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.

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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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Cameron Highlands v.02 - The Road To and From The Highlands

It was Sunday in KL. I bought a copy of Sunday Star (1.50 ringgit/$0.40/PhP20.30) because it might save me from boredom during the bus ride. It was easy to find the counter selling tickets for Cameron Highlands. Counter 87, the blue one. I paid the fare – 22.50 ringgit ($6.55/PhP304.50) and mentally took note of my seat (#27)! Not long after, I found my bus along Jalan Pudu, just across Puduraya Terminal.

Cameron Highlands is just 214 kilometers north of the capital, and if I were to believe wikitravel and Lonely Planet, I’d reach Tanah Rata (CH’s main town) in 2 1/2 hours! Pfft!

LOVING STOPOVERS

Our driver was a 350-pound guy who could hardly skip down the bus. He relished our frequent restaurant stopovers. He would be the first one to leave the bus, order his food, then the last one back! He was nice though. Seeing that i was he only Asian tourist, he waved to me and pointed me to the VIP seat right in front, instead of seat 27 in the middle of the bus. I was glad to oblige.

4 1/2 HOURS

Along the way, I bought some crackers and chips. My seat was right by the door, so I was enjoying the view. The bus was almost full. Though I had no one to chat with, it was a relaxing ride that eventually took 4 hours and 30 minutes! Not 2 1/2 hours! As we drew near Tanah Rata (where backpackers usually conglomerate), I noticed several road blocks being cleared! There were rubbles which have fallen off the mountains. Gosh! Landslides! It had been raining for the last week or so. In fact, I just survived a cyclone in Chennai (India) a couple of days before arriving in Malaysia.

To be honest, I never realized that the roads were tortuous. So, much like Baguio, Cameron suffers from occasional landslides during the monsoon season. There was no advisory from any news papers, not even from the Sunday Star I just bought!

It had been drizzling again as we arrived in the town of Tanah Rata, one of the 8 towns in Cameron Highlands. The center of town enjoys the laidback demeanor of Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. No hustle and bustle, with few people walking around the streets!

TRIP CANCELLATION

The minute I got off my bus, I went to the ticket counter to buy my return – as I always do! Guess what? All bus schedules had been cancelled due to the landslides occurring along the sinuous zigzagging roads! I will be stuck here until they have completely cleared the roads.

Oh well!

My bus from Jalan Pudu in KL.

Beautiful roads - from my "VIP" seat! ;->

Tanah Rata's Bus Terminal. All the ticket counters were closed!

A restaurant stopover!

An overpass on the way to the highlands.

Treacherous curves

Zigzagging road and falling rocks and landmass make an adventurous trip to and from Cameron Highlands!

My comfortable bus ride. I was surrounded by a horde of young Korean tourists. I was seated beside a Korean guy.

Tea plantations almost as far as the eyes can see.

Undulating fields of tea plantation. This photo only courtesy of www.vacationinmalaysia.com.

Surreal spot. This photo only courtesy of www.farawayholidays.co.uk.

Fast Facts:

Elevation of Cameron highlands – 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) above the sea level

Distance from KL to Cameron Highlands – 214 kilometers

Duration of Bus Ride to CH – 4 hours 30 minutes. (Return ride took 5 hours!)

AC Bus Ticket to CH - $22.50 riinggit

Postcard in Tanah Rata - 0.80 ringgit ($0.22/PhP10.80)

Cameron Highlands belong to the Pahang State and enjoys a range of temperature from 12 to 28 degrees Celsius.

A call away. One of our several restaurant bus stops from Cameron Highlands. My 400-pound bus driver loved sampling all the restaurant!

We must have had 3 restaurant stops, plus a petrol stopover on our way to KL.

Check out:

Cameron Highlands part 1: Photos of Tanah Rata and the tea fields. - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2010/02/cameron-highlands-v01-in-place-called.html

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Cameron Highlands v.01 - In A Place Called Tanah Rata

Picture this. Undulating terrain of equidistant tea plants that stretch on for kilometers, fog that hovers in the early morning slumber, cool air blowing against your hair while you break into the mildest sweat as you hike around serene plantations, a kaleidoscopic spread of butterfly shaped petals, freshly picked strawberries that you handpicked yourself – and the corresponding juice delectably dripping down your chin as a bite lacerates the wounded flesh of your choice fruit. Add a dash of David Garrett playing Pablo de Sarasote on your iPod (or maybe a Jack Johnson or Metallica – whoever drives you to your Zen!) Heaven on earth!

THREE TIMES BIGGER

Cameron Highlands (CH) has all the trappings of a perfect highland destination! Nestled on an elevation of 5,000 feet (1,500m) above sea-level in the state of Pahang, 121 km east of Ipoh, and 214 km north of the capital Kuala Lumpur, CH is Malaysia’s answer to Thailand’s Chiangmai and the Philippines’ Baguio City. (Nope, it’s not the very limited area of Genting Highlands.) Pine trees and rose gardens abound - and tea plantations blanket its land mass; Malaysia’s largest tea-producing region. Some areas also remind one of the quaint chalets of Devonshire. With a population of barely 35,000 despite its size that’s almost 3x bigger than Singapore, Cameron Highlands enjoys a laidback atmosphere.

EIGHT TOWNS

There are eight towns in the Cameron Highlands. Brinchang (its biggest town), Tanah Rata and Ringlet are the three main townships among others such as Tringkap, Bertam Valley, Kuala Terla, Kampung Raja and Blue Valley. Tourist spots and shopping places are concentrated mostly in Brinchang and Tanah Rata.All buses arrive and depart in Tanah Rata which has the most number of varied accommodations. This is the reason why most tourists prefer to make Tanah Rata as their home base when in the area.

Pansies all over!

NAME ORIGIN

In 1885, William Cameron, a British colonial surveyor discovered the plateau during a mapping expedition. The fame of Cameron Highlands then grew when British capitalists realized its agricultural potential for growing tea, then a prized commodity. These days, the highlands sub for a major tourist destination.

ATTRACTIONS

Apart from the cool weather, key attractions in Cameron Highlands include a butterfly farm,strawberry farms, rose gardens and vegetable gardens. There are also the Brinchang Hindu Temples and the Sam Poh Chinese Mahayana Buddhist Temple. Other features include Cactus Point, Cactus Valley and theBOH Tea Plantation. There is Market Square, the Cameron Highlands Time Tunnel Galeria (at nearby Kea Farm) and accommodation at the Kampung Taman Sedia Homestay, Tanah Rata and The Smokehouse Hotel.

LANDSLIDES

There is a minor problem with visits in Cameron Highlands: During the rainy season (November-March), intermittent landslides become a source of inconvenience as these bus schedules are temporarily cancelled to clear the rubble. During my visit, travels to and from this “town” were suspended for more than a day.

BEGGING FOR A RIDE

More importantly, one has to secure his bus ticket as soon as possible as busses that head back to KL aren’t as numerous as I thought they would be! I practically “begged” the lady at the ticket counter to give me a seat – a “space” – I was willing to stand all the way through the ride! The departing bus was the only bus leaving for the day. Others had their “holiday” to avoid landslide troubles. I waved my eticket at her face and with all the theatrics I could muster, I employed all the dramatics I could muster! Begged like I never had! After a 2 hour wait, she finally opened her cabinet! Gosh! She had several available tickets! I wonder why I had to beg! To cut the long story short, I got back to KL and hopped on a taxi to catch my flight back to Manila. Just in the nick of time!

More pansies!

I bought my postcards nearby! This is part of the strip of shops in Tanah Rata, Cameron Highland's backpacker country!

The main strip of shops at Tanah Rata. This small lane is also the main highway (Jalan Simpang Pulai). To the left is the Bus Terminal. Some 100 meters further ahead is the Tourist Information Office. Shops, restaurants, ATM machines, postcard and souvenir shops, a post office can be seen along this row.

A walk among tea plants. This photo only courtesy of www.backpacker.com.tw.

A view from a moving bus!

This map only courtesy of www.bjaya.com.

Up Next: The Road to and From Cameron Highlands (More Info!) - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2010/02/cameron-highlands-v02-road-to-and-from.html

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Landslides and Ticket Troubles en route Cameron Highlands

It was a folly to plan out a visit to the Cameron Highlands, a tea-planting resort village at the northernmost tip of the Pahang state of Malaysia. But it wasn't completely careless. I thought I had the right information. I was carrying with me some print outs of a Wikitravel article which said that it only takes 1 1/2 hours to get there, even an hour if you take this so-and-so route. Confident of my knowledge about malaysia's transportation system, it was "go".

I proceeded to the Puduraya Station, and within 30 minutes, I was on a bus along with several other backpackers. I was probably the single soul planning for a day-out, expecting to be back in KL before midnight.

As it happens, there had been rains in the region the last few days. The winding mountain roads of Cameron Highlands were fettered with landslides and the ride was agonizingly slow. Our 350-pound driver drove so slow - I was seated at his back - at 40-50 kph, and everysooften, he would stop somewhere and EAT! The whole ride stretched for hours until I realized it was going to be almost triple the amount of time I expected to get there.

Upon arrival, I hastened to get a return ticket, only to be told that all the transportation services headed back to KL have been cancelled for the day - EXCEPT the bus I took. BUT it was already fully booked! What was I to do? I wasn't ready to stay there overnight! I was just told to sit and wait with no guarantees for a ride. The bus was to leave at 4:30PM leaving me little time to gallivant the area. I resorted to the most basic maneuvers - begging! I had to literally beg the fat lady by the counter to just let me on the bus - I was ready to brave standing up the whole ride through. Finally, she looked at me intently - as if charmed by my smile - hehe - and finally relented. She pulled a bunch of tickets from under her table, then sold me one - at 23 RM (x14 = PhP).

The ride going to Tanah Rata, the main town was dazzling. You didn't even have to take local transport to see the famous tea plantations - it was on the road and stretches for kilometers of well maintained roads! Closest to heaven on earth! I remember seeing this same sight in the commercial blurbs of Jericho Rosales-Carmen Soo telenovela "Kahit Isang Saglit" (Just For A Moment).

My heart-pounding experience to get to the foggy, cool and picture-perfect Cameron Highlands was all worth the trouble.