Backpacking Asia

Cameron Highlands

June 22, 2008 at 12:14 pm (Uncategorized)

We’re a little behind in our posts, but here are some pictures from the Cameron Highlands.  It’s about a 4 hour bus ride (including stops for the driver to get off and have a leisurely lunch) from K.L.  Did we mention he talked on his cell phone and smoked while driving??  Anyway, the Cameron Highlands are beautiful-they remind me of the North Carolina mountains.  It’s nice and cool up there and has lots of touristy things to do.  We went to a bee farm, a rose garden, a strawberry farm, a Chinese Buddhist Temple, and a butterfly/bug farm.

The best thing, though was the Boh tea plantation.  All the pictures of hills with patterns on the are tea bushes.  We drove through the hills and saw lots of bushes and then we got a tour of the factory to see how they make tea.  And then of course the gift shop and cafe, where you can have yourself a cuppa among the tea bushes   The tea leaves are harvested every 3 weeks by machine (with person help) and are rolled, fermented, and dried for the final product.   The bigger the piece of leaf after rolling, the stronger the tea.  Usually they toss out the huge pieces and use them as fertilizer.

Some of the more interesting parts of the trip were our hostel and “that couple” on our 4 hour bus ride.  They were a 60~70 year old Chinese couple who didn’t stop talking LOUDLY the entire 4 hours.  Difficult to sleep…although a lady that he was talking to actually fell asleep sitting up as he was talking to her.  The next morning Allison and I climbed into the van for the  5 hour tour and who’s on the van??  That’s right…and they  talked in Chinese while the Malaysian tour guide was doing her best to give us the English tour.  Very difficult to hear, needless to stay.  We thought it would be pretty funny (horrible) if they were on our bus to Penang, too but luckily that didn’t happen.

The hostel wasn’t the worst in the world, but it was pretty sketchy and right next to where several garbage trucks were parked.  There were 5 beds on either side of the room and Allison’s side were all guys and my side were all girls.  No, we didn’t pick the sides, they are assigned.  Allison was glad she was on the other side of the room since the girl next to me…couldn’t control her…flatulence…very well.  Seriously, it was gross.  The nice parts about the hostel were the hostel’s dog, Rocky (got my puppy fix for the present) and VERY good showers (they weren’t cold and moldy).   Allison says that girls will care that the toilet got soaked when you shower cause it’s all in one room.  I don’t see the hooplah

The second night we stayed in the utmost luxury (comparatively) at the OMF bungalow.  As usual, Allison flashed her family missionary credentials and we were treated like royalty.    Not really, but it sure is funny how many people know her family members.  The bungalow is a beautiful and really quiet place.  We played badminton (national sport of Malaysia and another sport that both of us fail miserably in…although Allison thinks she’s good cause she took it as a P.E. at Asbury) and walked around the pretty gardens and had tea and biscuits in the eating room.  We met a couple there who are teachers at Dalat International School in Penang, where Allison parents and grandparents taught and she went to elementary school.   Bob and  Missy (Hobbs) Davis and their kids – very nice and fun to talk to!!  Bob and I played a Risk-type board game and he annihilated me.  It was great to be in a quiet place away from everything and just sit and read and drink Milo (like Malaysian Nestle Quick).   Onward to Penang (where we’ve already been for 4 days, but DON’T RUSH ME   )