Cameron Highlands, Jungle adventure

Having taken a 41/2hourform KL bus journey, that is notto be forgotten, I arrived in The Cameron Highlands. The Cameron Highlands are half way up Malaysia on the West, and are pretty much rain forrest and tea plantations. They are also one of the few places in the world where one can find the largest flower in the world. This flower only blomes for about 6 - 7 days in it's life span and takes five years to reach maturity. I never new any of this before I arrived, but since then have discovered that many people travle to the area with the single purpose of seeing this most rare and illusive flower. With the altitute of the area being around 500 - 6000ft and above, the temperature is very much lower than Ihave become used to over the last few months, in fact, very much like that of a typical scottish summer, 20 - 25 degrees and wet. In some ways I was happy to out of the blistering heat of the Malaysian summer.

Local village, Cameron Highlands

The bus from KL was supposed to take about 4 hours, and should have left at 9.30am, however, it left at 10.45am and took about 43/4 hours, so having expecting to reach The Cameron Hoghlands around lunch time, it was more like 3pm, so the day, as far as doing anything worthwhile was conserned, was pretty much over. The journey up was an experience in itself, the road was very winding, and along the way we passed a number of shacks at the side of the road which were obviously peoples homes. The locals had also set up roadside stalls selling coconuts, and what I can only imagine was coconut juice in bottles. I don't think I would have drank it if I had been given it for free, it looked like dirty water. The shacks by the side of the road, which were a few mile from anywhere , left me thinking, what kind of existence do these people have, I've never seen anything so desperate looking in my life. These were literally shacks built from scavinged timber and corrigated iron sheets, no power or water. Some of them had mopeds or scooters parked outside, obviously commuters. I also saw a famliy of four on one. None with helmets, and the youngest being about three, perched on the front, crazy. I did see similar in the city as well, but never four, three yes, but not four. I also met and had a good chat with an english guywho had been travelling for the last year and a half, and was on his second time round South East Asia.

Only a sky

I booked in to a place called the Cameronian, as recommended by Mags from Erskine, which I have to say was spot on. Very clean, good facilities, and as I was to discover, the staff were not only very friendly, but also very knowledgable about the area, and helpful. It is a very nice and comfortable little place and only RM8 per night for a dorm. It provides internet access, a cafe and dining area, outdoor seating, and self service tea and coffee facilities. All in all, pretty good for 1.25pounds per night. The place wasn't too busy, but the people there were pleasant enough, if a bit over done hippy types. At what point, when travelling, are you required to get frikin dreadlocks, and wear stupid looking clothes. I will resign I think when that point comes.

Tea plantations

I have to say , the first day was pretty dull, but pleasent enough, and I did enjoy the peace for a while, after the pretty hectic hustle and bustle of KL. I had a nice walk in the afternoon, had a look at what there was to do the following day, and apart from eating, that was pretty much it. I did have a chance to catch up on my blog, at 50pence and hour, and booked an all day hicking excursion for the following day. At RM80 it seemed pretty steep, but it is only 12.50pounds (there are no pounds signs on computers here, hence the 12.50pounds nonesense). Apart from beer, which is expensive in relation to everything else, everything is dirt cheap. During the day I had a chinese meal, in a cafe type place right enough, with coffee, for 75p. There are just so many eating places, they are falling over themselves to get your business, and as a european, they will tout your business as you pass by.

Tea plantations..

In the evening I went for a walk and got some really superb sunset photos, had areally nice Thai curry at a local eatery, then picked up a few beers on my way back to the digs. Not feeling particularly sleepy, I went to the TV room where I joined a few guys watching the football. After the football was finished only one guy stayed for a bit and we had a good chat. A nice guy from the UK, an accountant, who was in the processs of moving to Australia to live, so we had a good chat about Oz and the opportunities there for a good life style. It did finish off the day nicely, and I went to bed. I was expecting a tiring day to follow.

The Raffelicia flower

I arose early to be up for my day of jungle trecking, and looking for the elusive Raffelicia flower. It was peeing down when I got up with no sign off it letting up, so I packed a long sleeved tee-shirt and my waterproof poncho, water and a couple of mars bars. I like to be prepared. I was first to be picked up at 8.00am sharp, and moved on to collect a few others. Firstly an English guy, then three Malaysians, one female, two male. The Malaysians all arrived in flip flops, so I had to comment, that I hoped they were not going to slow us up trying to walk in there flip flops. I enjoy a good walk, and having done a good bit of hill walking, I know that it is a lot more demanding than many would suspect. One of them spoke very good English and told us that it was okay because it is not real jungle. The English guy, Steve, had told how he had been out the previous day with three Korean girls who had arrived in high heels, and that as a result, it was painfully slow. Steve had been out the day before because he was trying to see this Raffelicia flower, and having been promised, but failed to see it, had been given this day free. He had in fact tried in various places, in South East Asia, on several occasions previously, to see this flower, but had never managed. His travels to The Cameron Highlands, were with he sole purpose of seeing it. The Raffelicia flower is the largest in the world, grows to a max of about 1 metre diameter, takes five years to grow, and flowers only once for about 6 - 7 days, then dies of. It only grows under the rain forrest canopy within a few areas of South East Asia. It was first discovered and named by Lord Raffles, a Governer of Singapore, and a distinguished botanist.

The guide, I think having heard our chat about flip flops, stopped at a local shop and instructed the Malasyian to get propper shoes for the trek, as flip flops were not suitable. All but one did. The one who had said that it was not real jungle did get some, and he turned out to be a very knowledgable , and intelligent guy. He also grew up in a similar terrain in northern Malaysia. It was the other guy that did not.

We travelled to a local aboriginal village to collect a local guide, the only people who know where these plants are flowering, and in fact there are only a few of them who really know. We carried on to the forrest, and treked for a couple of hours in to the thick of the jungle. Well it was real jungle as far as I was conserned. The guy in flip flops accually did quite well for the most part, but it had been raining all night and was still raining for most of the morning, so it was very slidey, and everyone, at one time or another, slipped and fell. The gut in flip flops was literally on all fours at times trying to get through. I am sure he must have felt like a right plonker, and we did not give him any cinsideration, but stared at him as we waited agian and again for him to catch up.

We walked along little tracks with thich jungle all around us, and as that was a first for me, I was loving it. We had bamboo bridges to cross, and areas of dense bamboo surrunding. The guide took us straight to a flower. We had been told that this was the best guy in the area, because most of the others were too lazy, and although they knew where the flowers were growing, they did not actually know if they were in flower, so it was just chance if they found one at the right time. This guide knew. Steve was like an excited kid, and I have to say it was a pretty spectacular flower, but stank of rotting flesh, to attact the moscuitos. This one was about 1/2 metre across, so not the largest. We took photos, and headed back. On the way back we went through a local village, which was pretty much like a collecting of timber an corrigated steel shacks in the middle of a jungle clearing. Not that spectacular, but I was struck by the poverty that these people live in. They did have a water supply, from where I don't tknow, but no electricity of any kind. We were also given a demonstration of the blow pipes which are used for hunting. I did have a shot, a only narrowly missed the target. I was only 6 feet away right enough.

We then went in to a small town for lunch, which was pretty good, and in the afternoon went to see a local tea plantation. We were given a tour of the processing plant, which dated back to about 1940, so was pretty basic, and then allowed to wander, and but tea at the visitors centre, woopee! Not the most interesting of afternoons, but the scenery was different, and lovely. I took some photos of the scenery, obviously, but that kept me entertained for about 15 minutes of the afternoon.

All in all the day was pretty good for 15 quid. The weather was so like a Scottish summers day, it made me feel at home again, and it was nice to bo cool for a change. It was never cold, and the rain wasn't too bad. In the forrest you don't get wet with the canopy protecting you.