Tuesday, 23 November 2010

Day 2: Cameron Highlands

Yesterday we went on a long trip up to the Cameron Highlands. This is a plateau region in the mountains where Malaysia grows fruit, vegetables and tea. The air is fresher up there and, in colonial times, British visitors to the country used to go there for some respite from the humidity of the lower regions.

The bulk of our time there was spent at the Boh tea plantation (above). The bus took us up a windy road until the road became too poor to support it, whereupon we got out and walked the final km up the mountain to the tea shop and processing factory at the top. We were rewarded with cups of fresh tea and cakes, and a tour of the factory, as well as an opportunity to buy tea to bring back to the UK. Even as a non-tea drinker I find the tea served up there to be very refreshing and delicious, and managed two cups while we were there.

After our tour of the tea factory and our walk back to the bus (all downhill - much easier!) we stopped at Brinchang for a late lunch and a bit of shopping. This area is particularly renowned for its strawberries which grow extremely well in the climate, and there is an awful lot of strawberry related swag to be had from the local shops. We spotted plush huggable strawberries, key rings, door mats, ear muffs, bags and slippers in the shops we saw. Everybody had a chance to sample some local food at the cafes, although some preferred to stick with what they knew!

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