Cameron Highlands
We headed to the Cameron Highlands for a change of scenery, as the
name suggests they reside about 1500m above sea level where the climate is far
cooler. However, there are some disadvantages to escaping the heat and
humidity, one is that to get up to those heights involves many twisting windy
roads, and although the transportation thus far has been excellent the bus
tyres could not cope with the rigorous strains of scaling these heights and not
far from our intended destination of Tanah Rata the bus blew a tyre. Thankfully
there was mechanics garage in the next town and we all hopped of the bus for a
quick change of tyre, that was impressive to watch.
Another issue that arises from being so far above sea level is
that nothing ever dries properly and remains damp (no where has heating) When
looking for accommodation we noticed the smell of mould that we had experienced
previously in Mt. Bromo, and thought nothing of it as eventually you get used
to it and the smell subsides. So we checked in to a hostel and settled down for
the evening. This time however with no natural ventilation the smell didn't
disappate, in fact it seemed to get worse. On top of this the bed mattress was
the most uncomfortable mattress either of us has ever slept on, every spring
seemed to be broken and dug into the body, making sleep almost impossible to
the point where we considered sleeping on the hard, cold floor. If that wasn’t
enough our room was next to the shared toilets and showers and the sounds
emanating from that direction aren't those that one really wants to hear!
Our second attempt at accommodation was much better. There were
some pets there to keep us entertained, including the world's stupidest dog
that waited until you were in the guesthouse before barking to notify the
owners of your presence, although thinking about it, being a guard dog for a
guesthouse must be a little confusing. Also, the world's loudest cat, every
morning you could be woken by the cat as
if it were a cockerel signaling daybreak, when we saw the cat however it was a
small ginger tabby kitten, it was amazing that the noise could come from
something so small.
We booked ourselves on a tour to see some of the local attractions,
our tour guide as you would expect was very knowledgeable about the flora,
fauna and area we saw. He was also a closet photographer. He would direct us to
which shots we should take and demand that he take pictures of us in the shots
he had suggested. Many of which can be seen in the photos.
Our first stop was at peak of Gunung Brinchang, giving us a vista
of the whole area from 2035m. From these dizzying heights you could tell why
the Cameron Highlands are famed for tea, so naturally part of the tour was a
visit to a Tea Plantation.
After being told the process of the production of tea from
plantation to tea cup we were given a sample of some of the local brew, it was
very nice but the only purchase we came away with was some sachets of
blackcurrant Ice Tea.
As part of the tour we got to visit a native tribe, a
tribesman took us ‘into the wild’ and
showed us how he hunted and climbed trees etc, he even let us have a go with
his blow darts,
However, it all felt a
little contrived and again he had all the set poses for the pictures he thought
we should take. That said it was a pleasant experience, at least until we got
to their accommodation. The house itself was nicely crafted from bamboo from
the local jungles, however they decided they wanted to put on a dancing show
for us. This in itself should not be a problem, however they wanted someone to
help make the music for them to dance too. They decided to pick the most
uncoordinated, rhythmically challenged person on the tour to help them! I
managed to keep rhythm pretty well after initially thinking it was an impromptu
session, settling into a nice rhythm i was glad that at least i wasn’t having
to show off my dancing prowess!
This was all about to change, before i knew it i was on the dance
floor strutting my stuff (read,
reenacting the Genesis i can’t dance video ), i hadn’t even realised that a
another tour party had arrived and everyone was watching.
The next day we set off on our own jungle trek, having had a
taster on our tour and having not been put off by the leeches, we decided that
we would try and navigate our way around some of the local trails. What started
off as 1-2 hour trek, turned into a 6 hour jungle adventure due to the amount
of fun we were having, including Jo landing shin deep in quick mud! Many of the
paths were closed and we made up our own route as we went along finally
reaching our chosen destination at the top of Gunung Berenbum for a spot of
packed lunch before making the trip back towards home.
We worked out a route back to a guesthouse that was famed for its
quintessentially English tea and scones. Jo had been looking forward to them
since we arrived and after our adventure we were looking forward to a treat,
however when we arrived we were shocked to find that a little, tea, flour,
butter and jam cost 4 times the amount of a average main meal. We decided to
head back into town where we found a cheaper alternative.
Penang
Upon trying to book a bus out of the Cameron Highlands we found
that all the bus companies were booked up and only hostel provided minibuses
still had seats available, but they would be at the almost work like time of
7am! ;-) The mini bus would also not go to our exact destination either, but we
would be dropped off and have to catch a ferry the rest of the way. The journey
went without a hitch, the minibus was comfortable enough for the 4 hour trip
and we managed to negotiate the ferry crossing to Penang with ease.
The walk from the ferry to our accommodation took 20 minutes and
gave us a taste of what we were in for, heat, heat, mixed in with a serious
amount of humidity! We chose a room with A/C to dry off and also found that it
came with free wifi, so we were able to set up webcam sessions to wish our
respective parents happy birthday.
Like in Melaka many different countries have settled and remained
in Penang and their influence is visible in the cities architecture, we spent
some time walking around the streets taking it all in, where did i mention it
was hot! Penang is also a little thread bare on footpaths, but much like
Indonesia everything seems to run smoothly without them. While taking in the
local sights we came across some locals playing draughts/checkers on the
streets where the normally wooden pieces are replaced with different beer bottle
tops. Although i’m sure they weren’t all drank in one sitting, but there’s a
challenge!
The assortment of cultures has had a real impact on the cuisine in
Penang which has made it the culinary capital of Malaysia, which would make you think we spent our time sampling the local delights, but in fact our diet consisted of peanut butter sarnies for breakfast and cheese sarnies for lunch and pretty much curry for dinner every night! Also in Penang we were able to apply for 60 day
visas for Thailand and once the visas were successfully obtained we headed for some
‘downtime’ in............
Langkawi
There’s not much to really say about Langkawi. Blue skies, golden
beaches, unbroken sunshine, 35 degrees everyday, duty free alcohol! Living
right on the beach is so demanding!
However, after 5 days on Langkawi we’ve decided on a change of
scenery. Not because we’ve become tired
of it, but we’re off to Ko Lipe in Thailand for more of the same, although a
little more secluded if that’s possible!
Ryan & Jo
Malaysia Highlights
Place - Cameron Highlands
(Jo) , Melaka (Ryan)
Attraction - Petronas Towers (Jo) Thaipusam (Ryan)
Food - Capitol Satay (Jo) , BabaNonya Laksa Melaka (Ryan)
Beer - Tiger (Both)
LowLights
First Hostel Room, Cameron Highlands (Both)
Finding Petronas Towers were closed on Mondays (Jo)
For those of you thinking of possibly traveling to the
region: Averages in USD
Accommodation - $10-15
Main meal - 80c - $1.50
620ml Beer - $3 (Langkawi - $1.50)
330ml Soft Drink - 40c
Bottle of water - 50c
Photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dojo77/collections/72157613742320550/
