Cameron Highlands Trip

It was the year 2006, and 3 more days before year 2007. This is the time where most of the 'kaishains' like me, try to clear out as much annual leaves as possible. We took a trip to one of Malaysia's 'coolest' mountain, the Cameron Highlands. Although not as excited as last year (this is the second trip), it was still fun and relaxing.

This year, we took another route up the hill. Instead of exiting Tapah and following the road sign, we exit at Simpang Pulai. Why? Because we learned from the past experience: DO NOT take the Tapah way! The roads are narrow, curvy, and bumpy. Most of the time, you will be risking you lives overtaking lorries and buses that will get in your way. What's more? Your passengers will complain about motion sickness, even though you are the best driver in the world.

The Simpang Pulai exit is 30 min after the Tapah exit. If you are coming down from Penang, then you save that 30 min. The roads will definitely treat you car better.

Half way near Tringkap, we started to feel the breeze in our surroundings. The temperature is around 20 to 30 degrees, it was a refreshing moment going back to mother nature, what God has created for mankind.

On the way, we stopped by a local veg shop. We understand that it will be much cheaper if we go to the hill tops, but who cares? It is still 10 times cheaper and fresher than our friend Tesco.

After we took our lunch in a nearby coffee shop, it took us another 30minutes or so to reach Tanah Rata, where the apartment is situated. We unloaded everything, check for our next destination, and off we go!

Berry Berry Good! Raju Style...

The strawberry farm is near Brinchang, called Raju Strawberry. They make good Strawberry Ice Creams and other Strawberry related products. They have this kind of white powder that will enhance the strawberry taste, and we are addicted to it.

Tea and Scone (pic) is one of my favourite. It doesn't come cheap though. May be they thought Scones are high class pastries. In UK, I can get 20 scones for a pound in nearby supermarket...

Strawberry Ice Cream - RM 5
Strawberry Milk Shake - RM 6
Tea and Scones -RM 9
Strawberries per pack - RM 5
White powder - Priceless

Marketing your way - Brinchang Market

This is the famous wet market that everyone is talking about. Located on top of the hill, this is where you can find almost everything Cameron Highlands has to offer. Food, Vege, Honey, Fruits, Tea, etc...


Food for thought :

Laksa - we thought it was nothing special, but when we ordered a bowl, we cannot get enough of it. Imagine having a bowl of Ramen in Japan during winter. This is another intriguing experience.

Jagung - Whether it is steamed, bakar or raw, it always taste good. They called it 'pebble corns'. Sweet, juicy and tasty, I recommend eating it raw if you want to quench you thirst.

Strawberry Fondue - Strawberries covered with chocolate, RM2 for a stick of 3. Nothing special, just eye-candy.

We then proceed to our next destination, the Bala's Chalet. Located between Brinchang and Tanah Rata, at first we thought it was a Tea Valley, but we were wrong. This is one of the oldest colonial buildings in the highlands. At the backyard there is an English Garden which is very well preserved and furnished. For visitors who are looking for a good place to relax and enjoy, this is it.

This concludes our journey. It was actually good and enjoyable. All the while the weather was good and traffic was pretty smooth. I will probably revisit in the next couple of years.

We went back to the apartment, have a good rest, then went down the hill next day, back to KL. Whew!