Don, who actually drinks tea (pic below).

The “mossy forest” tour is very educational and ecological. We learnt about many of the jungle plants eg the pitcher plant (sometimes called monkey’s cup), which traps insects rather like a venus fly trap (pic below).

On the down side, the tour involves walking along a rough and often steep track which is very muddy after rain. We were expecting an easy walk along a conventional boardwalk. Some visitors emerged from the trek with broken shoes and mud up to their ankles. See pic below of Gail in outdoor mode.

Next stop Penang.