Cameron highlands tour

While in the Cameron Highlands, we took a tour, which left from our
guesthouse 1/2 hour earlier than expected, so we came straight off the
mountain hike and onto the minibus. Our fellow passengers (a family
from Holland, a couple from Denmark, and a couple from the middle
east) didn't seem to notice our bedraggled state, or at least
pretended not to. The working language was English and we forever
marvel at how good all the international travellers are at speaking
it, when we are generally limited to being able to count on their
language. Our tour guide ennunciated almost too clearly and
deliberately whenever he was calling attention to a site, so that his
diction seemed exagerated - "thiss (pause) iss (pause) Brinng Chiang,
Brinn Chiang" , but I imagine that works well with tour groups like
ours from all over. In one afternoon, we saw the Rose Centre, the
Butterfly Garden (and creepy insect emporium), the Boh Tea Plantation
and Factory tour, the honey farm, and the strawberry farm (with
excellent strawberry milkshakes). The photo is Aaron enjoying a cup of
Cameronian Gold tea in the Boh Tea'ria, a modern tea house jutting out
over the tea-tree covered hill at the tea factory.

Some fresh air

Today we alleviated some of the guilt from our suddenly sedentary lifestyle by hiking up one of the nearby peaks. The trail system here is fairly hodge-podge, with missing or incorrect signs, and trails that seemingly end in some farmers cabbage patch. We took what is known 'Trail 9' up to Gunung Beremban, which at 1850m was a 400m climb from where we started in Tanah Rata. You can see Megan below, negotiating one of the more literal parts of the climb.







It seems every cloud in Malaysia takes a break here in the highlands, and we went deeper and deeper into a fog as we ascended. Unfortunately the peak wasn't high enough to break through the clouds, so at the summit we were treated to - more dense white fog. Well it was worth it to get some exercise anyways.

Cameron highlands

> We've taken off to the Cameron Highlands to cool ourselves off for a
> couple days. The colonial British first made the highlands into a
> tourism destination where they could escape the heat and it is now a
> weekend escape spot for foreigners and Malaysians alike. The
> highlands are also Malaysia's temperate vegetable and flower source
> and Malaysian tourists go there for the "exotic" roses and
> strawberries.
>
> We're staying at what we think was converted from a monestary or
> fancy rectory, called Fathers guesthouse. The room is stark, with
> the ensuite shower and toilet literally in the room, created by
> screening off a corner of the room, but the room opens up through
> French doors onto a nice garden. In the photo, Aaron enjoys some
> local tea with breakfast on the guesthouse veranda.
>