Malaysia Self-Drive - Cameron Highlands

 

Today we said goodbye to #avanisepangresort and departed on a rather long journey to Cameron Highlands. The first part was thru the area around Sepang, then we hit the highways. These are mostly 3-4 lanes heading North. Traffic was heavy but free flowing in both directions. So many trucks on the road. We passed many high rises, fuel stations were far apart, Touch and Go tolls numerous! The fees varied between less the RM2.00 to over RM 15 on turning off to the Cameron Highlands. There are motor cycles on the highways but they do have a separate lane. There are stops for motor cyclists showing an umbrella - then they reach a shelter if it's raining. Very cool and safer than staying on the highway in the rain.

Once we reached the turn off to Cameron Highlands the road became snake- bend for ages. Round and round with stunning greenery alongside, little stalls, tiny houses, lots of hungry looking dogs, litter on the side of the road ( very sad to see) and a waterfall. We also saw an unfortunate tourist who had managed to get stuck in the ditch lining the roadway.. so now James know why I am always saying "mind the ditch" It's a scary though to get stuck like that.

The first Cameron Highlands village is Ringlet, then 12km on is Tanah Rata and further up Bringchang. The area was first established as a Hill Station and, I must say, it is a welcome relief to have a temp of 23 degrees with no humidity compared to 32 Degrees and high humidity in Sepang.

The Cameron Highlands were discovered by William Cameron in 1885. What a trek he must have had! Situated in the state of Penang the highlands are 5000 feet above sea level. The temperature ranges between 15 and 24 degrees and humidity is less than the rest of Malaysia. It's a long and very twisty road to get here.

There are 2 companies that grow tea here - BOH Tea and Bharat. We went to the latter today - a truly fun experience. The buggy takes you thru the plantations and down to the valley. There is a large play area for kids. Then one is free to wander around and in the tea bushes, up the hill or down to the river. Despite the Sunday crowds it was still very tranquil, green and scenic. Tea is harvested year round, approx every 3 to 4 weeks. The tea bushes go way up the slopes - must make picking rather strenuous. BOH have 3 plantations with tea gardens at Habu, Fairly Tea Garden and Sungai Pass Tea Garden

We are now back in our apartment listening to the thunder! It's very different here to being on the coast in Sepang, living over the water - it was quite scary at high tide then low tide it was just sand underneath the villas!

This afternoon it was drizzling and then loud cracks of thunder and rain around 7pm. We bought rolls for our tuna and they ended up being Kaya Buns! Sweet and delicious but no good for tuna!

A visit to the Butterfly Garden was most enjoyable. Lots of beautiful plants as well as koi, snakes, Alpaca, cactus plants. The butterfly's were also all over the pathways so we saw a squashed one and one who had just lost a portion of its one wing. Another was in the pond having a seriously strange conversation with a koi. We thought the butterfly would drown but it managed to get to the edge of the pond. However, with those wet wings, we wonder if it got out later.

The Mossy Forest - mossy forests are found in the mountains ranges. The high elevation together with plenty of low cloud cover encourage growth of mosses, ferns and wild orchids. As a boardwalk was mentioned, we decided to drive ourselves. Oh my word - this road beats the Mount Washington Auto Road in USA hands down. It must be the scariest road that we have ever been on. Single track up the mountain, with very few passing places. The cars coming down were mainly tour operators in Landrovers. The BOH Tea Plantations cover the lower slopes. The Sungai Palas Tea Garden is closed on Mondays. We went up and up until we eventually reached a parking area. The boardwalk was up many steps and another couple advised us not to do it. So we saved RM60 and looked at the view over the valley before making our descent again. Having to reverse on this narrow track for oncoming vehicles was not fun! Truly a nerve-racking drive.

My suggestion would be to do this on a guided tour! Even Sani Pass in South Africa is wider, although that road is not tarred and is mainly rocks! No private vehicles allowed there.

Today we drove down towards Ringlet and decided to venture up another narrow road to the BOH Tea Plantations in Habu - Fairly Tea Garden. After the very scary, narrow single track road to Mossy Forest, this road was not too bad! Still very narrow in sections but more doable. There are signs to tell drivers to blow their horn on the bends - crazy that this was not mentioned on the road to Mossy Forest. The shop and small Cafe are housed in Nissan Huts. Built in 1949 Nissan huts were used to house supplies for the troops during the Malayan Emergency 1948 to 1956.

Fortified by some Canadian Carrot Cake and Strawberry Cheesecake and some BOH Tea ( tea leaves) we took the free "tour" of the factory. We could only see thru the glass with no photos allowed. The lady did explain the process but the factory noise was crazy. Hence the (really bad! ) photos of the process below. It is quite a process, making tea. BOH apparently use machines for picking while Cameron company still use pickers. Tea is grown on super high mountain slopes.

The valley leading to BOH ( the road ends there) had many other crops growing. The soil in the Cameron Highlands is apparently very fertile. This can be seen from both agriculture and the huge forests. The trees grow so tall one can barely see so high.

Some snippets:

Local drivers are impatient and overtake on double white lines. They also never seem to stop to let one in or if we are crossing a road.

Public female toilets are holes on the floor - I assume to lift up long skirts and just let go! I am in shorts all the time so have decided to not even try this!!

It seems that plastic bags are banned on Saturdays and Sundays - we wondered why we were charged for a paper bag at 7 Eleven last Sunday - now we know why.

Today was all about visiting the main markets in the area. Kea Farms and the Agro Market. Many, many stalls with loads of fresh veg, strawberries, sweet potatoes, etc, friendly vendors - many of these happy to have a photo taken. It was an experience and good to see where the locals shop for fresh veg. The fruit at this time is strawberry, strawberry and more strawberry! We did spot a few bananas. How the vendors all make a living selling the same sort of stuff and veg is a miracle. All vendors are so friendly. Weekends are very busy hence we did this during the week.

This afternoon we visited the Agro Technology Park in Mardi. It is the oldest research Centre in the country. There are various gardens such as the Mini Garden, with over 50 types of temperate and tropical flowers. The Rose Garden was not at its best - not the correct time of year. Pot Plants, plus Commercial plots with tomatoes, peppers, brussel sprouts etc. The flowers were truly beautiful. Many SA flowers plus the more exotic species - my favorite was the Jade Vine - a truly amazing turquoise plant. It's a 42 acre park with lots of benches to while away a few minutes in the peaceful surroundings. There were 2 school groups - the junior ones were posing in the tea plantation. The older group were having fun in the play park and were happy for a photo!

On the way back to noisy #GreenHillResort we popped into 7 Eleven and then the heavens opened! Thankfully, the cloud burst did not last too long. There has been rain most afternoons and nights - it's no wonder everything is so green and lush here in Cameron Highlands.

Panang - George Town

We left our SC apartment at #GreenHillResort today for a long drive to Panang - George Town - Batu Ferringhi

We headed out thru the Cameron Highlands in the opposite direction to the drive that we arrived on. The entire Cameron Highlands is bend after bend, after bend. This area is well farmed with many covered tunnels for agriculture. Strawberries are everywhere! Eventually, we reached the highway heading towards Ipoh. Between 2 to 3 lanes and heavy traffic in both directions. From there it was onwards to George Town. The Touch and Go tolls are not cheap but fuel is! In fact, maybe fuel is our least expense in Malaysia.

We passed a huge mountain section of quarries and the dust was crazy. People living in the area must be breathing this in all the time.

(Above Photo, heading onto Penang Island, was taken thru the windscreen as nowhere to stop and it was raining!)

Getting to the island of George Town was a bumper to bumper experience. There is a bridge from the mainland to the island and all one sees are huge skyscrapers lining the area facing the bridge. Once on the island the traffic was just plain crazy.

Anyway, after leaving Tanah Rata at 9.30 we eventually arrived here at 14.30. 5 hours in the car.

We are staying at #hardrockhotel in Batu Ferringhi. The hotel is right on the beach. It seems that locals enjoy going away for weekends as the pool was full of kids later this afternoon. The rooms on the ground floor have direct access to the pool! We are in the cheap seats with a "mountain view" that is actually not much of a view at all.

Once we were checked in, we took a stroll along the beach and popped in at Levant Restaurant for a bite to eat.

Next up - a wonderful time exploring Penang Island and Georgetown

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Croatia - A Country full of Surprises!

Croatia - A Country full of Surprises!

Dubrovnik

Croatia has seen much tourist publicity lately and this is certainly a country worth visiting. Whilst we opted for an organized tour, it could be done by other transport means, particularly if you prefer more time in each place. Tourism is a major industry together with Ship building (orders until 2015 for a ship-yard in Split) and Cement works. The Croatians have experienced much trauma in their lives and the war with the Serbs only ended in 1995. This war has played a major part in the general air of neglect that hangs over most of the buildings in Croatia – in fact, some of them are crumbling so badly that one wonders how people can inhabit them safely. The older generation, particularly the women, have very worn expressions and don’t appear to smile very often. This generation also mourns the end of Communism as it now means that they do not have enough money to live on and are struggling to make ends meet.

Croatians, on the whole, do not favour pre-cooked or frozen foods. They go to their open air markets in the mornings with their baskets over their arms to choose the freshest vegetables, fruit, fish, or meat for the day. The markets are an eye-opener; the one in Zagreb was huge, covered in red umbrellas, with a wonderful vibe and the most amazing selection of fresh produce. The stall holders vary in age and some offered us free samples! The best cherries ever!

                                                                                                                 

All of the local restaurants that we visited welcomed the group with a glass of very potent alcohol! Unfortunately, alcoholism has always been a problem in Croatia and it is a social problem that the country has recently started working on. Many Croatian farms are very small as the land passes from generation to generation and has often been divided with time. Most of these farms are still tilled by hand and we saw many women working their fields as late as 20.30 hrs with a scythe. I last saw a sickle as a small child and thought they were all in museums by now. Farms will also have some pigs and chickens and all produce is basically for their own use. Set amongst rolling hills with the farmhouse perched at the top and the fields running downwards, it looks quaint, peaceful, and romantic and one hopes that these farmers are content with their lives.

The country, as a whole, is very clean and we passed a lady in Zagreb picking up the smallest pieces of paper along the verges with a specially designed fork. The Bura wind in the Split area also blows everything away from time to time. When the locals start getting edgy and short-tempered, it is said that the Bura is overdue. Once the wind has blown, everybody starts smiling again! Our Tour Guide, a born and bred Croatian from Split used to line her pockets with rocks to keep her from being blown away as a child – she was terrified she would be taken by Bura and never be seen again! The mountain range is fully covered with forests on one side and is just bare rock on the other side where the wind blows. This only happens along the coast but is such a fierce wind that roads and schools can be closed. Luckily, it blows for 2 or 3 days then stops – until the next time!

The Dalmatian coast has over 1000 islands of which approx. 67 are inhabited. We visited Lokrum which is just a short 15 minute ferry ride from Dubrovnik. It is a peaceful, wooded retreat with the ruins of a Benedictine monastery and Botanical Garden with palm trees and exotic plants. According to legend, the story of the monastery begins in 1192 when Richard the Lionhearted found himself stranded on Lokrum after a tempest. He was so enchanted with the island; he made a generous donation for a monastery to be built on the island. The Benedictine order that established the monastery used their island to warn the mainland of approaching dangers such as pirates or tempests. The inhabitants of Dubrovnik learned to watch for fires coming from the island's hilltop or incessant bells ringing from the monastery church.

The islands other attraction is the Adriatic Sea. Even before we reached the island, I was determined to swim in the Adriatic, notwithstanding that Croatia was experiencing the coldest June in 82 years! The sea is just so inviting, it practically talks to you! Beaches are rare, most are just ladders set into the rock, and you climb down and swim in the crystal waters. I needed to walk into the sea so we clambered over rocks and eventually found a small cove with a sandy bottom. The swim was worth it – 15 minutes of pure, cold, but refreshing Adriatic. When I first saw our hotel’s private “beach” I was dumbstruck – concrete with rows of deck chairs and a ladder into the water. We did pass some beaches further along the coast but the ladder into the sea seems to be a common occurrence.

Split

Croatia has a huge Café culture and the pavement cafes are all over, even in small, narrow alleyways. If a chair and table fits, it finds a space and is called a café! Along the promenade in Split there are thousands of chairs and tables, where people will gather from early morning till late at night. Dubrovnik has cafes tucked into the weirdest spaces and it is advisable to find one away from the large square, where the hordes of tourists gather. Ice-Cream is something you just have to experience in Croatia. Forget about the boring chocolate and vanilla – the Croatian ice-cream has so many flavours you will need 2 weeks to get through them all. In penance, we walked up the many, many steps up one of the small “roads” that wind up from the square to see how the 4000 locals inside the walled city live. Everything they buy has to be walked up these steps and I must say I did not see any overweight locals. Each door has pot plants of some sort to make a small oasis along the never-ending steps. Dubrovnik gets a huge amount of tourists but the city walls are still fairly empty – too much effort for most? This is a “must do” and the walk is approx. 2 km and not strenuous. However, we did all those killer steps first so ……..!

Wherever one goes in Croatia, you will see laundry hanging out to dry. It is quite a fun game to guess how many occupants each “window” has, plus the age and sex as it is all blowing in the breeze for all and sundry to see. We also saw bird cages attached to shutters and a drying rack full of plates and cutlery suspended from a window. As I never knew what we would see next, I became quite focused on windows!

As Croatia has become more westernized, the drug problem has surfaced and the divorce rate has gone from 6% to 11%. At this stage, secondary school is not yet compulsory for children and there are many drop-outs after primary school level. However, many young citizens are gainfully employed and reaching out towards their new found dreams.

The highlight of Croatia was the Plitvice Lakes area. This area has been a major tourist attraction since the late 19^th century. The first hotel was built in 1896 and in 1949 the Communist Government of Yugoslavia made this area a National Park. The park became a UNESCO listed Heritage site in 1979 in recognition of its “outstanding natural beauty”

In March 1991 the first shots of the Croatian War of Independence were fired in the park which was then held by forces of the rebel Republic of Serbian Krajina and suffered much damage as the hotels were used as barracks. It was recaptured by the Croatian army in August 1995 during “Operation Storm” which ended the war. It was de-mined by the Croatian government and was again listed by UNESCO in December 1998 after having been on their Endangered Sites list for a number of years.
The 16 lakes are divided into the Upper lakes (Gornja Jezera) and the Lower lakes (Donja Jezera). We walked from the Lower lakes to the Upper lakes and the area is stunningly beautiful and very photogenic with over 72 waterfalls, trout in the lakes, fallen trees, ducks etc. The park is also home to bear, foxes, rabbits and deer, but we saw none of those. One can catch a boat across the Lake Kozjak, walk some more and then catch a train back down to the hotel. The hotels are Hotel Jezero and Hotel Plitvice. A memorable visit which will live on in our memory – the rushing sound of waterfalls, the peaceful swimming of the trout (needless to say, they do become supper!), the gentle lapping of the lake along its shore, the bird calls, the colour of the water, the trees and ferns – the natural beauty over-awes the senses.

The Famous roofs of Dubrovnik

All in all, a wonderful country to visit with plenty of accommodation packages from budget to 5*

© Judelle Drake

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