Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
- Aug 3, 2014
- 5 min read
Our journey up here only took a few hours and we were driven up by the one, the only, 'Martin Luther King II.' How honoured were we! He insisted on using the new bridge from Penang so we could get the chance to say we crossed the worlds third longest bridge. And yes, it was very long. When we arrived in the Cameron Highlands, Martin insisted on driving us all around until we found some where nice to stay. Anyone that was stressed, he would tell them 'Your problems are my problems.' He spent his whole lunch break driving us around which is actually pretty sound. To be honest, most of the time the drivers don't even acknowledge you. Eventually, we found somewhere really nice called 'TJ Lodge.' We managed to get a dorm with two other people who arrived the same day. The first person is an elderly woman called Eva who was from Malaysia, but lives in Singapore. The second person was called Chon In from South Korea. She was a lovely girl. Really nice and very generous unlike the other miserable bag. Knowing that Jason suffers really bad from mosquito bites, she gave him two bands to wear that will keep them away and a cream for when he gets bites. She really was lovely. Myself and Jason couldn't remember her name and she kept on asking us 'What's my name?' When myself and Jason both got settled, we decided to embrace the nature and go on a short trek through the forest to 'Robinson Waterfall.' It was a nice way to end an afternoon. While the waterfall was really nice, it was absolutely disgusting the amount of rubbish around it. I guess Asian people really don't care about the environment which is actually pretty sad considering what a beautiful region it is. The next day, the two of us and the lovely Korean girl went on a half day tour around the Highlands. Our first stop was to a tea plantation, which looked amazing as it covered most of the mountains around us. Our guide for the day, Bob told us that tea is not great when your stressed or upset. I told him in Ireland we believe there is nothing that a cup of tea can't solve. Apparently tea should be brewed using 80°C water. From there we drove up to the tallest peak in the Highlands, where we were able to climb up a lookout tower. It was very cloudy so we couldn't see as much as we would of liked, but it was still pretty impressive and I even managed to have 'My head up in the clouds!' The next stop was to 'Mossy Forest' which is one of the oldest rainforests in the world and a staggering 230 million years old. That is impressive. The next time your worried about being old, just think how old this forest is. Bob shared with us some handy survival tips. If we're lost in the forest or jungle, we can eat the tops of a fern leave to warm us up. If we're hungry we can eat certain leaves. To see which ones are poisonous, rub it on your wrist and after ten seconds it starts to hurt then you know to avoid it. If you need water, the best place is from a bamboo tree as it's hollow, it tends to store water inside. Handy little tips for the adventurer inside all of us. The forest is absolutely spectacular, it was definitely worth a visit. Bob showed us this plant that was in the shape of a cup. It has a lovely smell which attracts insects especially ants. When they climb into it, they fall to the bottom to their deaths as there is simply know way out for them. We were told that this cup is known as Natures Condom.' At the top of it there is a leave which can cover the whole top of it, and when its closed its safe to drink the water in it as there are no insects inside. As spiders find it hard to trap their prey in a web due to the moist weather in the forest, they will often spin a web near the top of the cup in order to get a bit of dinner. How clever! Nature truly is amazing. Another one of natures amazing creations is the butterfly. And wow, did we see some amazing ones in stunning colours on our next stop. We even got to see some of Mother Natures other creations including turtles, snakes, spiders, rabbits, lizards and beetles to name but a few. Definitely an interesting stop. From there we went to a tea factory where we were able to sample the wonderful tea from the highlands and learn a bit more about the nations favourite cuppa! The next and final stop of the day was to a strawberry farm where we got to indulge in some tasty strawberries! It was definitely a good day out. One of the great things about the Cameron Highlands is that there are a lot of really cool treks you can go on. With myself and Jason not managing to get much exercise in over the last few months and with me only having sandals, the two of us decided to do one of the tougher treks. It was good fun. There was a lot of climbing involved but it was nice and peaceful just being in the middle of the forest with no one else around. It really makes you feel at one with all of your 'Brothers and sisters!' Walking along, Jason managed to see a snake fall from a tree and quickly go under something. Sounds pretty cool! It was a good and fun way to get a bit of exercise and it definitely beats the gym. That evening, as it was our last night together, we all decided to go for a drink together. While we were all engrossed in conversation, two German friends sat with us. The girl was telling us about all the travelling she had done. We later found out that she was only eighteen. The guy was twenty one. God I felt old. To make things even worse, they were playing songs from when I was that age. How depressing! Feeling a bit peckish, we decided to order some French fries. We were instructed by Eva, the battle axe, to only put tomato sauce on the side of the fries and not all over them. Everything had to suit her. Our lovely Korean friend and Eva who were both exhausted, decided to go up to the room early. The next morning, Mrs Korea handed us the money and more for her drinks last night. The miserable, scrounger Eva was up before us. She knew we were getting an early bus so when we came back from breakfast, she had gone missing. I knew she was still in the building as I could see both of her shoes. She was obviously upstairs hiding even though she didn't spend any time up there at all until now. How miserable can you get to hide over €3. That is seriously pathetic. I told Jason that if I ever get that way to sign me into Pats! All in all, the two of us really enjoyed the highlands and being at one with all of Gods wonderful creatures. I'm not sure if we will ever return. The town isn't that great but the nature makes up for it, which I suppose is a bonus!
By Andrew
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