By Nina
Saturday February 23, 2008
Apart from a cool climate, Cameron Highlands has many key attractions.
The weather in Kuala Lumpur was hot and dry this week, so our destination this weekend was to escape the hot weather. Cameron Highlands, here we come!
Travelling on the North-South Expressway, we turned off at Tapah for a bite to eat at a quaint restaurant called Restoran Kualiti run by an ex-army officer and his wife. The restaurant’s signature dish is grilled fish served in assam gravy or black sauce. After tucking into a sumptuous brunch, we proceeded through route 59 and up to the highlands passing the Lata Iskandar waterfall.
View of Cameron Highlands’ tea plantation
Going round the bends, we felt dizzy so we concentrated on the scenery outside instead. For some fresh air, we turned off the air-conditioner and wound down the windows. We reached Ringlet, the first town, and continued for another 30 minutes until we arrived at Tanah Rata, the administration town of Cameron Highlands. The trip up the hill was exciting as we were introduced to the many different montane flora.
After 20 minutes of driving uphill, we hit another town called Brinchang where our hotel was situated. The hotel is 1,628 metres above sea level so you can imagine the view. The place reminded me of an old Tudor-style house, with its black and white facade.
From our balcony, we enjoyed views of lush green valleys, farms and rolling hills while the cool breeze blew in our faces. After a rest, we decided to visit the Boh Tea Plantation. We had to drive another 10 minutes from the hotel as the tea plantation is at Sungai Palas just above Brinchang.
At the plantation, we learnt how tea is processed, which to my surprise, is a simple process. We also had the opportunity to try the different flavoured teas – I never knew there was such a thing as lychee tea! The next time I hit the mamak stall, I’ll be ordering teh lychee ais!
Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing
Our next destination was the Butterfly Farm. The entrance fee to the farm was only RM5. The park was very well maintained and home to colourful butterflies.
The caretaker was a friendly rotund gentleman who took us on a tour of the farm, pointing out the different names of the butterflies. He told us to look out for the Raja Brooke butterfly, famous for its black and green markings on its wings. The butterfly, a protected species, was founded by naturalist Alfred R. Wallace in 1855 and named after the Raja of Sarawak then, Sir James Brooke.
After the tour, we decided to head for Strawberry Farm.
A short drive down the hill, we reached the Raju Hill Strawberry Farm. As we entered, all we could see were rows and rows of little red jewels; it was mind-boggling. The joy was eating the strawberries that we handpicked ourselves.
The farm offered some interesting strawberry drinks including their signature frozen blended concoction. I braved myself to try it despite the cold weather.
Irresistible red jewels: Fresh juicy strawberries.
Unfortunately, I slurped too fast and got brain freeze. All strawberried-out, we decided to head to the Ye Olde Smokehouse in Tanah Rata for some English traditional dinner.
The 67-year-old English styled hotel took us back in time. The cottage looked cozy with its antique furniture, fireplace and English-style decor.
We had wild mushroom soup, beef rib-eye steak and for dessert, warm apple pie and ice-cream. We rounded off in true English style, with a cup of tea.
The next day, we arranged to go jungle trekking. We decided on the Parit Waterfall Trail, got a packed lunch and drove to the Forestry Department. The paved path was simple to follow.
The air was so crisp, we hardly felt hot or tired. We stumbled upon a small stream and stopped for a rest.
We continued our walk again and before long, arrived at the Parit Waterfalls. Mum got out the picnic basket, and we found a spot for a quick snack.
It was a great experience to be one with nature, listening to the gushing water and surrounded by nature.
We hope to visit Cameron Highlands again with our Ford Everest and experience the Fruit & Vegetable Market, Flower Nurseries and hiking up Gunung Beremban.
# This article is brought to you by Ford Malaysia.
No comments:
Post a Comment