The journey into the Cameron highlands is a steady climb over 40km or so around numerous bends, as the temperature falls and the vegetation changes to alpine forest. The fruit and vegetable plantations inrease in frequency, and the cooler climate lends itself to ideal growing conditions amidst this highly fertile land blessed with natural irrigation.
We spent 6 nights in Tanah Rata with the first night at a guest house then re-locating to a comfortable room above a shop at the Camellia for the remaining time, costing 70 ringgits per night for a double room with hot shower, free wi-fi and TV. It is school holidays and the average price increases as a result. It seems as though everyone who has space is coverting it into rooms for rent. And there is no surprise when you consider how much cash they pull in as a result. Over 2,000 ringgits a month per room for little investment. Not bad if you can do it. Of course the standard of some is dire, but the place dicatates a minimum of 60 Ringgits per room in high season.
By the way, there is a good laundry service in town at 6 ringgits for 3kg (washed and dried in 5 hours), so don't pay the much higher rates that the guesthouses and hotels ask for.
The weather pattern was fairly consistent with pleasant mornings and very wet afternoons. the volume of rain was immense and so the day was made up of some activity followed by the afternoons back in the apartment or sat in a cafe. It is very noticable that Tanah Rata is run by Indian folk. Plenty of Indian restaurants and the accommodation is predominantly run by Indian owners.
The first day or so was nice to just trek around the local area. The Mardi estate is a nice eco farm that educates people on all local produce and how it is grown and harvested. Some pretty gardens help to spend a nice few hours. Mardi is also the access point for some of the suggested trekking paths, which go through some beautiful farm land where we picked some beans to munch on as we walked.
The next day was a must do...visiting the most famous of the local tea estates operated by BOH. It is included on many tours but we wanted to make our own way. A taxi from Tanah Rata cost 15 Ringgits to the drop off point on the main road through Brinchang, where we then walked into the estate. This is far better than being driven is as you get a great opportunity to take in the awesome view of a carpet of tea plants stretching into the distance as it rolls over the undulating hills. Plenty of time for some photo stops too, without a herd of tourists choking the space. The tea plantation is a small community of mainly immigrant workers from Myanmar, Bangladesh and other parts of India who live in colourful huts on the estate. Their children are educated upto the age of 10 in a small school after which they go into a highschool further away. They have their own Hindu temple too. The main problem nowadays is that no young people want to work on the estates, preferring easier work in the cities, so more reliance is placed on the need for an immigrant workforce than used to be.
As it is holiday time, there was no picking to see. The ground floor of the processing factory is open for a self guided tour with a short video presentation before you go. Wherever the Brits settled, you would find tea plantations....bring on another scone and jam with a cup of tea! Talking of which, the restaurant at the BOH estate overlooks an awesome spectre of green rolling hills covered in various shades of green. Pretty for photography and a relaxing place for that sone and tea....bring on another one....scone and tea overload!
Whilst we were walking around the estate we spotted three Buddhist nuns. Luck had it that when we were hitching a lift out of the placeback to the road, the nuns stopped to pick us up. The lady driving was a nun from Canada on a mission in Kuala Lumpur and was touring with the other two nuns who didn't speak to us at all as the driver did all the talking. She had actually grown up in this area and comes back avery year or so to visit.
From where we parted company with the nuns was a continuous stretch of Strawberry farms, Butterfly farms and market stalls selling the most beautiful produce you will ever see anywhere. Perfect quality and makes you desperate to grab some and head for the kitchen....a pain when you are travelling and not got your own cooking facilities :-(
We went into one of the Butterfly and Insect farms (RM5 each). They had some incredible bugs in there. Stick insets over 1 foot long. 3 horned Rhinoceros Beetles about 3 inches long, leaf insects, King grasshoppers and some colourful snakes...oh, and of course numerous varieties of beautiful butterflies the size of your hand. All set in a lovely colouful greenhouse environment of pretty flowers.
before reaching the main Brinchang town proper, and after the Equatorial hotel, was a gorgeous market selling more of that perfect quality produce. Bought some Strawberries, Cherry tomatoes and some more unusual items for snacks. Waited for a bus for a while and chatted with some European travels we had seen throughout the day. Decided to try and hitch a lift instead. A passing truck obliged so we jumped in the back and rode into town stood up in the back waving to the locals...makes you feel like a celebrity!
Brinchang seems to be mainly Chinese restaurants and weren't that hungry yet, so took a 'Teksi' back to Tanah Rata and hit the bed and slept for a while...a tiring day. Curry again for dinner....Indian food overload without going to India!
Another of the days we took a full day tour (88 Ringgits each) to see the Rafflesia...the largest flower in the world. There are many species that can be seen throughout Malaysia, but only one was open locally for viewing today. The problem with this type of tour, and especially in busy/peak season, is that you do not get a 'Quality' experience. A convoy of heavy duty Landrovers struggled their way up the most horrendous of tracks. Great fun actually. But that meant many dozens of people in single file then trekking into the forest to see the single flower for maybe a minute or so each before having to move out of the way for the next person. They then offered a break at a small waterfall which was a dirty brown colour and so wasn't appealing. The redeeming feature of the day came later when we stopped at the BOH tea plantation again for our indulgence of fresh scones, jam and tea overlooking the tea plantation.
We left our guide for the morning and joined another for a trip to the 'Mossy Forest'. The guy was very knowledgable about all of the plant species, giving an informative insight into what could be eaten or used for some medicinal purpose. The high altitudes around here are home to some wonderful 'Pitcher plants'. Unfortunately touris seems to be to blame for many being picked as souvenirs over the years or sold in the shops, and so they are getting rarer by the year.
The last couple of days rained quite alot and so we just rested up and eat too much. Feeling like my clothes are shrinking...or is it me growing to fill my clothes? Mainly the latter i think...not good....
Monday 14th June and time to move on. We had considered going to the Taman Negara National Park, but Shiera had developed an increasing number of spots which we though might be bedbug bites and had to treat her with Calamine lotion and Anti-Hystamine tablets, so didn't want to aggravate her skin any more....a good excuse to head for the beach instead. The best option seemed Pulau Pangkor in Perak state to the west of here. First stage to catch a bus to Ipoh (RM10.30 taking 2hours with the Kanti bus company)
What goes up, must come down, and the road outward to Ipoh decended as we headed back to the lowlands. It was a slow journey with traffic nose to tail for much of it. Arrived in Ipoh shortly after 2pm and crossed to the Perak Roadways bus station for Lumut a few minutes walk away. RM8.5 for the ticket and expected to take around 2 hours. The Kanti bus here was a comfortable ride, but this bus was a bit more basic, with natural air-conditioning....i.e. Open windows! Off we set at 3pm. The trip to Lumut was lovely, heading through vast areas of palm oil plantation. Arriving in port Lumut is a bit of a surprise as it is attractive and colourful. The ferry terminal is only a short walk away and it wasn't long before we boarded the Pan SIlver Ferry to the island (RM 10 for foreigners, locals pay RM6). The crossing is fairly short and quiet.
The nice thing was arriving on Pulau Pangkor island to be greeted by Pink taxis. They are building a new terminal building and things are in its final stages of completion, so i expect it won't be long before it opens. RM12 for the taxi to Toluk Nipah beach area. You know you have arrived when you see the sudden appearane of the food and tacky tourist clothing stalls either side of the road. Managed to Find somewhere to stay within 10 minutes of arriving. A nice budget place with aircon, TV and wi-fi for RM60. Some places here charge double and are pathetic.
Check in and straight to the beach. Well i have to say that it is a bit of a let down. Promoted as beautiful white sand and quiet. Well quiet it sort of is, but what a messy waterfront. They seem to be re-developing it in a major way, but haven't controlled the unsightly mess that has been made. All accommodation is on the opposite side of the road to the beach so you are sort of hidden from the mess, but you cannot walk the front and enjoy it. Sewerage smells and the building mess prevents it. I fancied sitting out with a cocktail and watching the sun set. Not possible at all on this beach.
The road that the Budget hotel is on is where the action seems to be. A great sight was only a short walk along the road, where Hornbills collect about 6pm onwards to be fed by the owner of one of the guesthouses. He reckons his record was 57 on one occasion. This time we saw 10 as we were a bit late.
I think the Lonely Planet has got something to do with some places neglecting theselves as they seem to attract business no matter how bad they are! Mentioning no names...well i will...the Seagull...disgusting rooms for the price. Glad i chose to not book in advance as most of the budget online places are dire and expensive. The Hornbill hotel wanted RM120 on the dirty waterfront for poor acomodation compared to what we got for half that price.
Shiera hadn't yet sampled Malaysian Satay, so we made a B-line for some street stall and a shack. Great meal amid the locals...always a good sign. Will definitely have fish tomorrow as this place supposed to be famed for it, and from what we could see, the price and size seemed excellent.
After a great night's sleep in a quiet location and the quietest aircon we havehad for ages, it was time to explore. The Teluk Nipah beah was a bit more exposed with a lowertide than last night. The rubbish and general untidinedd of the beach still made it unappealing although the sea was warm enough for a swim. A short walk along the coast though and you get to Coral bay. Beautiful...almost nobody to spoil the peace. The water was lovely and safe to swim in and at the end of the bay, a pretty temple nestled into the rocks. Brightly painted with cartoon characters, it comes as a surprise. Further on around another outcrop of rocks and another surprise. We had our own white sand beach and cove to play in. Some interesting marine life and a bit of skinny dipping with no onlookers. A great time in the sun and time for lunch. There was a general quiet about the place and most places seeming dead. Apparently it was lively at the weekend andeveryone has gone home. Beingmid-week, we have it almost to ourselves. Only other travellers passing by. We had a wonderful Malaysian curry and a beer at Daddy's cafe on the beach with only the sound of the lapping wavesas a background soundtrack. Just what we were after a while inland. Back to the resort for a sleep before the evening's activities. Had a great fish dinner on the waterfront. RM23 for a large fish and some nice and spicy vegetables and rice. The quality and choice of fish is good, so will probably have fish again tomorrow.
Had a nice chat to the Malaysian owner of the resort about the development on the waterfront. It is going to be shops and due to be finished by the end of the year. It wasn't what the hotel owners wanted, but local politics seemed to have won. I guess they will ake more money from the shop owners, so it is understandable, as opposed to atually making the waterfrontattractive to the tourists they want to visit the place...do i sound sarcastic? Well, do they realliy need more tourist rubbish shops. What they have already is enough. The new ones will block out the view of the beach and cut off the sea breeze. The slippery slope to over-developing the place. Time will tell i guess.
The rain persisted, so returned to base and sorted out our luggage to create some space and bin what we don't need. It is suprising how few clothes you can get away with carrying, and how easy it is to over-pack....Shiera's make-up was taking up half of my backpack space...not anymore it isn't!
The next day was a laid back start with a nice western breakfast and then headed the opposite direction to yesterday, towards
Monkey beach. It was about an hour or so before the monkeys appeared, but of course they are there to scavenge for food, so you have to be careful to not leave anything unattended, as they get a bit vicious if you get in their way. A quieter stretch of beach and a bit mor isolated than yesterday's coral beach, but nice and clean.
Tomorrow we plan to move on north to Kuala Kangsar.....More next time....
