Creepy Crawlies in Cameron Highlands' Butterfly Farm (Malaysia)

Butterfly Garden. Seems too benign, right? I have never enjoyed any Butterfly Garden until my visit at Cameron Highlands' Butterfly Farm, 3 kilometers north of Brinchang. They weren't limited to butterflies, but display other creepy crawlies as well: the leaf insect, the stick insect, spiders, scorpions, beetles, etc. With a minimum fee of 5 RM (PhP70/$1.50), you can enjoy all these amazing, unique, terrifying insects. A tour guide would show you around the place, point the ones that needed emphasis, and even take them to crawl on your hand. The photo above is of a giant stick insect, overgrown and plump. Hmmm. Very extra terrestrial.

Cameron Highlands is located in Pahang, West Malaysia. It is 200 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur with a population of 43,000 people. As a hill station, it functions as a holiday destination (though there's not much party scene if you're into that); coffee and tea plantations; a fruit haven, hiking trails, a waterfall and a food destination as well. Cameron has 7 settlements: Kampong Raja, Taman Tringkap, Kea Farm, Brinchang, Ringlet, Bartam Valley, and the town center called Tanah Rata where most holiday makers stay. I did because that's where the the bus terminal is located. There's a post office, ATM machines, tourist center, hotels, parks and rows of restaurants.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Tales from Cameron Highlands - Brinchang Stasis and Tanah Rata Lethargy

This photo only courtesy of www.trekearth's chris jules.

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia - After a debacle at the bus terminal in Bukit Jalil, finally made it to my bus. It left the station at 10:30 AM and by 3 PM, I was back in Cameron Highlands. I am finally able to stay here for the night - amidst light teasing rain and dramatic fog. I was so pleased having chosen Hillview Inn which is one of the most beautiful guesthouses I have ever been to. Took the 150 ringgit room - without the balcony, since I didn't feel like taking my shoes off just to get to a room at the 2nd floor (Otherwise, it's 200 ringgit for a room with a balcony.) It's a good for 4 people - and with a wifi service to boot. I booked for a 25 ringgit sightseeing tour tomorrow morning. That should cover most of what I want to see.

Tanah Rata is exactly as I remembered it last time I was here, though there's less flowers. I finally made it to Brinchang, a good 3 kilometers north from TR - through a 6 ringgit taxi. If you're in a group, taxis charge 2 ringgit per person which is - still - a bargain. Nothing much to see in Brinchang although there are more shops and hotels.

Cameron Highlands - in the state of Pahang - doesn't even have a movie house to amuse its people. I indulged on what I have been reading from travel forums - the Steamboat - which is what we call hotpot in the Philippines. (At main strip's unassuming Hong Kong Restaurant, at 14 ringgit per person.) The difference is, they offer more variety to dunk on a bowl of boiling water - then feast yourself to gluttony. I am thus walking back to my room with bloated stomach. But the mysterious, dramatic fog envelopes my consciousness with smug sleepiness.

Evening now and I ventured across dimly lit shops. There was a "salon" - really a barber shop with a single customer at 9 in the evening. The night market is also winding down, and people looked tired. But one thing noticeable about the highlanders is their good natured demeanor. They offer a huge smile for a 1 ringgit sale of breaded banana. A taxi driver even returned a 50 ringgit bill when I mistook it for a fiver. Earlier, while on the road, during a bus stop before arrival in CH, I knew I gave a 6 ringgit fee for a 4.50 bill, but the idiot girl pretended it was the correct amount. I knew one day she would never find success in whatever she sets her heart to. I can't wait for the tour tomorrow though. 7 stops within 4 hours. Charmed, I am sure

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This is the Eye in the Sky.