Prior to going to Cameron Highlands, we worried about how to get up there. There was some problem with the car's air-cond system. Adik spent one whole Wednesday trying looking for a place where the air-cond could be repaired. Unfortunately, since it was during the CNY holiday season, most mechanics asked Adik to return the following Monday, since there was no sparepart and most Chinese-owned sparepart shops would only re-open on Monday. And we were supposed to leave for Cameron on Friday, three days before 'next Monday'... Asked my brother Abang, if we could borrow one of his cars for the weekend, but he was not able to loan us any - the Satria was used by his office staff, the Perdana was in the workshop, he needed to use the Merc and his wife needed the Kancil to entertain her mother who came all the way from Kedah.
Thursday evening we tried our luck by sending the car to a Malay workshop in Seri Serdang. After about an hour or so of godek-godek here and there, the car's air-cond worked! Alhamdulillah... But the workshop owner took a look at our tyres (snow tyres actually) and advised hubby to change the tyres before we depart for Cameron Highlands, and hubby promised to do so the next day. He did - and so the car problem was solved.
Then, on Thursday too, Ayah suddenly announced that he intended to bring Huzaifah to see a specialist to take a look at Huzaifah's asthma/skin problem the next day. The specialist is actually based in Sarawak and only visits KL/PJ area once every 2 month. Thus, there were 3 options - whether to take Huzaifah to CH and wait for another two months before seeing the specialist, or to wait until after Huzaifah's meeting with the specialist is over before leaving for CH or not to take Huzaifah to CH. Option 1 was not really a viable option, so we had to weight option 2 against option 3. We finally decided to choose Option 3. Which meant there were just hubby, Humaidi, Yati the bibik and I who went to Cameron Highlands that Friday.
What we did in Cameron Highlands
What we did in Cameron Highlands
# Steamboat night
Having steamboat at night in the highland is better if not as good as having steamboat in a tree house at Yankee's Hut. Hot food enjoyed in a cool background - sort of yin and yang, I guess. Kit brought lots of mini cupcakes too - which were especially enjoyed by Humaidi
# Went to a workshop
No, there was no more air-cond trouble, just a flat tyre. Which was remedied in almost no time at all at the workshop which was situated in a road less travelled by tourists.
# Tea plantation visit
I was still pregnant with Haniyya back then, so Kit and Althie insisted on sparing me from having to walk quite a distance in Sungai Palas, so we went to Boh Tea Plantation in Bharat. I've been to Sg Palas before anyway - back in 2001 during DPA course. I would say that Sg Palas made a better visit than Bharat, and don't get easily fooled by the milestones on the way to the tea plantation. With the narrow and winding path, it was a lot longer to reach the tea factory than we initially thought upon seeing the first milestone.
We also stopped by Cameron Valley tea plantation which was just next to the main road.
# Tea and scone
Kit wanted to try scone at T-Cafe in Tanah Rata, but alas it was closed on Sundays. But we got to taste some at Boh Tea House in Bharat. Scones are more expensive in Boh tea house compared to the ones sold in Cameron Valley tea house. Anyway, having scone with tea in the highland reminded me a lot of the good old days when I used to buy scones at Morrison's and shared them with Chloe in our apartment in Leeds.
# Picnic at the waterfall
We brought rice cooker, rice, lots of canned lauk and had a picnic under a gazebo in Sungai Bisik waterfall. Compared to Lata Iskandar, this is just a mini waterfall. The place is quite nice but not well kept. There were litters everywhere, and the garbage bins were overflowed with litters of all kinds. The place could do better with improved maintenance
# Strawberry, strawberry, strawberry
Our bangalow is just next to Healthy Strawberry Farm (which also housed lots of cactus, varieties of flowers and organic vegetables), so we did not have to travel far for a visit to one. But Kit took us to KHM Strawberry farm and I must say that their milkshake is really to die for. Their home made jam is good and so is the strawberry topping. Their home-made ice-cream and the fresh strawberries are so-so. I prefer larger, sweeter varieties than the ones we bought there. Still it was an eye opener trip for me to realize that there are so many Bumiputera operated strawberry farms/rose gardens in existence at Taman Sedia. (They even offer Homestay services in Taman Sedia, which is not that far from Tanah Rata town)
# Nuts over Veggies
Be it at the night market in Brinchang or at the market in Kea Farm or near Kea Farm, veggies are really cheap in Cameron Highlands. And they offer a lot more varieties of veggies than we usually see in the normal supermarket or wet market near home. There were houren-so - a spinach variety I've gotten used to in Japan, putik lili, fresh red cabbage, pucuk labu with lots of soft umbut, mini kailan, fresh cherry tomatoes etc. Hubby and I bought about RM50 of veggies but they could easily cost double or more of that amount in the lowland wet market. We got lots of 'free' veggies too - be it from Malay or non-Malay sellers. "A gift for the child in your tummy," one seller claimed.
#Flowers and cactuses photo snapping
Be it at the road side, various 'markets', farms or gardens, hubby had a great time snapping photos of all different kinds of flowers and cactuses...
# Brinchang Night Market
Not the usual night market. Lots of food and household items yes, but also a place to go shopping for souvenirs. Bought souvenir t-shirts, big pencils, fridge magnets and strawberry candies here. Tried the pearl corn (jagung mutiara) - a short and whitish corn compared to the normal ones. They may not look too good, but they tasted really yummy.
All in all, we had lots of fun in Cameron Highlands.
The bangalow was spacious, and all of us got along fine with each other, even Humaidi and Kit's Manja. And I'd even forgotten how good it felt to lounge lazily on the couch and watch chick flicks with girlfriends (and supportive husbands, ha ha). I must also not forget to thank Raven's cousin Me*na - a talented masseur.
Oh, there was one scary moment when I felt strong contractions Saturday night after we got back from the night market, but it turned out to be mere false alarms. Hubby and I already identified where the nearest hospital was, just in case, but I'm glad that Haniyya waited. Otherwise, Kit suggested naming the kid Seroja, after the bangalow that we rented.
Oh no...
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