Into the highlands!

After nearly a week in KL we thought it was about time for us to move on. With so much to do we could've stayed longer, but we had heard good things about the Cameron Highlands (and not just the name!) so we went to check it out.

The bus to get there though took almost 5 hours and the last couple were through some very narrow, windy mountain roads, so to say the least I wasn't feeling too great when we arrived. But when we finally stepped off the bus somehow we were back on the coast. So much cooler than where we'd just been, damp, pouring with rain and bush everywhere. Yup we were definitely on the coast!

Misty rain clouds rolling in

Where we were actually staying was a small town called Tenha Rata, you can walk from one end to the other in about 10mins and more than half the shops are restaurants. But if there's one thing we've learnt so far: Malaysia loves its food and you're surrounded by it everywhere you go!

Our lovely hosts at the guesthouse suggested we try a local Chinese restaurant's steamboat for dinner, think fondue expect instead of the chocolate sauce it's a chicken broth or Tom yum soup. We still weren't entirely sure what we were meant to do as a gas cooker and two giant platters piled high with meat, seafood, veggies, noodles, eggs and tofu were bought out to us but the guy said just chuck everything in for two minutes then enjoy, and enjoy we did! This was the best meal we have had since being here, it was delicious and so fun trying to dip everything in and fish it out with chop sticks too.

We woke early the next morning and got ready for a half-day guided trip to local sights and attractions. Our timing was perfect, as the heavy rain had stopped and the sun shone between clouds when our guide picked us up, along with two other couples who were staying at the guesthouse. We set off to the highest mountain in the area which involved a winding drive up a narrow road to the top. It had been raining heavily all night so it was a bit cloudy unfortunately, still a pretty awesome view though.

View from the top of the mountain

Next was a walk into the mossy forest, just down the mountain a little. Again we thought we were on the west coast, and there was even a manuka tree! Our guide really knew his stuff though as he told us about all the different plants and what you could do with them if you were stuck in the rain forest. Saw banana plants, lemongrass, a plant that would stop the bleeding from a leech bite and even tasted the freshly picked leaves off a cinnamon bush.

Venus fly trap type plant, bugs fall in and drown

We then stopped off at the Boh tea plantation which was pretty awesome (Mum you would definitely like this). We stopped by the fields so we could see what the plants looked like and watch the workers picking the leaves, well when I say picking I guess I really mean mowing. They use a two person hand held lawn mower with a bag on the back to catch the leaves. Then we went up to the factory to see the tea making process followed by a nice cup of tea in the cafe afterwards.

Tea plantation as far as the eye can see

The tiny white dots are the sacks of tea from the pickers

The leaves being crushed

After the leaves are dried in a big oven, they are ready to be packaged

And finally the end product!

Last stop on the tour was the butterfly farm though for the bus load of girls who were visiting it also, Jade was the bigger attraction! We couldn't take two steps without them coming up and asking for a photo. After they had each had a single photo with us then a big group one as well, we really wanted to start charging! After 15mins and many photos later we were quite exhausted and finally got to look at the butterflies (both living and dead) and other insects they had there.

Some members of Jades fan club

After the tour finished we made a quick stop at the strawberry farm. Although the waffle and strawberry sundae we got were good, NZ - your strawberries are way tastier. Then Jade wanted to walk back to our town, which was the next one over. We didn't exactly have a map only a quick snap on my iPhone of a path our Guesthouse host had said to take, but nothing was clear and no sign posts meant we weren't 100% confident we were going the right way. We did eventually make it after first being caught in a down pour, lucky for us we had our trusty emergency ponchos! I may have had a sight difficulty in getting mine on, as the arm holes seemed to be sealed together and when I finally managed to get it on the rain had stopped! Oh well, we certainly amused some of the locals who thought it was very funny to see us striding down the street in our plastic sacks, at least we didn't get wet!

Poncho success!

As nice as the Cameron Highlands are we were definitely ready to move back down the mountain to some warmth, so stay tuned for the next instalment.