Cameron Highlands/ Malaysia

Cameron Highlands

Our four hr. bus ride to the mountains of Cameron Highlands was actually very comfortable. We were able to sleep most of the time because the seats were comfy and there were not many people on the bus so it was quiet. When we began to get closer to our destination, we were woken up because there were many quick turns after turns. We looked out the window and it was already a beautiful view looking out into the mountains and jungle.

We arrived around 1ish and then checked into our guesthouse. It was called Father’s Guesthouse and was given great reviews on its website. Our room was pretty simple; however, there were pretty gardens filled with colorful flowers surrounding our room and guesthouse. There was also a nice restaurant (all affordable prices and delicious home-made meals). Next to the restaurant, you could hang out and watch a movie with the other visitors. In their office, they had helpful staff that showed us information for several tours that we could book through them. They also had many types of tea in the office for us to try for a very low cost. I also loved the location of our guesthouse. It was on a hill so we see the little town below us, pretty white buildings off in the distance, as well as many trees and gardens. We were also told it was walking distance to one of the tea plantations. This made us happy since it was already too late to book a tour for the day.

So, we started our first lil adventure by taking about a 40 minute walk to the Cameron Bharat Tea Plantation. It was drizzling so we made sure to bring our umbrella. The walk there was peaceful and we passed many flowers, plants and forests. There were also many hills with steep steps going to the top. We weren’t sure why these were here though. By the time we reached the plantations, the tea shop right near it was closed. We were disappointed but still enjoyed the view of the plantation. We also saw three backpackers walking through the slippery fields, which looked like a big maze. When they reached back to the top, we met them and spoke with them for a while. They were all originally from Sweden; however, two of them are working in Norway at the moment. It was great chatting with them and hearing about Europe, since we plan on living there too one day in the future. We all agreed that we were surprised and a little disappointed how cool and rainy it was. They had been planning on staying several days but were thinking of leaving early because of the weather. We also did not bring much clothes for the cold and rainy weather since we were only in this area for 2 days.

That night, we ate chicken/veggie curries at Father’s Guesthouse (delicious!) and watched a movie that was playing. We met one nice traveler from Austria, who we played Scrabble with that night. We also met a couple from Australia, who we ate breakfast with and then watched another movie with the next night.

The second day there, despite the rainy and cool weather, we took a great day tour. We were picked up at 9am by our tour guide in a jeep. There were horns on the front of the jeep which gave it a jungle look. Taking the jeep made me feel better knowing the jungle would be all muddy and hard to drive in. We were with a group of about 8 other travelers. Most were from Europe. We especially enjoyed talking to three girls from Sweden (there were so many visitors from Sweden!). They were doing a 3 month backpacking trip around SouthEast Asia before they headed off to college. It was interesting to hear that most people in Sweden do their big traveling after high-school before college in order to give them time to think about what they want to study. In the states, it seems like most students travel after they graduate from college. But I think Sweden may be up to something…it’s a good idea! Most college students don’t know what they want to study until junior year anyways.

Well anyways, back to the tour. Our first stop was slightly in the jungle to meet one of the tribes. There were a few men right outside their little hut and many children running around giggling. There they showed us the blowpipe.
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Blow pipes are the weapon that the tribes use to go hunting. Our tour guide showed us the correct way to blow the blowpipe. He used a dartboard as the target. It was neat to touch the bullet (sharp arrow) and to try blowing the weapon. Keith even bought one from the tribe, which made for a great souvenir. Later he found that he couldn’t bring the bullet (arrow) through check-in back into Korea and since he had to check the weapon as a check-on bag, when we arrived in Jeju, he saw that it was slightly broken. What a bummer! Well, he at least still has it to have as a memory or to put up as a decoration on the wall one day.

After leaving the tribes, we were then off for our 3 hr trekking in the jungle. It was a challenging course, since the mud was very slippery and since it was mostly hiking uphill. Our main goal for the hike was to reach the Raflesia flower. The Raflesia flower is the biggest flower in the world! Although it is considered a flower and is a pretty red/orange color, it actually belongs to the mushroom group. Another special thing about this beautiful flower is that it only lives for about 3-5 days of the entire year! We were SO LUCKY to be there at just the right time. And also, another tour company wouldn’t book the Raflesia tour for us because they heard that it was already dead and didn’t want us to be disappointed. Well, after 1 ½ hours of trekking, we made it to the flower and there was one big one alive, and then one that was dead right next to it (the dead one was a dark color/ blackish maroon). It was so neat to see and I got a really good close-up picture of it with my camera. It was definitely worth the hike. Keith and I felt so accomplished to have found it! It was funny though because the flower was really stinky! This was probably because it was actually a mushroom! In the area of the flower, we also saw a huge red centipede. The tour guide let us hold it on our hands. It felt so strange since the centipede has so many legs that brushed against our skin.

Right as we started our 1 ½ hour hike back to the jeep, it started pouring! Keith and I didn’t have a rain jacket. Luckily, my camera was safe in a plastic bag in my backpack. I had one small umbrella, but since we were using a hiking stick, it was difficult to hold the umbrella. So, Keith and I basically just put our hoodies on and hiked/ ran as fast as we could, ahead of everyone else (who did have rain jackets) back to the jeep! We were SOAKED and cold. And the unfortunate thing was that we would be cold and wet for the rest of the tour. It was only 12:30pm and the tour didn't end until around 5 or 6ish! However, it was a great hike in the jungle (and you kind of have to expect rain in a jungle, right?) and the next stop was to the Boh Tea plantation, where I knew we would be able to get some nice hot tea to warm us up.

When we arrived at the Boh Tea plantation, we couldn’t believe the view! The restaurant had an outdoor seating area that looked out into the plantations! It was so beautiful. Check out the photos. We were really impressed. We ordered some black tea (the most famous kind here) and I also had some soup and bread. We sat by our Swedish friends and talked about our past and future travels, while enjoying the amazing viewpoint. After eating and drinking a whole pot of tea, the tour guide then brought us over to the factory into where they use the machines to make the tea. There’s a whole process. The have to dry it a special way, have it go through fermentation, then sort it. The natural tea leaf is then black tea. However, they have to go through an additional process if they want to make green or another flavor. For this reason, black tea is supposed to have some of the most beneficial health benefits (along with green tea). On our way out of the area, we stopped into one of the tea fields, where we walked in the plantation and were able to see the leaves close-up.

The next stop was to the mossy forest and Gunung Brichang (highest viewpoint in the mountains). We climbed some stairs to reach the Gunung Brinchang Lookout Tower; however, it was so windy and cloudy at the very top that our photos turned out all white! All you'll be able to see is a cloud! Sorry!

We then moved on to the green mossy forest and it was still drizzling a little bit, but this added to the mystical affect of the area. The mist along with the fog, made the scenery seem as if we were in a fantasy movie! The forest is supposedly 200,00 years old! It also has the “pitcher” plants, or “Nephentes”. They have a liquid filled area called a “pitfall trap” which attracts small insects and then drowns them. There are also poisonous plants and medicinal herbs found in some parts of the mossy forest. Hiking in this beautiful area was one of our favorite stops for the tour! It was just like nothing we had ever seen before.

The last part of the day’s tour was stopping at a strawberry farm. Keith ordered a strawberry cheesecake for us, along with strawberry coffee. Solid choice babe! It was a delicious way to end the tour.

Right when we got back to our guesthouse, we made sure to take a hot shower and put all the dry clothes on that we could! We also had to wash our shoes because they were so soaked in mud! That night we had another great meal at Father’s guesthouse, watched a movie with our Australian friends and made sure to get lots of rest since we had another long bus ride the next morning back to KL.