Cameron Highlands

Day 1: Arrival and Short Jungle Tour

We got up pretty early (at least for a Saturday) to catch our bus to the Cameron Highlands. The bus ride went smoothly. Unfortunately, we didn't realize how many people also travel there on a public holiday. Instead of taking about four hours, it took us six to reach our destination. Finally, when we arrived, we first went to the hostel. It was a nice area, good location (a bit away from the main road), and overall looked pretty good. After settling in, we went for a walk around the town (Tanah Rata). There, we decided to join a tour for the next day: the sunrise tour. This meant that we had to wake up early on Sunday, so we wanted to take it easy on Saturday. We took a short walk through the jungle, but we were constantly bothered by mosquitoes and there was one trail that we couldn't continue on, so we returned to our hostel as planned. We found something to eat, had a steamboat dinner (where we cook noodles, vegetables, fish, and meat in boiling soup), and had a beer at the hostel before going to bed. Unfortunately, none of us had a good night's sleep. We knew it would be colder than in KL, but we didn't expect it to be that cold. We only had a very thin blanket, so we were freezing all night and couldn't sleep well. We were all relieved when the alarm went off at 5:45 am and we could get up. And that says something!

Day 2: Sunrise, Mossy Forest, Tea Plantation, Tan's Camilla Garden

We were picked up from the hostel at six in the morning. In the dark, we drove on some bad roads in a bus that sounded like it was falling apart. Eventually, the bus stopped and we were told to get off. They said the sunrise would be in half an hour. Since it was still quite cold, I initially thought it wouldn't be so great to stand there freezing for half an hour. But it was amazing. More than that, it was simply beautiful. When we arrived, we could already see the outline of the opposite mountain against the slightly orange sky. Then it gradually got brighter, we could see more and more, fog between the slopes, the tea plants, the colorful sky. Absolutely breathtaking. And the half hour went by very quickly. Then we saw how the hill behind us was illuminated, and then we were able to see the sunrise! It was really fantastic, and I definitely want to do it again (with my parents ^^) when the opportunity arises! After the sunrise, the tour continued to the Mossy Forest. It's a mystical forest covered in moss. Unfortunately, we only had half an hour there, and the path was quite crowded. I could have stayed there longer! Our guide showed us some plants and explained a lot, but I would have loved to learn even more! But we had to move on to the BOH Tea Plantation (with a photo stop along the way). We briefly learned about the tea production there and lined up for tea. There was quite a long line since many people had come to the highlands. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time there either, so we could only take a cup of tea to go and didn't have a chance to relax on the terrace. But we had to go back. On the way back, we had to wait several times as car after car arrived at the tea plantation, and since the road was only wide enough for one car, it took a while. We even had to walk the last part. All in all, I have to say that the tour was a bit short, but it was definitely worth it for the sunrise! I'm still thinking about what to do when my parents come to visit. After the tour, we were quite tired, but it was still early. We rested at the hostel, then went for an Indian dinner and took another walk. We visited Tan's Camillia Garden, which is a private garden open to the public. It's a really well-maintained garden. Unfortunately, construction is taking place on two sides, so the little cottage will soon be surrounded by hotels. I hope it will still be preserved because it's truly a small oasis of flowers. From there, we saw a sign that said 'Hiking Trail 10.' We walked along the trail for a while, but after finding out how long it was, we decided to save it for the next day and returned to the hostel. Before that, we bought some grilled corn, a specialty of the Camerons. We ended the evening relaxing in the bar. We asked for an extra blanket for the next night at the hostel, and since no one except Patrick slept in the dormitory, we each took an extra blanket. Although I still felt a little cold, I was able to sleep much better that night.

Day 3: Jungle Hiking on Trail 10 and Journey Back

Today, we slept a bit longer, packed everything up, and set off right away. We embarked on a jungle hike. It was a beautiful and adventurous trail, but quite steep at times. I was incredibly exhausted from about halfway through. But I made it! After taking a wrong turn, we made it to a platform where an electric pole stands, offering a beautiful view of the Camerons. We had our breakfast with this stunning view. The hike was definitely worth it! Unfortunately, it was a bit foggy, so we couldn't see too far, but it was still beautiful. After our breakfast break, we continued another 1.6 km through the jungle, luckily mostly downhill. However, my knees didn't appreciate it. But there was so much to see that it distracted me from the discomfort. It's still amazing to hike through the jungle! Eventually, we reached the road, where we would have had to walk for about an hour to get back to town. But thanks to a stroke of genius from Patrick, we hitched a ride and were spared the not-so-enjoyable part of the hike. This gave us plenty of time to enjoy a delicious meal. Again, we had Indian food, but this time it was much more authentic than the previous day. We also bought some corn, which we will eat together tomorrow, and then it was time to go home. The ride down the winding road was even less fun than going up, and since the bus driver wasn't particularly gentle, I started feeling really sick. So I was really relieved when we finally arrived home after about four hours, and now I'm getting ready for tomorrow. That's it for the long weekend. Although I'm really looking forward to not freezing tonight ;)