A Cool Respite in the Cameron Highlands

After whitewater rafting in Ipoh, we headed to the Cameron Highlands, in the interior part of the country (and centered around the town of Tanah Rata).  The Cameron Highlands is unlike the rest of Malaysia, particularly since this hilly region has a climate that's quite different from the rest of the hot, steamy country.

Sure enough, when we arrived, not only did we notice a dramatic change in landscape but we also noticed.......people wearing sweatshirts!  The temperatures in Georgetown and Ipoh had been in the mid-30's C/mid-90's F, with humidity higher than 80%.  In the Cameron Highlands, the high temperature was in the low 20's C/low 70's F, and it was much less humid.  After months of sweating our way through Southeast Asia, we were giddy at the thought of cooler temperatures for a few days.  I even wore a sweater!

The view from our hotel over the surrounding hillsides was quite pretty.  Our hotel was decorated for Christmas, and carols were playing throughout the property.  I was not expecting such Christmas cheer since Malaysia is a primarily Muslim country.  Another Malaysian surprise!

The Cameron Highlands is known for cooler weather, tea plantations, and a variety of agricultural products.  There are two large tea plantations in the area, and the first one we visited was the Bharat Tea Plantation.  We walked along the hills and through the green, manicured tea bushes.  At the end, we enjoyed a cup of tea from leaves grown on the plantation.

The next day, we took a half-day tour of the area, which was the easiest and most efficient way to get around since we didn't have a car.  We stopped at a flower and butterfly farm, where we saw lots of beautiful and crazy creatures.

The boys were excited to hold these small snakes.

 We also saw giant beetles, walking sticks, and moths.

The tropical flowers were unique and so vibrantly colored.

We stopped at a bee farm, where local honey is collected and sold.  In addition to normal-size honeybees, there was a particular species of bee that is only found in Malaysia.  The bees are the size of flies and the honey is a dark color (and delicious!).

We visited the Boh Tea Plantation on, ironically, International Tea Day!  We learned that the workers harvest the leaves from a section of bushes in a twenty-one day cycle that continues for three years.  After three years, those bushes are given a break (and a pruning), and the workers move on to harvest another section for the next three years.

We walked through the tea processing plant, where the tea leaves are mashed (to start a chemical process in the leaves that brings out the flavors), dried, and shaken before being packaged.

A much-awaited stop was the pick-your-own strawberry farm, which Colin had been looking forward to for days.  We got really spoiled living in Maastricht because Belgium produces some of the most delicious strawberries we've ever eaten, including Wépion strawberries (which I once drove almost 3 hours to buy and still dream about eating sometimes).  These Cameron Highlands strawberries are grown hydroponically and were not very sweet, but the boys were excited to pick them anyways.

For dinner one night we tried steamboat, which is a popular dish in the Cameron Highlands.  It is very similar to a Sichuan Hot Pot or meat fondue in that you cook a variety of meats, vegetables, and noodles in a boiling pot of broth.  Emmett, the official timekeeper of the family, kept a precise eye on his watch to help us cook our food correctly.

After the short respite from Malaysia's hot, steamy weather, and a couple of days enjoying the beauty of the Cameron Highlands, we moved on yet again.....