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Inside Malaysia
Entry 24 of 51 | show all | print this entry |
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Nathan and Tara here: So we took a morning bus from KL on March 22nd to an area in the North called the Cameron Highlands - named after a British surveyor. At an altitude of 1,800 metres above sea-level, the temperature is much cooler during the day and significantly cooler at night. No need for air-con here. Some quick facts about the highlands. The fertile mountain slopes provide excellent conditions for growing tea and the area is a major supplier of vegetables to both Malaysia and Singapore.
Funny story about the 4hr ride up. We had a choice between a "regular" bus and a "VIP" bus. If you've read our blog entries for Laos, you'll recall that our luck with "VIP" buses has been poor to say the least. Well, we decided to shell out the additional 5 Malaysian Ringgits for the VIP option. In Canadian dollars, we're talking less than a $2 difference. Well, money well spent. The seats were like big comfy lazyboys and there were only three across so we had tons of space. It was a little like flying in Business class. The view from the winding rode - and from our super comfy seats - was quite special.
Spent two night at Father's Guesthouse (http://fathersguesthouse.com), which had been recommended to us by other travellers. The main building was formerly a monastery established by French monks, hence the origin of the name. Among its unique features are huts built during WWII by the British Army that have since been converted into fairly comfortable dorms and rooms. There was a big common room with plenty of sofas so it was easy to meet others and to watch movies in the evening.
Spent our first and only full day in the highlands learning about the cultivation of tea leaves and the process to make tea. Spent some time walking in the jungle with a real conservationist who was able to point out a variety of plants and explain their traditional uses. Also spent time visiting a traditional village where we both learned how to hunt with a blowpipe - see pics. Yes, Tara was the better shot.
I think we were especially fortunate that day as our guide was just brilliant and his Land Rover provided an excellent ride through the jungle. The weather was cooler and the rain held off until we returned to the guest house in the evening. It rained heavily throughout the night.
The next day we took a very long bus ride to Taman Negera (http://www.wildlife.gov.my). Sadly, there was no VIP option. Spanning some 4300+ sq. km, it is Malaysia's premier national park. It is thought to be one of earth's oldest rain forest. In truth, our arrival was less than exciting. It was already dark when we arrived and it started to pour heavily the moment the bus stopped to let us off. However, we scored well with accomodations (www.travellershome.com.my). They even picked us up, a major plus as others got soaked walking to their guest houses. Unfortunately, the heavy rain meant that a night walk through the jungle was not possible.
So that night we had to content ourselves with listening to the sounds coming from the jungle. In a word, incredible, but we were so tired that we had no trouble falling asleep. Spent the next morning hiking through the jungle to an elevated canopy walk that took us 40-50m up into the trees.
The view was spectacular. On the hike back we spotted a couple of monitor lizards and a wild boar and its baby crossed the path right in front of us. Even though our visit to this area was brief, we left feeling we had seen a fair amount. Amazing what you can do in a short time if you're motivated. However, an extra day or two would have been nice as the weather can really influence your options.
So our mission on Sunday the 25th was to get back to KL. We left the park at 2pm in the afternoon with a 2.5hr boat ride to the nearest major town. The time went by quickly as the woman sitting behind us turned out to be a writer for Lonely Planet who was in Malaysia "on assignment." Unbelievably, she just completed the text for an upcoming edition on New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia. What odds?
While the boat ride was fun, we missed a connecting bus back to Kuala Lumpur. So we jumped on a local bus to a bigger town further South with high hopes of catching another express bus to KL. Arrived there only to learn that all of the remaining buses back to KL that night were sold out. Fortunately we met another couple who were willing to split the cost of a taxi. While more expensive than a bus, it was still very reasonable and comfortable and we arrived around 10pm. Got up the next morning and caught an express bus to Singapore with about an hour to spare before our good friend Cil arrived from Australia - but more on her in the next entry.
So there you have it. A quick trip to Malaysia but we have every intention of returning. In fact, our flight to Borneo is already booked. But first, we're entertaining Cil so stay tuned.. N&T.
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