This morning we had something a little alien for a while, a 7am alarm clock. I'm not endearing those who are working and reading this as that is a normal alarm clock. This morning tucked up in a the cool temperature of the mountains, we could really have dozed for many more hours. That said our tour was to pick us up at 8:45 and take us for a tour of the Cameron Highlands.
Our first stop on the way was to the Boh Tea Plantation. This is a Scottish family run business started founded in 1929 by a Mr Russell and today is run by his descendant Catherine Russell who seemingly exploits cheap labour but offers housing to Indian migrant workers. The area is beautiful in the extreme, with the patchwork of tea plants surrounding the factory. The factory itself is quite small, at least the one we saw was, there are a couple of others and our guide told us these were bigger more mechanised operations. The first thing that hit me as we approached the factory and walked into it was the smell of the tea operation was beyond pleasant. There is as multi step process to tea making, but as I'm trying to stick to some sort of principle that I write from memory, if you are interested please follow this Wiki link; TEA PRODUCTION. Anyway after looking interested at the factory section we retired to the cafe or 'Tearia' as they called it, for a Strawberry Tart and a cuppa. Drinking the tea and microwaved cake with the tea plantations in the background was a nice moment.
Following the tea plantation we took a detour to the highest point and a watchtower to see for miles around. Unfortunately the haze made that impossible, so to our next point which was a mini jungle trek in what is know as The Mossy Forest, for no other reason that the forest is covered in moss. Our guide and the gentleman who sold us this half day tour said this was the forest which was copied for Avatar. Ok, I guess I can see that, but I think its a stretch. Still the walk was enjoyable and very cooling. The moss apparently can be an anti-septic if you cut yourself. Also interesting was the fact we were walking the entire time in the trees. The floor was actually build of of roots, moss and leaves etc built over millions of years and still growing. The guide, whos name is shortened as Gavin, had a definite passion for the forest and was very knowledgeable. His passion couldn't help rubbing off on us. Just looking at the age of these places, and witnessing the glacial changes makes me want to place any child that has been taught creationism out here.
We then went to a butterfly farm and I couldn't give a shit really as I hate butterflies. They are insects, just with poncy wings. Sarah who jumps 8 feet in the air at the slightest bug or spider will chase a pretty coloured butterfly around and coax it onto her finger. The Butterfly Farm was also a zoo which branched off from butterflies to snakes, rhino beetles, rabbits, chickens and scorpions, or anything living we can catch put it into a cheap metal or glass cage and charge MYR 5 to see it. The most pathetic part was a 'museum' which was a paper mac he mound with fake beetles and snakes and of course butterflies. A model of The Petronas Towers, in case you forgot you were in Malaysia. A model of a Harley Davidson motorbike and a model face of a native american. I'm not sure why the latter two were there or symbolising.
Next stop, pick some strawberries ourselves at the Strawberry Farm. It works like this, you pay the lady MYR 30 or £6 or the cost of a meal with desert she gives you a punnet to pick 500g of strawberries. Only you walk off to pick them and you aren't really left to pick them. Some 'farmer' tells you where to go and which ones. My mother grew strawberries in our garden and I like them less than really red as they still have a bit of sourness. However, the 'farmer' left me no margin for personal taste and pointed us to every strawberry, telling us which to pick and how to. On leaving and paying up I noticed a ready packed punnet of strawberries for MYR 8. Almost 4 times to price and you have to pick them yourselves. The strawberries are ok, but I prefer the English ones which grew in the garden to these irrigated and grown from coconut husk or something. Its not more organic, what I saw was a factory. What I ate when I was young was little candy from the bottom of our garden. Before heading back we took a quick stop at a Chinese Buddhist temple at the top of the hill. Very nice and pleasant and smelling of incense sticks. We didn't stay long.
We are here in the Cameron Highlands for two more nights. This has be for rest and recuperation for Sarah and I hope it has helped her. Therefore, we haven't strained ourselves much. We leave early on the 26th for a bit of an adventure. We are part driving and part taking a boat into the jungle of Taman Negara. We will be in the jungle for two days then we return for Sarah's doctors appointment back in KL.
Following the tea plantation we took a detour to the highest point and a watchtower to see for miles around. Unfortunately the haze made that impossible, so to our next point which was a mini jungle trek in what is know as The Mossy Forest, for no other reason that the forest is covered in moss. Our guide and the gentleman who sold us this half day tour said this was the forest which was copied for Avatar. Ok, I guess I can see that, but I think its a stretch. Still the walk was enjoyable and very cooling. The moss apparently can be an anti-septic if you cut yourself. Also interesting was the fact we were walking the entire time in the trees. The floor was actually build of of roots, moss and leaves etc built over millions of years and still growing. The guide, whos name is shortened as Gavin, had a definite passion for the forest and was very knowledgeable. His passion couldn't help rubbing off on us. Just looking at the age of these places, and witnessing the glacial changes makes me want to place any child that has been taught creationism out here.
We then went to a butterfly farm and I couldn't give a shit really as I hate butterflies. They are insects, just with poncy wings. Sarah who jumps 8 feet in the air at the slightest bug or spider will chase a pretty coloured butterfly around and coax it onto her finger. The Butterfly Farm was also a zoo which branched off from butterflies to snakes, rhino beetles, rabbits, chickens and scorpions, or anything living we can catch put it into a cheap metal or glass cage and charge MYR 5 to see it. The most pathetic part was a 'museum' which was a paper mac he mound with fake beetles and snakes and of course butterflies. A model of The Petronas Towers, in case you forgot you were in Malaysia. A model of a Harley Davidson motorbike and a model face of a native american. I'm not sure why the latter two were there or symbolising.
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| Picking our own strawberries, sort of. |
We are here in the Cameron Highlands for two more nights. This has be for rest and recuperation for Sarah and I hope it has helped her. Therefore, we haven't strained ourselves much. We leave early on the 26th for a bit of an adventure. We are part driving and part taking a boat into the jungle of Taman Negara. We will be in the jungle for two days then we return for Sarah's doctors appointment back in KL.
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