Over the course of our 11 months living in Malaysia we have managed to visit quite a few places across the country: Langkawi (twice), Tioman (twice), Penang, Kuching, Kuala Lumpur (many times), Melaka (twice), to name a few. But it's the Cameron Highlands that many people associate with Malaysia and continue to talk about, even taking pride of place as the front cover on the current Malaysia Lonely Plant guide (other brands are available). So we thought it was time to see what all the fuss is about...We were aiming to get the train up the west line from JB to Ipoh, and then get the bus from Ipoh to the Cameron Highlands. A common route...in the past. About two weeks before our trip they decided to close that train line without warning, which meant we had to find alternative transport :( We opted for a flight to Ipoh, followed by the bus. Currently you cannot even get a direct train from JB to KL until the work is completed - the only option is to fly or bus.
Anyway, we eventually made it to our accommodation in the small town of Tanah Rata which was about a two-hour bus journey from Ipoh bus terminal. We stayed at a place called Father's Guest House - a cute little place just off the main road in the town.
Having arrived mid-afternoon we opted for a little exploration of the town (it didn't take too long), followed by an early dinner at Sri Brinchang, a small banana leaf restaurant - always a good option in Malaysia. It was so good we ate here every night!
We woke early the next day, partly because we wanted to get out exploring, and partly because we had to book our train for another trip that we were planning in Malaysia (unfortunately not entirely successful, but we got there in the end). Father's Guest House are well set-up for hikers, they have a wide selection of maps of trails and brochures on tours in the reception area. Having looked at potential routes we were excited for the day ahead. However, a warning from the receptionist put a bit of a downer on the whole thing. There has been a spate of crime around the Cameron Highlands in recent months - muggings mostly, but even an attempted rape. We were told that much of this has been reported around trail 9, as this area is regularly walked by tourists and there are many escape routes around for attackers. Even after the reassurances from the staff this really put us off going walking alone, especially some of the longer trails that we had our eye on. We decided to sign-up for one of the guided walking tours from the hostel for the next day and just go out for a short walk that day. This may sound like a scam to scare people into paying for guided walking tours, but if you search the internet there are numerous reports of muggings on the trails around the Cameron Highlands - it's sad, but it seems to be true.
We attempted to find trail 5 to do about a 2-3 hour walk north towards the town of Brinchang on our own. It looked pretty simple according to our trusty map that we had just purchased from the tourist information centre - sadly, we were wrong... Those of you who have walked in the UK or the USA are probably used to detailed maps and well-marked trails and we are as well. The Cameron Highlands are not like that. We couldn't even find the start of trail 5! There was a sign one minute, and then nothing, a path visible, and then overgrown bushes. We eventually gave up, and made our way for the river to follow the simple trail 4, down the river towards The Smokehouse Inn, and their famous scones - our goal for the day had dramatically shifted!
Having walked not very far at all we found ourselves at The Smokehouse. A lovely old English inn opened in 1937, famous for their very English scones, clotted cream and jam. Having not been back to the UK for a year now, it was a lovely reminder of home.
After our afternoon tea (afternoon coffee for me!) we made our way to have a look at Brinchang, the town just north of Tanah Rata. Brinchang is an unusual one, there is so much construction going on that the whole place looks rather rundown. They seem to have neglected cleanliness in favour of huge hotels and high-rises. I wouldn't recommend going, there isn't really that much to see - unless you want to look at strawberries in poly-tunnels, lots and lots of strawberries.
The next day we were up bright and early for our guided walk on trail 10. We booked our trip with a company called Cameron Secrets. Our guide, Jason, an ex-environmental lawyer, was absolutely fantastic. He grew up in the Cameron Highlands and was so knowledgeable about the landscape and local wildlife - we learnt an awful lot, including all about the penis funghi! The walk took us from our guest house to the top of Gunung Jasar, through the jungle (the mossy forest landscape is all over the CH) and down to the tea plantations.
The Cameron Highland tea plantation - one of three major plantations in the Cameron Highlands. They really are beautiful:
After enjoying our fresh tea at the plantation we got taxis back to the guest house. Jason treated us all to a beer after the long walk, and then another, and another. A few of us ended up spending the whole afternoon/evening with him, which turned into an evening at one of the local bars and playing pool with the locals. A particular highlight of the trip was beating the owners! Having the tour from Jason was another high-point and something that I would recommend doing if you do visit.
An afternoon/evening of drinking beer is not ideal preparation for an early-morning bus journey the next day, but we made it... and survived the twisty roads.
The Cameron Highlands is a funny one. There are aspects of it that I love - the walking (once you're away from the construction) and the tea plantations really are special. The climate is absolutely perfect as well, especially when the sun comes out. However, there are parts that I really disliked: the high-rise buildings that look completely out of place, the hundreds of poly-tunnels that seem to be everywhere, the relentless construction that is taking place across the area, the crime that nobody seems to be putting a stop to. I feel that the Malaysian government need to be careful with this - if they are not careful they will destroy everything that people enjoy about the place such as the nature, wildlife, the hills and the landscape. I really hope that somebody realises this soon and it doesn't come to be a place that nobody wants to visit anymore. At the moment, if somebody were to ask me if I'd recommend the Cameron Highlands, I'm not so sure I would...I think there are perhaps better, less spoilt, places to visit in Malaysia.
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