Breaking out the fleece
Trip Start
May 06, 2007
1
157
166
Trip End
Jul 24, 2008
Where I stayed
Cameron Highlands,
Pahang,
Malaysia
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The guest house I was staying at was really great. It had a very social atmosphere and comfy couches in the TV room - perfect for relaxing after a day on the trails. There are 13 interconnected trails all around Tanah Rata and Brinchang, the two main cities in the Cameron Highlands. On my first day I joined Sander and Shaun, from the Netherlands and Australia, for a hike up the very steep Path 1 to the highest point in the region. The hike itself was really nice - very steep and rather muddy, but with lots of tree roots that made natural steps up the mountain. The view from the top was a bit disappointing since one side was completely covered in fog, but our efforts were rewarded by the view on the walk down the road back into town. About half-way down the road we started to see the rolling hills of one of the tea plantations. Some of the hills were so steep we couldn't imagine how they were able to collect the leaves from the plants. Unfortunately the tea plantation is closed on Mondays so we didn't get to go in for the official tour, but after talking to everyone it sounds like the view of the fields is the best part. After a stop in Brinchang for lunch we attempted to find the start of Path 2 to head back to Tanah Rata. When we couldn't find that trail-head we changed our plans and headed down Path 4, which we determined should lose its designation as Jungle Path and the sign should be changed to say Sidewalk 4 as it is essentially a sidewalk that goes a little bit into the forest. Not nearly as exciting as Path 1.
Day 2 Sander and I decided to go up Path 10 to the second highest point on any of the trails. Path 10 was not so well signed and on 5 different occasions we started out something we thought was a path that turned out not to be. Eventually we found the right trail and took Path 10 into Path 12 though we were unable to follow our original plan and loop back around to take Path 11 back to town because of a pesky power station that was impenetrable (not that we actually tried to get past the barbed wire gates). Rumor has it that some of the trails are so badly marked because the local guides don't like that their services are unnecessary and attempt to make them necessary by removing as many signs as they can. Even without the signs any competent hiker can find his or her way around without a guide. As for the incompetent hikers, well, maybe they shouldn't be hiking in the first place.
On day 3, Sander, Sil (another Dutch guy), and I headed out on Path 13 and then made our way back on Path 9A. We attempted to find Path 8 but instead managed to spend an hour and a half walking back and forth on dead ends, eventually finding the actual path after we gave up because it was getting late. Oh well. All of the treks were really beautiful, actually feeling like we were in the jungle instead of just a couple of hour's walk from town.
I decided that even though I wasn't too sore, I could use a rest day and spent my fourth day just hanging out and relaxing. When it started pouring rain around 1pm I was really happy I had decided not to hike that day. It had rained each of the previous evenings, but not until 6 or 7pm, at least an hour after we were off the trails and back in town. The trails were muddy enough the day after the rain - I wouldn't want to be on them during the rain.
Since there were still a collection of trails my feet hadn't stepped on, I decided to hang around for a couple more days to do a bit more hiking. I went with Kika, from Spain, on Paths 7, 3, and 5 - a much easier and shorter hike than the 7 hour hikes I had done with the guys earlier in the week. As is my luck, on the easier, shorter hike I managed to slide in the mud, landing on a tree root that managed to rip a nice hole in the butt of my pants. Luckily I only need to wear these pants a few more times for hiking in Taman Negara and a little patch should hold them together enough for that. After another round of hiking these pants will be completely dead instead of their current half-dead state.
Before leaving the Cameron Highlands I took one more day for a bit of R&R, finishing up the book I was reading and watching a couple of movies. I also said goodbye to the waiter/cook at the Indian restaurant I had been frequenting in town (though I didn't give him a framed photo like a Canadian couple from my hostel did). He made a mean banana lassi. Yum.
