Cameron Highlands - Malaysia's pantry has a lot to offer

The bus from Georgetown/Penang left the bus station at 8 o'clock, so the alarm clock rang before 6 o'clock - and that on vacation :-( 

The last view of the water for a few days... :-)

After a 6-hour bus ride and with slight nausea due to the many curves, we arrived in Tanah Rata. 

The destination was completely different than expected: Greenhouses and plantations with all kinds of vegetables, strawberries, and tea, which are delivered throughout the country

In addition, there were farms for lavender, bees, insects, butterflies, cacti as far as the eye can see... (all tourist magnets :-))

Here is a small insight - most of the pictures with the many greenhouse plantations were taken from the bus and unfortunately too blurry... 

We had imagined it all as a quiet village surrounded by tea plantations and vast forests. 

The beautiful landscape was still there... :-)

Already upon arrival, we were annoyed that we didn't book a few more days: It was sooooooooooo pleasantly cool. Long pants weather! 

We booked the accommodation with a day tour online via EcoCameron this time. The hotel was good and equipped with super fast internet!!! The location? Well, it's in the middle of nowhere and on top of the highest mountain, not the best for backpackers :-D 

The booked tour the next day was great: Brief and concise description, because here pictures speak louder than words :-)

1. Interesting visit to a tea plantation with an associated factory and a little museum plus a tasting of the cultivated tea. 

Factory amidst the fields. 

2. Ride with the Land Rover to the highest mountain in the region with a hike through the Mossy Forest. Here, for the first time, we saw the Monkey Cups that we had been eagerly awaiting since Penang :-)

Mossy trees... 

Many different - probably very old - mosses adorn the forest all year round... 

The first Monkey Cups

3. Delicious lunch: Curry Mee. Super spicy but super delicious!

4. Hiking on a private path of the tour provider, initially through a jungle and further up through forest with even stronger moss growth. A really rustic forest...

The ascent with a view over the jungle. 

I love these plants... 

.... Oh, I don't know if we mentioned it before, but they have their name because monkeys - as long as they are closed - can drink the water inside the plant... When opened, insects etc. collect in the calyx, are decomposed by bacteria, and serve the plant as food (carnivorous plants) ;-) If you happen to get thirsty in the jungle, now you know what to do... 

Even more mossy than the actual (touristic) Mossy Forest... Soooo fluffy :-D

It was like being in a hobbit hole for Clemens :-) everything very tight and low!  

Haphazardly constructed ladders everywhere... 

This tour was a real highlight of the Cameron Highlands, if it weren't for the way nature is treated... And it's not just me who notices... Especially the roadside is full of garbage. The rivers, waterfalls, etc. carry a lot of waste and sometimes smell strongly. When asked, the guide said that the people there have a different mentality about it.. Sad about this beautiful nature!

Unfortunately, it looked like this all over the river...

We left the Cameron Highlands the next day and headed further east to Taman Negara, the oldest rainforest in the world. 

Best regards, Clem & Thea :-)