The only way to keep living is to experience everything – Bea’s cerebal frontal cortex

Being in Malaysia, I’ve had the pleasure to experience many long weekends. Cameron Highlands was on one of my list of places to go to since it is not too far a drive from where I live. A place I can definitely afford to go given only 3 days of the long weekend. I cannot recall when was the last time My first time here was probably when I was a lot younger.  I can’t remember much. The only memory that stayed with me was when I visited the butterfly farm. I remembered being scared of those flapping bugs coming close to me. The traumatic experiences was what stayed in my memory bank, how unfortunate.

This time round I drove up the highlands with my partner. As I was 7 the last time I visited, I never knew what was it like to actually drive up to Cameron. I found it to be quite dangerous turning into sharp corners where you can’t see any cars in front of you. It’s an unspoken rule to give a little honk to let them you’re turning. I’d say to ensure your car is viable to go up the hill and back down before your trip!

Cameron got its name as it was discovered by Sir William Cameron back in 1885. It is situated up in the hills about 1600m above sea level. Not surprisingly, the temperatures can go down to a low 14°C here during the night, a drastic change from the 32°C mark in the city. It can get real misty in the morning and late evening. Do expect cool breeze (a change of weather) and do include a jacket when packing!

Cameron Highlands can be a HUGE pain to get around especially during the holidays. Take my word for it. I was there, in my car, not moving for so long my ass was starting to numb! To give you an idea how bad the traffic was, it took me 2 hours to reach a designated place for a usual 10 minute drive. YEAP. So I would suggest that you either thoroughly plan this trip, avoid public holidays or just stay in your resort and do NOT go out. Haha, it’s the sad truth.

Coming here like a tourist, I found that Cameron Highlands is famous for a few things. The most prominent, are the tea plantations. There are a four main tea plantations in Cameron; BOH tea plantation and Bharat tea plantation to name a few. Driving will get you there. You may opt to go on a tour, simply by booking one online or at your hotel reception.

A few things to love about Cameron Highlands; the weather. Yeap, after enduring the hot sun and the haze down in the city, it was really good to finally see some sky and inhale fresh air! (excuse the timing of this blog; is/was during the haze period in Malaysia) I suppose it is quite a relaxing destination if you’re not travelling during the public holidays. There are many local farms around (strawberry, cactus, butterfly, etc) for you to pop in. Just newly built, the lavender farm in Cameron is massive! Its beautifully decorated with rows and rows of many different kinds of flowers besides lavender. As much as it qualifies to be categorized under a “tourist trap” I must say it was definitely worth the visit. You pay a reasonable fee to enter and be greeted with a scene of purple. This is one of the tourist trap I actually don’t mind paying for.

Other than the farms, you will find other interesting attractions that might be worth a visit. Depending on where you stay, there might be a small trek or two which you can venture into. There are a few old and new teahouses which you can enjoy their delicious high tea set. The Smokehouse Hotel is a popular accommodation that has kept its cozy country house hospitality since 1937. They do a great tea & scone set with an outdoor seating area surrounded by beautiful flowers. If you would still like delicious scones at a cheaper price, drive towards Tanah Rata town and search for The Lord’s Cafe. Prepare to go early as it gets sold out fast.

You will find yourself travelling between the two main towns in Cameron; Tanah Rata and Brinchang. It does not really matter in which town you choose to spend a night because they are only 10 minutes drive away from each other. From my experience I’d recommend Tanah Rata if you’d wanna be near shops, restaurants, markets and Brinchang if you’d want a more relaxed and quiet surrounding.

THINGS TO DO:

1. Drive yourself to BOH tea plantation. It takes A LOT of courage and skills to do it. (I am not kidding. You have no idea how many times I thought my partner was going to drive off the road)
2. Visit a local strawberry farm. There are many along the way. Pick your own, buy them, eat them
3. Butterfly Farms: If you aren’t afraid of butterflies, get up close with nature’s delicate beauties at the butterfly farms in the Cameron Highlands.
4. It’s conventional, but just do it: Have a feast! Charcoal steamboat style! (steamboat is also commonly known as hot pot) There is nothing really special about it being a charcoal steamboat in my opinion. The only thing that was special to me was the price.
5. Do a hike. There are many trails to follow, albeit not much official information online. You can easily read it on blogs from experienced hikers. I do not believe the trails are properly maintained so do take caution when deciding to hike. I found a very useful site that may be helpful
6. Grab a pot of hot water and make yourself some tea (BOH tea), Go out to the balcony of your hotel and just enjoy the cool weather.