Malaysia: Cameron Highlands
To celebrate our first year of marriage, my husband and I embarked on a trip with Goway to Malaysia. The first two days of our trip were spent in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. You can read all about it here. The next part of our trip took us 4 hours north to Cameron Highlands.
Thursday, January 5, 2017:
This morning we left Kuala Lumpur around 8:30 to drive north to Cameron Highlands. Even though it was a 4-5 hour trip, it seemed to pass quickly since our guide stopped at a few points of interest. Our first stop was at Batu Caves just outside Kuala Lumpur. The caves were amazing! There you will find a Hindu temple and it is truly an amazing site.
After the caves we drove a while more until we came to a rest stop on the side of the highway. Here was had corn in a cup, frozen tiramisu, coffee and fresh mango. After eating we traveled further towards the mountains. At the base of the mountains we met with some local women who showed us how they weave baskets to carry fruit down from the forests. As we headed up the mountain, we stopped at a waterfall and our guide told us about the “original people” who lived on the land which acted like a reserve. Soon enough, we came upon a hut where our guide stopped and we got to meet the men who lived there. They live a very simple life there but are able to hunt and gather most of what they need. They even showed us how to shoot a poison dart gun that they use to hunt small animals.
It wasn’t long after that we finally came to our hotel, The Lakehouse. It is a small British style cottage that has 18 rooms. It is so peaceful and pretty, but there isn’t much to do and no wifi in the rooms. At 3pm we had complimentary tea and pastries. It was beyond cute! The only way to truly describe this place and all of it’s charm is precious. We decided to stay in because the nearest town in a 35RM taxi one way. We ordered room service and figured this was the perfect opportunity to catch up on some sleep. We have a full day tour tomorrow and there isn’t a lot to do anyway.
Friday, January 6, 2017:
This hotel is so fancy! We started our morning with espresso in our room and then headed down for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. I had eggs benedict and Mike had the country style breakfast. There was also a large table full of fruit, yogurt, jams and bread. Our tour guide arrived at 9 and he was so nice! We started our tour with a drive up to the top of Mount Batu Brinchang which, at 6,667 feet, is the highest peak in the highlands. We were so high that we were surrounded by clouds. Then, we climbed up an old watch tower which gave us a clear view of both states since the state line runs down the center of the mountain. Our guide took us on a short hike through the “Mossy Forest.” I seriously felt like Tarzan and Jane in the jungle. It was perfect and eerily beautiful.
After the hike, we drove down the mountain and stopped at the Boh Tea Plantation. Here we got to walk through the tea trees and see how the tea is harvested and processed. After our tour, we had tea and split both a strawberry and a coconut tart. After the plantation, we ventured to a butterfly garden and it was so stunning. There were so many flowers and we got to hold butterflies, snakes, a millipede and a giant beetle!
Next was a stop at a strawberry farm where we had a strawberry milkshake and a chocolate strawberry cheesecake. Fun fact, the highlands are famous for their strawberries and they make the most amazing strawberry jam. Then, we got a chance to walk the the small local market and pick up more fruit for later. Our final stop was at a Buddhist temple. The attention to detail was amazing! The temple was truly breath taking.
Before heading back to The Lakehouse, we had a “light” lunch of tomato and cucumber sandwiches, fries, chicken, apples and tea at the Strawberry Park Resort. Our guide dropped us at the hotel where we took some time to relax. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant; chicken curry for Mike and ginger beef for me. It was great. Overall, we are so happy and impressed. All of our guides have been so amazing, knowledgeable and funny. Tomorrow we head to Penang and I can’t wait to see the coast.
Cameron Highlands was so beautiful and had a truly magical quality to it. The Lakehouse resort was so quaint and peaceful. I loved the antique quality and historical significance of it all. However, if we ever went back I would probably stay at the Strawberry Park Resort instead. I only say that because it had more to do and was closer to town. The Lakehouse was beautiful, but not the best place for people who like to stay active and explore.
Check out the third leg of our trip in Penang!
