Day 39 - Cameron Highlands: Big mountains, big jungle hikes and big bugs
Wednesday we jumped on a bus and left KL for the mountains and the Cameron Highlands. The bus ride went very smooth and after 4 hours we reached the small town of Tanah Rata. The town is located at around 1400 meters above sea level and got chilly at night time (15 degrees celsius...brrr). :)
We had heard that February was not peak season, but we had forgotten that it was Chinese New Year, so almost all guesthouses and hostels were full. After a while of searching we managed to find the tiniest little attic rooms that were 6 square meters big with a mattress on the floor.
On our second day in CH we went on a countryside tour. We were driven around to a few beautiful places up in the mountains. The first place was the "rose centre", it was more of a botanical garden with all kinds of flowers and a great view from the top.
The second stop was a tea factory/tea plantation where we got to go on a short tour. Here we learnt how tea was made. We also had a cup of local made tea and a scone while enjoying the wonderful view of the rolling hills outside.
Our third stop was a bee farm and a market place. At the market place we had some strawberry ice cream made from strawberrys grown in the area.
Our fourth stop was the butterfly park. This place was amazing. When we entered, we were blown away by the huge amount of big and beautiful butterflies. They were literally everywhere. After we had taken pictures of almost all of the butteflies at the park we exited the butterly area and saw a group of people gathered around something. It turned out to be a huge scarab beetle. We got to hold it and pet it. After they put the scarab beetle back in it's cage they took out some more insects and animals for us to hold and pet. First I held a different kind of beetle, then a rare kind of gecko and then finally a big scary looking scorpion. Yes, that is my hand in the picure...
After the craziest insect experience of my life, we went to have some strawberries at a strawberry farm. Our last stop was at a Buddhist temple that was reeking of incense.
A great tour was over, but our day was not. We went on a small hike to a waterfall close to Tanah Rata. It was in a beautiful area but the waterfall was extremely dirty. We then continued up a hill, but decided to turn back before sunset.
On our last full day in CH we went on the biggest hike the area had to offer. The peak was at 2031 meters (6666 feet) above sea level. After walking for 20 minutes we got deep into the forest and it felt like we were walking through a jungle. The path was quite steep and we had to grab on to roots and branches to move upwards and forward. After 2 hours we reached the top that was apparently also reachable by car. The view itself was very pretty, but what made the hike memorable was the extreme jungle-feel of the hike going up and then down.
We ended our stay in the Cameron Highlands by a short walk to another waterfall. This one was also quite pretty, but as we had seen in other places it was very, very dirty.
Tomorrow we are leaving the mountains for the beach. We are going to the Perhentian Islands on the east coast of Malaysia. After the chilly mountains, I think we will welcome the sun and the heat.
We had heard that February was not peak season, but we had forgotten that it was Chinese New Year, so almost all guesthouses and hostels were full. After a while of searching we managed to find the tiniest little attic rooms that were 6 square meters big with a mattress on the floor.
On our second day in CH we went on a countryside tour. We were driven around to a few beautiful places up in the mountains. The first place was the "rose centre", it was more of a botanical garden with all kinds of flowers and a great view from the top.
The second stop was a tea factory/tea plantation where we got to go on a short tour. Here we learnt how tea was made. We also had a cup of local made tea and a scone while enjoying the wonderful view of the rolling hills outside.
Our third stop was a bee farm and a market place. At the market place we had some strawberry ice cream made from strawberrys grown in the area.
Our fourth stop was the butterfly park. This place was amazing. When we entered, we were blown away by the huge amount of big and beautiful butterflies. They were literally everywhere. After we had taken pictures of almost all of the butteflies at the park we exited the butterly area and saw a group of people gathered around something. It turned out to be a huge scarab beetle. We got to hold it and pet it. After they put the scarab beetle back in it's cage they took out some more insects and animals for us to hold and pet. First I held a different kind of beetle, then a rare kind of gecko and then finally a big scary looking scorpion. Yes, that is my hand in the picure...
After the craziest insect experience of my life, we went to have some strawberries at a strawberry farm. Our last stop was at a Buddhist temple that was reeking of incense.
A great tour was over, but our day was not. We went on a small hike to a waterfall close to Tanah Rata. It was in a beautiful area but the waterfall was extremely dirty. We then continued up a hill, but decided to turn back before sunset.
On our last full day in CH we went on the biggest hike the area had to offer. The peak was at 2031 meters (6666 feet) above sea level. After walking for 20 minutes we got deep into the forest and it felt like we were walking through a jungle. The path was quite steep and we had to grab on to roots and branches to move upwards and forward. After 2 hours we reached the top that was apparently also reachable by car. The view itself was very pretty, but what made the hike memorable was the extreme jungle-feel of the hike going up and then down.
We ended our stay in the Cameron Highlands by a short walk to another waterfall. This one was also quite pretty, but as we had seen in other places it was very, very dirty.
Tomorrow we are leaving the mountains for the beach. We are going to the Perhentian Islands on the east coast of Malaysia. After the chilly mountains, I think we will welcome the sun and the heat.
Pretty adventures and nice to have Antti with you :)
Hello to Antti.